My resolutions for 2016
Despite the fact I did an awful job of attaining, or even working toward, the goals I set for myself in 2015, I have once again decided to make a list of things I want and should do in 2016. So yesterday I wrote a list of resolutions and goals while binging on Big Ten basketball.
A couple are recycled resolutions from last year, but I have also added a couple other items, which should be doable.
1. Drop below 175 pounds.
I always weigh myself on Friday and New Year’s Day fell on a Friday this year. That morning my scale told me I weigh 195.6 pounds — too heavy. It is a good baseline for the year, though, because I want to drop and keep off twenty pounds and change in 2016. One hundred seventy-five pounds is, I believe, a pretty good weight for me. This goal is a carry-over from 2015. Will I have the willpower to achieve it in 2016?
2. Continue strengthening my legs and strengthen my core.
I want to keep doing what I’m doing with my legs and put added focus on my “core.” What exactly is one’s “core”? I have no clue. “Core” is one of those strength training terms that is thrown around but never fully explained. Even after reading a guide to weight training last year, I am still fuzzy on the definition. Needless to say, I should really find out what the hell it means if I want to start strengthening it. Joining a gym in 2016 seems to be a must, especially since I am reaching the limitations of my equipment at home and don’t want to buy a lot more weights.
3. Get a passport.
One reason I did not get a passport in 2015 is because I did not reach goal number one. If I do reach goal number one, I’ll get a passport.
4. Visit a state I have never been to before.
I think this is a goal I will set for myself every year. In 2015 I visited Florida and Oklahoma for the first times, which means I have now visited 28 states. I flew through Atlanta to and from Miami, but airports “don’t count” so I cannot count my layovers as a visit to Georgia. I was very close to South Dakota when I was in Sioux City for RAGBRAI, but did not make it into the Mount Rushmore State. South Dakota is the low hanging fruit since it borders Iowa.
5. Take the next step career-wise.
I will likely lose one of my journals this year, so this will need to happen by at least June. How will I do this? I’m not sure. Do I find a part-time job to replace one journal? Do I look for a full-time job and end my career as a journal manager? Do I start my own business? If so, what will I do? Should I choose the comfort of a bimonthly paycheck or the uncertainty of being a small business owner? They are good questions and I will need to answer each one.
6. Take a vacation.
I suppose this hinges on number five, but we’ll see what I can do. I am heading to San Diego for the annual conference and plan to take extra time to hang out and revisit SoCal and the West. I plan to drive, so that may serve as a vacation.
7. Watch more sunsets.
I love sunsets but don’t watch and admire them as much as I should. After work one day a couple weeks ago, I emerged from my room/office for a quick afternoon snack. While heading back downstairs to work out, I saw through the front windows the sunset. Bare tree branches were silhouetted against the deep golden glow of the western horizon, and streaks of clouds were dappled by the spectrum of colors from the setting sun. It was amazing. I admired it for a moment, then thought, “Well, back to work,” and headed downstairs again. Sunsets have always calmed and grounded me, so in 2016 I need to sit down, watch the sun dip below the horizon, and savor its majestic, fading glow much more often.
8. Run a 10k.
I have run for 10 years but still have yet to participate in any kind of official running event. I want to do that in 2016. A half-marathon is a bit far for me right now, but 10k is easily within reach.
9. Don’t be a “yes” man.
Twenty-sixteen needs to be the year of “no.” I will not deny people all the time, but I need to when I shouldn’t. I have a bad habit of dismissing doubts and potential conflicts. In 2016, I need to take heed a line from one of my favorite movies, Ronin: when there’s doubt, there is no doubt.
10. Don’t think so much — just do it.
I think too much, which is crippling. I need to stop doing that.
11. Just say it.
This is another carry-over from 2015. I should say what needs to be said.
12. Write a novel.
It’s time. It’s okay if I don’t finish it in 2016, but I need to start it and be on my way to finishing a first draft.
13. Get up at or before 6:30 a.m. every weekday.
Since I work from home and my bosses don’t care when I start working, I don’t get up super early in the morning. There is no reason to. However, I could put my mornings to much better use. Working out, running, and whatnot in the morning would allow me to free time in the afternoon to, say, watch sunsets.
14. Continue learning German.
I had fun learning the basics in 2015 and have a lot more to learn.
A couple are recycled resolutions from last year, but I have also added a couple other items, which should be doable.
1. Drop below 175 pounds.
I always weigh myself on Friday and New Year’s Day fell on a Friday this year. That morning my scale told me I weigh 195.6 pounds — too heavy. It is a good baseline for the year, though, because I want to drop and keep off twenty pounds and change in 2016. One hundred seventy-five pounds is, I believe, a pretty good weight for me. This goal is a carry-over from 2015. Will I have the willpower to achieve it in 2016?
2. Continue strengthening my legs and strengthen my core.
I want to keep doing what I’m doing with my legs and put added focus on my “core.” What exactly is one’s “core”? I have no clue. “Core” is one of those strength training terms that is thrown around but never fully explained. Even after reading a guide to weight training last year, I am still fuzzy on the definition. Needless to say, I should really find out what the hell it means if I want to start strengthening it. Joining a gym in 2016 seems to be a must, especially since I am reaching the limitations of my equipment at home and don’t want to buy a lot more weights.
3. Get a passport.
One reason I did not get a passport in 2015 is because I did not reach goal number one. If I do reach goal number one, I’ll get a passport.
4. Visit a state I have never been to before.
I think this is a goal I will set for myself every year. In 2015 I visited Florida and Oklahoma for the first times, which means I have now visited 28 states. I flew through Atlanta to and from Miami, but airports “don’t count” so I cannot count my layovers as a visit to Georgia. I was very close to South Dakota when I was in Sioux City for RAGBRAI, but did not make it into the Mount Rushmore State. South Dakota is the low hanging fruit since it borders Iowa.
5. Take the next step career-wise.
I will likely lose one of my journals this year, so this will need to happen by at least June. How will I do this? I’m not sure. Do I find a part-time job to replace one journal? Do I look for a full-time job and end my career as a journal manager? Do I start my own business? If so, what will I do? Should I choose the comfort of a bimonthly paycheck or the uncertainty of being a small business owner? They are good questions and I will need to answer each one.
6. Take a vacation.
I suppose this hinges on number five, but we’ll see what I can do. I am heading to San Diego for the annual conference and plan to take extra time to hang out and revisit SoCal and the West. I plan to drive, so that may serve as a vacation.
7. Watch more sunsets.
I love sunsets but don’t watch and admire them as much as I should. After work one day a couple weeks ago, I emerged from my room/office for a quick afternoon snack. While heading back downstairs to work out, I saw through the front windows the sunset. Bare tree branches were silhouetted against the deep golden glow of the western horizon, and streaks of clouds were dappled by the spectrum of colors from the setting sun. It was amazing. I admired it for a moment, then thought, “Well, back to work,” and headed downstairs again. Sunsets have always calmed and grounded me, so in 2016 I need to sit down, watch the sun dip below the horizon, and savor its majestic, fading glow much more often.
8. Run a 10k.
I have run for 10 years but still have yet to participate in any kind of official running event. I want to do that in 2016. A half-marathon is a bit far for me right now, but 10k is easily within reach.
9. Don’t be a “yes” man.
Twenty-sixteen needs to be the year of “no.” I will not deny people all the time, but I need to when I shouldn’t. I have a bad habit of dismissing doubts and potential conflicts. In 2016, I need to take heed a line from one of my favorite movies, Ronin: when there’s doubt, there is no doubt.
10. Don’t think so much — just do it.
I think too much, which is crippling. I need to stop doing that.
11. Just say it.
This is another carry-over from 2015. I should say what needs to be said.
12. Write a novel.
It’s time. It’s okay if I don’t finish it in 2016, but I need to start it and be on my way to finishing a first draft.
13. Get up at or before 6:30 a.m. every weekday.
Since I work from home and my bosses don’t care when I start working, I don’t get up super early in the morning. There is no reason to. However, I could put my mornings to much better use. Working out, running, and whatnot in the morning would allow me to free time in the afternoon to, say, watch sunsets.
14. Continue learning German.
I had fun learning the basics in 2015 and have a lot more to learn.
