One Little Word - 2013
I'm going to try this approach again because it worked well for me last year. First, a recap of "reclaim" from 2012. Keeping that word, and theme, in the back of my mind and also clearly outlining my goals and hopes for last year really worked. Not perfectly, of course, but well enough that it beat any typical new year resolutions.
I got Maya transitioned to a 9-3 schedule at school and then got myself on the same timetable for work. So far, it's been great, especially since I often get out to the park with her in the afternoons, and that is good for my soul. Yes, dinners are a bit more simple since I have to split my attention between cooking and Maya, but at least I *am* cooking. We've kept up "Daddy-Maya time" on many weekends, as well as Oceanside overnights once or twice a month, and both have been really helpful for my sanity and happiness. Reclaiming my fitness hasn't gone as well, but at least I did sign up at the gym back in October and for a while I managed to go at least once a week. I even managed to get some of my "icing" in that potty training is largely done, I had several weeks of travel (to the Midwest, India, and the Bahamas), and I hosted quite a few fun parties.
What's on my mind for this year? Writing, writing and more writing. I need to do it. I'm feeling my mortality, not in an old age or infirmity way, but simply that the clock is ticking and I can't afford to keep wasting time. I need to find ways to, in the words of Nike, Just Do It. Evenings are still tough, but if Maya moves up to the next room at preschool, her naps will get shorter or possibly go away, and that would allow me a little more free time at night. If that doesn't happen, I need to find an alternate solution that will at least give me a few hours each week to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard).
Regular exercise is still on the table. Yes, illnesses, holidays, and special occasions blew December and the first part of January out of the water, but I need to make a concerted effort to get back on track. The gym membership is still in effect, so I just need to find some motivation and commit to a regular schedule.
My performance at work has been sliding lately because there haven't been any high pressure deadlines. I want to find or create some interesting projects that I can work on and show some results. Otherwise I'll keep dawdling away my time on this or that little thing, or chasing down interesting links online, and my professional self respect will decline.
The best word I can think of for this year is commit. I take my commitments seriously, which means I also avoid taking them on unless I'm sure I can do it. I may never even start on an endeavor because I'm afraid I won't be able to follow through. Or worse, I do start something, but as soon as I fail to keep it up, I drop it like a hot potato instead of persevering.
It's like when I was mountain biking, I'd have to tell myself at the top of a challenging looking hill, "Commit or die trying." Better yet, to quote Master Yoda, "Do, or do not. There is no try."
Commit.
I got Maya transitioned to a 9-3 schedule at school and then got myself on the same timetable for work. So far, it's been great, especially since I often get out to the park with her in the afternoons, and that is good for my soul. Yes, dinners are a bit more simple since I have to split my attention between cooking and Maya, but at least I *am* cooking. We've kept up "Daddy-Maya time" on many weekends, as well as Oceanside overnights once or twice a month, and both have been really helpful for my sanity and happiness. Reclaiming my fitness hasn't gone as well, but at least I did sign up at the gym back in October and for a while I managed to go at least once a week. I even managed to get some of my "icing" in that potty training is largely done, I had several weeks of travel (to the Midwest, India, and the Bahamas), and I hosted quite a few fun parties.
What's on my mind for this year? Writing, writing and more writing. I need to do it. I'm feeling my mortality, not in an old age or infirmity way, but simply that the clock is ticking and I can't afford to keep wasting time. I need to find ways to, in the words of Nike, Just Do It. Evenings are still tough, but if Maya moves up to the next room at preschool, her naps will get shorter or possibly go away, and that would allow me a little more free time at night. If that doesn't happen, I need to find an alternate solution that will at least give me a few hours each week to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard).
Regular exercise is still on the table. Yes, illnesses, holidays, and special occasions blew December and the first part of January out of the water, but I need to make a concerted effort to get back on track. The gym membership is still in effect, so I just need to find some motivation and commit to a regular schedule.
My performance at work has been sliding lately because there haven't been any high pressure deadlines. I want to find or create some interesting projects that I can work on and show some results. Otherwise I'll keep dawdling away my time on this or that little thing, or chasing down interesting links online, and my professional self respect will decline.
The best word I can think of for this year is commit. I take my commitments seriously, which means I also avoid taking them on unless I'm sure I can do it. I may never even start on an endeavor because I'm afraid I won't be able to follow through. Or worse, I do start something, but as soon as I fail to keep it up, I drop it like a hot potato instead of persevering.
It's like when I was mountain biking, I'd have to tell myself at the top of a challenging looking hill, "Commit or die trying." Better yet, to quote Master Yoda, "Do, or do not. There is no try."
Commit.