I don't like the idea of New Year's resolutions; to me, they seem like a a set-up for failure. I can't possibly accomplish an entire list of things to learn and places to see in a short amount of time on a limited budget without putting an extreme amount of pressure on myself, therefore sucking most of the fun out of the items on the list that are supposed be enjoyable. I do think that setting goals for the year is acceptable, though. At the beginning of January, I wrote out a list of things that I wanted to do this year. The year before I turn 30 years old seemed to be the perfect time to branch out a bit and do things that I've always wanted to do.
So how am I doing? Not bad at all actually. I attended a literary conference this year (#1) and I've been writing and submitting more of my work (#9). One of my goals (#2) is to have something published before the end of the year and I'm still working on that. The novel outline (#10) is slowly developing but I could definitely dedicate more time to it.
I wanted to visit three new places (#12) and by next month, I'll have accomplished that (Savannah, Northern Vermont and Chicago). Also on the list is to go to 3 new museums in New York City (#13) and see two plays and/or musicals (#15), both of which I think are doable. And next week, I'm taking a class at JoAnn Fabrics to learn to sew (#6)--Anthony bought me a sewing machine for Christmas last year and I'm so anxious to use it.
A few things that haven't been crossed off the list: watching one old movie a month (#7) and donating blood regularly (#3), although I did join the National Bone Marrow Registry. I'm also struggling to keep my email inbox as clear as possible (#14).
Overall, I'm pretty excited about working on the rest of the list. I think I've been looking at it as a loose syllabus for life that's full of assignments I actually want to do. There's still almost four full months left in 2011, too. And if nothing else, my goal list has gotten me to floss my teeth at least four times a week (#18) and for that, I'm grateful.
Image of awesome Goals Chalkboard courtesy of MaryKateMcDevitt via Esty
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