As 2009 comes to a close and we look forward to 2010 with great interest it’s time to begin that great clichéd tradition: Resolutions. I understand the point and the reason of making a resolution as the new year is supposed to represent the start of a new phase in a person’s life and they get to start with a clean slate. I usually avoid making New Year’s resolutions as either I make them far too ambitious and I can never achieve them or I simply forget what I had resolved to do or not do. Never one to be deterred I have decided to give this whole resolution deal another shot and list out what my goals are for the year and just how likely they are to happen.
Get in better shape: Yes, Yes I know this is a very common one and everyone will have it on their list but damn it it’s important. Although I am by no means fat or even in bad shape it never hurts to hit the gym and improve one’s physical conditioning. Besides looking better I will feel better overall and most importantly it gives me an excuse to get out of the house a couple times a week. I am not looking to run a marathon or toss beer kegs over my head in strong men competitions, just good overall condition.
Chances of this happening: 90% as I have already been exercising consistently over the past two months, so it’s just a matter of keeping up with it.
Be more of a realist: Over my lifetime I have either been very optimistic or somewhat pessimistic, and both of which can lead to lead to great unhappiness. Although being an optimist is generally a good thing, it can become quite depressing when everything you were optimistic about turns to shit. On the other hand being a pessimist prepares you for any disappointment you may encounter but life is not very fun when all you expect is for things not to go well. I suppose the best course of action would be to temper my optimism and realize that in many situations things will not work out as I hoped. Most importantly I need to plan for all scenarios so I can be prepared if things do not go as I hoped.
Chances of this happening: Realistically speaking 50% but I am hoping for an 87% chance.
Be a better friend: This is one that I am especially embarrassed about. Simply put I feel that at times I am not as good of a friend as I could be. Things such as missed calls and taking too long to return calls really make me feel as though I am not being the sort of friend I would like to be. It’s not that I do not value my friends; it’s just that I am not good in staying in contact with them. To address this issue I am going to set a goal of contacting or calling one of my friends at least once a week. It may not sound like much but it will definitely be a big improvement over what I manage now.
Chances of this happening: 80%
Finish more of the games in my collection: At moment present I have about 90 games in my collection and I have only finished around two-thirds of them. Despite loving videogames I am simply not very good at them, and I also have a tendency to reach the halfway point and never complete them. To make matters worse instead of going back and beating those games, I often replay ones that I have already finished. Fortunately I have a lot of free time on my hands these days so I really have no excuse not to play through these games. Unfortunately this resolution will not get off to a great start, as soon after the New Year a game which I have been greatly anticipating comes out and I will surely buy it and play it immediately, shunning the rest of my collection.
Chances of this happening: 55%
Watching more movies: I consider myself a movie lover but, actually I cannot support these claims as the list of films I have watched is woefully small. Another issue is that I rarely venture out to the movie theater and view new films. I blame this one on my ADD as I simply cannot stay focused in a movie theater for the duration of the film, and in general I just don’t really care for the movie theater as much as most people. Also much like my process of playing video games I tend to watch the same movie, over and over and over again constantly. Given this I want to rent at least one new movie a month and go to the theater at least once a season.
Chances of this happening: 25% given that I am watching Star Wars for the 89050th time as I type this.
Read more often: If there is one thing I am upset about with the educational system is how they manage to take the fun out of tasks I used to enjoy. I used to love reading when I was growing up, I would read a book every other week in the summer at my peak. Now I simply don’t have the attention span to read books anymore, unless they have racecars in them or on the cover. I want to get back to my old ways by reading a new book every month. Also note I want to read fun books, sure having War and Peace on your nightstand might look impressive but I know there is no way I am going to read it. Given this I plan to start with a book called Hard Driving which is a book about the first black NASCAR driver Wendell Scott.
Chances of this happening: 68%
Well that’s it for my goals in 2010. It looks like I have my work cut out for me this year so I will keep you all posted occasionally to see how it is coming along.
Now tell me: What are your New Year's Resolutions?
No comments:
Post a Comment