New Years Resolutions – version 2006

I suppose I’ve put these off long enough, but at least I can say that I’ve had plenty of time to put the thought into them that they truly deserve…

For reference – last year’s resolutions:
http://ssevener.livejournal.com/70045.html

1. Establish a Routine

Honestly, looking back at my less than golden times over the past year, I think what I could’ve helped me the most was simply having a set schedule to get me through the days, so that’s going to be my first and foremost resolution for 2006. Making time for everything from healthy meals and exercise to work, relaxation and even a good night’s sleep, I think that a little scheduling in my life might actually do me some good!

2. Continue to Strive Towards Last Year’s Goals

I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t do as well as I had wanted to on last year’s list, for a variety of reasons specific to each individual task. Weight – I both gained and lost, finances took a similar fate, and I still don’t have a website online that features the writing that I’ve created over the years … but there’s no time like the present for making a new start!

• Exercise – three weeks into the new year, I’ve managed to average the unspeakable 2x – 3x per week – a noble start, if I do say so myself! I’ve also recently made it a point to plan out my meals for the week in advance, hoping to benefit both my pocketbook and my waistline. Now to just keep it up…

• Budgeting – I cited owing about $17,000 going into 2004, $6,000 into 2005, and now I’m back up around $10,000 entering 2006. Sure, I might be completely out of debt this year had other complications not arisen, but now’s not the time to cry over spilt milk. All I can do is continue on the path to debt-free-edness, try to curb my spending whenever possible, and keep reminding myself that the sooner I start savingthe money that I’ve been sending away to credit cards all these years, the sooner I’ll be able to buy a house of my own and all that comes with it.Also, whereas in the previous years, I didn’t really have many investments to my name, per se, at least going into 2006 I can also boast just under $5,000 worth of assets, too! A silver lining, indeed…
• Creative Efforts – I haven’t done any creative writing of the column-like sort for quite some time, but I have spent the past four months producing Ink, Paint & Tears… and I amquite proud of how that’s turned out! As writing takes a backseat to what I currently find myself working on these days, my new goal is simply to build a website that can feature my works as they come, whether it be weekly, monthly, or just whenever I manage to get around to it.3. Find the Time to Rekindle Some of My Lost Passions
  

  All too often do I catch myself saying that, “I wish I still did this…” or “I just don’t have the time for that anymore…”so I think it would be nice to try to change that here in 2006. There might be dozens of things that come to mind, but even if I can only fit a few in here or there, it’d be a nice start in my opinion…

  • playing guitar

• SCUBA diving
• playing video games
• reading
• writing for fun4. Start Off on the Right Foot
  

  One day last year, it occurred to me as I rode the elevator up to my floor at work that I don’t normally say hello to people in the morning. Mind you, it’s not like I snub them or refuse to answer when they extend the courtesy to me – I just never seem to be the first to extend such a greeting to people whom I don’t already know…

  This is something that I’d like to change because looking back on that time, I actually tried it the following morning and it made me feel pretty good. It’s usually the little things that end up making someone’s day, whether it be saying hello in the elevator or wishing the clerk a nice day at the store or even paying the toll of a complete stranger behind you on the ride home. I wouldn’t mind being on the giving side of that stick a little more often.

  5. Stop Worrying About Love

  Ironic because last year I cited the exact opposite, but albeit offering it’s share of great memories, 2005 also featured an awful lot of despair and depression with regards to love and it’s something that I really don’t want to go through again. Someone once said that you can’t be happy in a relationship until you’re truly happy with yourself, and although I wouldn’t necessarily say that I’m specifically “not happy” with myself right now, I do believe that I’d be much happier right now if I were in a relationship with someone that I love.

  That kind of thinking won’t make you anything but even more depressed.

  The truth is, 2005 was a real turning point for me as far as love is concerned, but the absence of it towards the end of the year turned my life more upside-down than it had been in all of the years previous! Love’s goofy like that and I can’t begin to understand it, but what I do know is that when striving for any goal, you can’t be down on yourself if you ever home to get there yourself. Simply put – when the time is right, love will happen for me again, and until then, there are plenty of other things to do around here…

  6. Get Out and DO Something!!!

  Ok, so this one istruly a carryover from last year and this time I’m going to spell it out so there’s no possible chance of not following through! Whether it’s by myself or with company, I pledge to visit at least six of the following over the next twelve months:

  • Walt Disney World (I’m spending the money to renew my pass, so at least four trips are required for me to break even.)

• The Everglades
• Kennedy Space Center
• Seminole Hard Rock Casino
• The Florida Aquarium
• Busch Gardens
• the beach
• check out a local comedy club
• a concert of any type, any genre (something at the House of Blues would be nice)
• Bodiesexhibit at MOSI (must be done by Feb. 26th)
• Key Largo or somewhere in the Florida Keys
• someplace outsidethe state of Florida7. Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff
  

  I’ve been told this by a number of people recently, enough to see that there’s a lot of truth in it. And while the resolutions above are all goals that I’d like to see myself achieve over the course of the next twelve months, one thing I’ve learned over the years is that stressing yourself when things aren’t going exactly according to plan never gets you anywhere.

  In fact, I think that’s primarily why so many people have already abandoned their resolutions by this time each year – they expect too much too quickly and tend to panic when they’ve only lost four pounds or managed to save fifty bucks by the end of the first month. Naturally, life has its ups and downs, so I know right off the bat that reaching the goals that I’ve outlined here tonight certainly isn’t going to be smooth sailing all the way. Whether we like it or not, shit happens and when it does, sometimes you can’t make that huge credit card pay-off that you were hoping to that month, but it’s how you deal with the situation at hand that really shows what kind of a person you are.

  So here’s to not letting myself get psyched out by the small stuff this year – with plenty of hard work, determination, and even a little luck, maybe I’ll enter into 2007 debt-free, physically fit, and in the right frame of mind to take on whatever life chooses to throw my way. 😉