2014 New Year’s Resolutions
2014 New Year’s Resolutions
I don’t know why I do these every year. I do think it’s important to have goals, and if I force myself to think about setting them at the beginning of the year, at least I’ll have considered the direction my life is going, right? Ever since I started doing a list and following it up monthly (or semi-monthly) I do tend to tick more items off it than when my goals were just nebulous blobs in my head.
So, in 2014 I want to…
Ride a bike.
I’m getting dangerously old and I still can’t ride a bike. I never learned as a kid and it’s embarrassing to learn as an adult. Plus, ever since Seanie’s bike got stolen I haven’t had one to practice with. But Seanie got a bike for Christmas so maybe, finally, I’ll learn how to ride one.
Put hair in a bun that stays all day.
This may seem a bit silly to you, but I’ve never mastered the girlish art of wrangling my hair in a bun. When I manage to put it up, the hairstyle falls apart within a few minutes. Not only will this be the year I conquer the bike, I will also figure out something to do with my hair!
Get published.
I often toy with the idea of writing for a living, but I really don’t know how to go about it. So this year, my goal is to get something published somewhere that isn’t my blog - because that’s cheating, no? I’m not really thinking a novel or anything long - just a short article or essay…about something. Maybe one of those independent research projects I stumbled across in college and mentally boxed up, intending to return to them “someday”…
Be able to hold a ten minute conversation in Spanish.
Basically, I’ve known for years that I need to learn a foreign language. This will be the year that I actually make significant inroads on Spanish.
Complete 12 paintings.
“Be more creative” was an ineffective goal last year. I’m hoping that if I have a goal that will have physical results at the end, I’ll be better about it. There’s still a lot of creative wiggle room here - what kind of paintings, the subject matter, the size…
The point is, I need to do it!
Travel somewhere new.
Duh.
Exercise 60 minutes a week; by the end of year expand this to 210 minutes a week.
I didn’t do it last year, but maybe I’ll do it this year? I’d better do something, at any rate - I don’t like how much weight I gained in 2013.
Get a job!
Double duh.
Take some f*cking Chemistry.
Because I need to, if I’m going to go to grad school in art conservation, and I’ll put it off indefinitely if I don’t force myself to do it.
Sew a dress.
Or some other functional garment, like a shirt or a skirt. I have a ton of fabric and a sewing machine, and I really need to use it.
Eliminate the backlog of “to be posted” blog entries.
I’m starting the year with 126 “to be posted” entries. I've got the notes scribbled in my day planner, so it's really just a matter of sitting down and fleshing them out.
Eliminate my backlog of books for review.
I have 33 books pending review for fashion_piranha.
I’d like to get rid of this stack of books so that I can write reviews in a more timely manner, and (hopefully) improve the quality of them by writing books up right after I read them instead of a month or two (or three or four) down the pipe…
Do something new.
Because that’s always a good resolution, right?
Well, that’s enough to get me started in 2014!
I don’t know why I do these every year. I do think it’s important to have goals, and if I force myself to think about setting them at the beginning of the year, at least I’ll have considered the direction my life is going, right? Ever since I started doing a list and following it up monthly (or semi-monthly) I do tend to tick more items off it than when my goals were just nebulous blobs in my head.
So, in 2014 I want to…
Ride a bike.
I’m getting dangerously old and I still can’t ride a bike. I never learned as a kid and it’s embarrassing to learn as an adult. Plus, ever since Seanie’s bike got stolen I haven’t had one to practice with. But Seanie got a bike for Christmas so maybe, finally, I’ll learn how to ride one.
Put hair in a bun that stays all day.
This may seem a bit silly to you, but I’ve never mastered the girlish art of wrangling my hair in a bun. When I manage to put it up, the hairstyle falls apart within a few minutes. Not only will this be the year I conquer the bike, I will also figure out something to do with my hair!
Get published.
I often toy with the idea of writing for a living, but I really don’t know how to go about it. So this year, my goal is to get something published somewhere that isn’t my blog - because that’s cheating, no? I’m not really thinking a novel or anything long - just a short article or essay…about something. Maybe one of those independent research projects I stumbled across in college and mentally boxed up, intending to return to them “someday”…
Be able to hold a ten minute conversation in Spanish.
Basically, I’ve known for years that I need to learn a foreign language. This will be the year that I actually make significant inroads on Spanish.
Complete 12 paintings.
“Be more creative” was an ineffective goal last year. I’m hoping that if I have a goal that will have physical results at the end, I’ll be better about it. There’s still a lot of creative wiggle room here - what kind of paintings, the subject matter, the size…
The point is, I need to do it!
Travel somewhere new.
Duh.
Exercise 60 minutes a week; by the end of year expand this to 210 minutes a week.
I didn’t do it last year, but maybe I’ll do it this year? I’d better do something, at any rate - I don’t like how much weight I gained in 2013.
Get a job!
Double duh.
Take some f*cking Chemistry.
Because I need to, if I’m going to go to grad school in art conservation, and I’ll put it off indefinitely if I don’t force myself to do it.
Sew a dress.
Or some other functional garment, like a shirt or a skirt. I have a ton of fabric and a sewing machine, and I really need to use it.
Eliminate the backlog of “to be posted” blog entries.
I’m starting the year with 126 “to be posted” entries. I've got the notes scribbled in my day planner, so it's really just a matter of sitting down and fleshing them out.
Eliminate my backlog of books for review.
I have 33 books pending review for fashion_piranha.
I’d like to get rid of this stack of books so that I can write reviews in a more timely manner, and (hopefully) improve the quality of them by writing books up right after I read them instead of a month or two (or three or four) down the pipe…
Do something new.
Because that’s always a good resolution, right?
Well, that’s enough to get me started in 2014!