New Year's Resolutions

I'm not really a big fan of New Year's Resolutions. I just think they're sort of a joke. Every year people make this list of things they will accomplish in the coming year, as if January 1st holds some magical power that will make possible the completion of tasks we just couldn't seem to get it together to accomplish the year before.

And yet, for most people, by January 15th those "Resolutions" are already forgotten, shoved aside, postponed, or completely dismissed. And then we say "oh well, maybe next year". As if the other 350 days out of the year didn't even exist. What is that all about?

That being said, there is something inspiring about the idea that you can wipe the slate clean on all your failed projects and ideas and as of January 1, start off brand new.

In this past year I have undergone a pretty huge transformation myself, in more ways than one, so I've got to admit that this year I'm looking forward to making, and keeping, a few New Year's Resolutions. But I'm going to call them Goals, not Resolutions, because I just don't like that word.

So, without further ado, here are my 2009 New Year's Goals:


1. Finish the Novel I started for NaNoWriMo, edit it, and begin to earnestly research how I can go about submitting this thing to publishers.


2. Keep going with my current "decluttering" project. I started a few months ago to work on decluttering my life, and I want to keep this up. There is just too much "crap" in my life, and I need to get rid of those things I just don't need to keep around anymore. These things include not only that old coffee pot I haven't used in a year, or those pants I haven't worn since freshman year in college, but also files on my computer, so called "friends" who only drag me down, and self-imposed obligations that are helping noone, least of all myself.

3. Get organized. This one sort of follows with the previous one, but I spent too much of this year in a sort of chaos mode, so I really want to keep better track of my time and my stuff, so I have less chaos and more peace.

4. Get up half an hour earlier on weekdays. I'm really sick and tired of constantly running late in the mornings, so I need to change my routine so that I'm up at least 30 minutes earlier during the week. If this requires going to bed 30 minutes earlier as well, than so be it, but I really want to stop running late every morning.

5. Travel more. For several years now I had to put traveling on a shelf because my job was so overwhelming that the thought of taking time off only served to stress me out, which sort of defeated the purpose of taking a vacation. With this new job, I don't have that problem anymore. That little trip I took to Ft. Lauderdale last month woke up the "travel bug" and I've been bitten once again. So, in 2009, I plan to travel more.

6. Date. There, I said it. This is the year I will go on actual, real life dates. It's time folks, I'm getting out there.

And there you have it, my 6 main goals for the year. Other than that, my last, bonus one, is this:

7. Keep enjoying life, appreciating every day, and focusing on the important stuff, not stressing the little things.

What are your resolutions/goals??