Resolutions. I have never been able to keep them. I think most people can't. That doesn't mean we shouldn't make them. I think it's great that we continue to make New Years Resolutions, because we strive to better ourselves. We rarely complete these resolutions though do we? If we really wanted to do these resolutions we wouldn't wait for an arbitrary date like the end of the year. Sometimes we go half the year before we forget or give up on our resolution, sometimes we go two days. But that's okay. We think that we can leave the past behind us and make a better life just because we changed our calendar. It'great. That's why I'm doing it here.
1. Lose weight. I bet 95% of people who make New Years Resolutions have some form of this one on their list. I actually followed last year's resolution to "Exercise More." I was pretty consistent in 2010. I didn't lost much weight, not enough to throw a party over, probably due to my love of food, and eating. I'll make a concerted effort this year. Losing weight has always been and will always be a problem for me. I think this year will really be different. Here's prayin'.
2. Write more. I'm going to get serious with this writing kick I'm on. That means more Yelp Reviews, more Flixster Reviews, more Blog posts, and hopefully more work for Vincit Magazine. I was thinking about finding a writing gig full time and leaving my current job. But from talking to people it sounds like writing jobs aren't the most fruitful. So I figure I'll stick with this low stress, well paying job, and write on the side.
3. Read a book. This is what one might call a softball of a resolution. I'd say its a pretty big one for me. I've never been much of a reader. As a matter of fact I can only recall reading one book for pleasure in my life: Have a Nice Day by wrestler Mick Foley. I've read, and its been suggested to me, that if I want to be a better writer I should read good books. It's always been hard for me to sit down and read a book, I usually feel like it takes away from a good time: I could be watching some form of television or playing a video game. Even though the resolution is to read a book, I'm hoping that finishing the first book will lead me to other books. I've actually cheated a bit on this one as I started reading a book at the end of December and I finished it on January 2, 2010. My first book: The Portrait of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. Very good book, I was actually hooked for quite a bit. Started off super slow (and super homosexual) but picked up toward the middle and then really ramps up at the end. I'd recommend it.
4. Go out more. If I recall this resolution was on my list last year, pretty much failed that one. I went out a bit, but I don't think enough. My money crunch really played a big part in this though, but that was just the most legit excuse I could use. The whole point of going out is, of course, to meet my potential Mrs. Joel Samson. If I did go out it it wasn't really at places with opportunities to meet new people. This will probably be my toughest resolution. But because its on this list I hope it pushes me to try harder this year.
5. Learn to be more independent. This is a resolution you'd most likely find on a 19 year old's list. But this is something I need to work on. If nobody can hang out with me I often don't go out. Sometimes I need to go out and get something, like some new clothes or stuff for the house but I hate going alone. It's just something I need to work on.
6. Get my website going. I have an awesome idea for a website. Me and my brother were working up the particulars and realized that our ideas were a little too ambitious for two people to handle. This put a slow down to the production of the site. This year I know that my financials will be a lot better, so I think I can get the website up and moving. I don't expect to get it fully functional by the end of the year, but I do want to get it at least to beta.
7. Spend smarter. If there's one thing I learned from living alone it was how to save money. With the majority of my income going to my house I had to scrap for everything, sacrifice on some wants to get needs, and sacrifice some needs to get wants. Living alone taught me that I'd still be happy if I didn't buy a new BluRay release every week. It taught me to always keep a can of spam handy for when I run out of frozen pizza. I learned that I can live perfectly fine off of the internet and basic television channels if I cancelled my cable. I hope I can continue my spending habits this year, maybe improve them.
Those are the big ones. Let's see how I do come 2012. Let me know what you think, or what Resolutions you have on your list. Good luck on your 2011 Resolutions!
Great resolutions! :) So you have never been much of a writer before?
ReplyDeleteAnd I cringe each time I sit in class listening to classmates ramble on about how they have read so many books during their childhood, which led to their passion for writing today. I thought, holy crap, I'm SO behind! I've heard that statement: "to be a better writer [you] should read good books" so many times. Read different kinds, find one similar to how you want to write and learn from what they have done. There's so much I've been told that it's overwhelming to think about at times. The principle lesson I've learned about writing though, is simply to just write and don't stop.
Anyway, great post and good luck :)
I used to love to write in High School and college. I wrote a ton of poems, some interesting papers, a few stories. I had a blog on myspace for a bit...but that was more of an online journal. Then I kind of fell out of it. Got back into it again. Thanks I'll be sure to write tons this year. I have a lot of ideas on interesting (to me) stuff.
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