keep my new years resolutions

1. Finish Year 13
It’s going well. I’m slowly progressing in Calculus, and i’ve come to really enjoy physics. I got top marks in my English story too :)

2. Save $4000 by the end of 2008Done!
I increased this to $4,500 which I actually achieved for a few days, then brought my dress :)

3. Secret Resolution
not happening at all. It’s off the list.

4. Plan my gap yearDone!, but ongoing
i’m still planning on spending it working, and saving money for university. I want to have a car before then as well.

5. Think about universityDone!, but ongoing
I’m still interested in Computer Science and Software Engineering. I’ve been looking more closely into courses and universities and have been talking to people about what the job involves.

6. Don’t put down what I can awayDone!
Still doing this :)

7. Help out more around the houseDone!
Still doing this too :)

8. Handwash delicate items of clothingDone!
I’ve been doing this, it’s important to handwash my sequin tops :)

9. Knit occasionally
Not happening, and I don’t really care. Off the list it goes :)

10.

11. Wash my woolen school jerseys seperatelyDone!
yep, i’ve been doing this, washing them with this stuff for wool :)

12. Spend less time on the internet

^oooooops

13. Work harder in Computer Class
I haven’t made as much progress as I could’ve, but i’m getting there.

14. Continue drinking minimal milkDone!
I’ve marked this goal done, I hardly ever drink it :)

15. Get my restricted license
Progress for this is going really well, i’ve had lessons, a lot of practice, and i’m feeling a lot more prepared and ready. This will happen in the next few months.

16. Keep track of my spending and saving
I haven’t been keeping written record of it, but I know where my money is going.

17. Change my sheets once a weekDone!
I’ve done this and continue to do this! :)

It’s been almost 6 months which is the longest i’ve ever kept resoloutions. I’m going to mark this done, but keep these resoloutions in mind because I know I can achieve them :)

start an internet company : not yet
exercise more : still procrastinating
read Ulysses : one of my “forever” goals
Lose 30 pounds : working at it
spend more time outdoors : a bit, still not enough
find inner peace : actually doing pretty well on this
practice tai chi : averaging three days a week
see a Democrat elected in 2008 : an absolute must!
write another novel : 2/3 complete
watch all AFI’s 100 Best movies : fun and done
Rewrite my will & write a living will : nope, not yet
start using positive affirmations daily : sporadically
portion control : this month’s challenge
try 43 new recipes : 17 so far
save $100 in quarters : $97.00, almost there
ace my next job interview : mission accomplished

1. Finish Year 13
Of course I’m going to finish it, but it’s a question of finishing it and leaving school with the results that i’ll be happy with. It’s going well but I need to study more.

2. Save $4000 by the end of 2008Done!
I completed this shortly after I wrote my resolutions but I’ve since increased the amount.

3. Secret Resolution
Still happening, but in a different way.

4. Plan my gap year
It will be spent working, saving money for university. I want to have a car by then and am also looking into some part time courses that i’m interested in.

5. Think about university
It’s looking more and more certain that i’m going to be studying computer science or software programming. I’ve also started narrowing down the universities i’m thinking of going to.

6. Don’t put down what I can awayDone!
I’m going to keep doing this though as it makes for a much tidier bedroom!

7. Help out more around the houseDone!
I’ve been doing the dishes a lot more for Mum and helping out more with the washing and other general housework.

8. Handwash delicate items of clothing
A matter of getting around to it, and not wrecking them in the wash.

9. Knit occasionally
Not happening yet, but it will do.

10.

11. Wash my woolen school jerseys seperately
I’ve been doing this but not regularly enough. It’s much better for them.

12. Spend less time on the internetHa! this is erm not going so well…

13. Work harder in Computer Class
Despite the time spent on the internet in computer class I am actually making some good progress with this :)

14. Continue drinking minimal milk
Occasional hot chocolate but going well generally :)

15. Get my restricted license
Getting there… I need some driving lessons and a bit more practice first.

16. Keep track of my spending and saving
I started well but have been slacking off a bit recently.

17. Change my sheets once a week
I’ve done this consistently so far, every week! :)

that if you make them public or share them with people you have a lot better chance of keeping your goals. So here are mine:

1. Stop fighting
2. Lose 26 pounds
3. Work out 150 times this year
4. Read 20 books
5. Get a new job
6. Keep to my daily routine
7. Eat the menu I plan

Obviously there is overlap with some of my other goals. But the following are my 2008 resolutions

- Be able to run 5k comfortably without collapsing from exhaustion upon completion
- Get my restricted, buy a car and gain confidence driving in solitude
- Limit “unhealthy food” intake to a maximum of one item per day
- Do 30 pushups (not the pathetic “girly” ones)
- Increase the amount of water I drink
- Straight A’s at university
- Keep a list of purchases I make in order to track where my money is being expended
- Be more outgoing and make new friends
- Take one photo each day to document my life

Edit – I’ve just realised how generic and mundane my resolutions are. Am I really that predictable?!

1 Finish a half marathon- My health prevented me from doing this. However, I’m going to try again next year!

2 Get my health issues taken care of-Still working on it but I’m getting closer to a final treatment. By this time next year I hope to be as healthy as I can be.

3 Lose weight- I lost a few but gained back twice as many. After all my visits with the doctor I found out this is less my fault and more the fault of my illness. Once I’m fixed I’ll have better success.

4 Get a furry baby- I love my cat so much!

5 Complete my first year of Grey School- Done! I’m already into my second year!!

6 Visit my family in California- Not once but twice!!!!!

7 Read 50 books I’ve never read before- I finished my 55th book before today (Dec 31st). This is the most books I have ever read in a year.

8 Move closer to work- Nope-I don’t think that this is going to ever happen :( I’ll keep dreaming though.

9 Experience more of the Seattle area- We did a good job of this. I still have a few locations on my list but overall we made a real effort to get out this year.

10 Be Happy-This is always on my list of resolutions. I have had some very happy moments this year and I hope to increase this number each year.

through my creative writing efforts.

I’ve completed my list for the coming year: 16 resolutions in total. Some are uncompleted carry-overs from 2007. Most are new. A few are esoteric, but I’ll know when I’ve accomplished them. I’ve listed them in order of how many others on 43T share the goal, not by priority.

Lose 30 pounds_{4128 people}

exercise more_{3886 people}

spend more time outdoors_{777 people}

find inner peace_{542 people}

watch all movies on AFI’s 100 Best movies list_{341 people}

read Ulysses_{254 people}

start an internet company_{162 people}

see a Democrat elected in 2008_{118 people}

practice tai chi_{108 people}

start using positive affirmations daily_{46 people}

write another novel_{22 people}

try 43 new recipes_{22 people}

portion control_{9 people}

Rewrite my will & write a living will_{2 people}

save $100 in quarters_{2 people}

ace my next job interview_{1 person}

exercise more – obviously not enough
read Ulysses – perhaps next year
Lose 30 pounds – only if I count weight regained & relost
spend more time outdoors – “more” could have been “MORE”
-go to Japan again- – done in March
Publish a collection of short stories – not in 2007
-buy a new mattress- – yes!
-update my wardrobe- – accomplished
-refinance my car- – might want to do it again, too
-see a dermatologist- – did it
-buy a good bbq grill- – well used, too
Rewrite my will & write a living will – was this a 2007 goal?
-take ballroom lessons- – Did it, but not for me
-Give 2000 cheers- – Will hit 3000 by Christmas
exceed my monthly sales quota – a noble effort, failed
-do something new and entertaining every month- – done!
-practice good dental hygiene- – and continuing

This is how it’s looking for 2007…

1 – Lose weight: done, or at least I hope so!
2 – Drink more water: check!
3 – Eat at least 2 pieces of fruit daily: it worked very well for the first half of the year.
4 – Practise yoga: done, and still practising and loving it. :)
5 – Have better posture: alas, no.
6 – Floss daily: I can never remember this one.
7 – Give blood: hopefully, this will be done by the end of this week.
8 – Start piano lessons: no.
9 – Finish Chinese langauge course: nope, and unlikely to happen before 2008.
10 – Write every day: check.
11 – Read one poem a day and memorise it: well, I tried.
12 – Draw more: no.
13 – Improve Spanish: no.
14 – Smile more: check.
15 – Don’t resort to self-pity: check.
16 – Be more patient: well, it worked some of the time.
17 – Speak my mind: nope.
18 – Do 3 nice things a day: no, sadly.
19 – Don’t feel jealous: check.
20 – Stop procrastinating: no, obviously.
21 – Relax: not yet.