It was not the best of years, but it did have its moments. I completed 9 of 17 goals, a little better than half. Will try using 43T’s new Resolutions Tab in 2010.

start an internet company – Done, and done well
read Ulysses – Alas, no progress
Lose 30 pounds – Ditto
go to bed earlier – Hit & miss, still a goal
publish a book of poetry – Done, released in May
go green – Counting this one done
scan all my old photographs – Finally got a scanner
go to my high school reunion – A true highlite of 2009
practice tai chi – Nope
write another novel – Nope
learn some Spanish – Nope
Get an appointment for car maintenance – oil change way overdue
try 43 new recipes – Done and enjoyed
Give 5000 cheers – Done, heading for 7,000 now
Watch Star Trek Enterprise – Done and enjoyed
participate in Sierra club activities – Accomplished
address the 800 lb gorilla – Acknowledged 3 years ago

Progressing, but still behind the pace.

start an internet company – Done, earned over $6,000 so far
read Ulysses – does one more page count?
Lose 30 pounds – not even trying right now
go to bed earlier – great goal, but far from it
publish a book of poetry – Done, released in May
go green – still doing well
scan all my old photographs – a low priority
go to my high school reunion – Done and enjoyed
practice tai chi – stalled
write another novel – no time for it
learn some Spanish – have ignored the tapes
Get an appointment for car maintenance – oil change overdue
try 43 new recipes – Done and enjoyed
Give 5000 cheers – Done, heading for 7,000 now
Watch Star Trek Enterprise – Done and enjoyed
participate in Sierra club activities – going well
address the 800 lb gorilla – ahem 3 years ago

Progress has been slow.

start an internet company – Done, earned over $3,000 so far
read Ulysses – ahem
Lose 30 pounds – ahem
go to bed earlier – ahem
publish a book of poetry – at the printer
go green – in process, doing well
scan all my old photographs – ahem
go to my high school reunion – still hopeful, July 11
practice tai chi – on and off
write another novel – ahem
learn some Spanish – got some tapes
Get an appointment for car maintenance – ahem
try 43 new recipes – two to go
Give 5000 cheers – Done, heading for 6,000
Watch Star Trek Enterprise – Done and enjoyed
participate in Sierra club activities – ongoing
address the 800 lb gorilla – ahem 4 years ago

1. Give up chocolate.
36 days. No temptations. Even baked a chocolate cake for the children and didn’t touch it. I’ve done it!
2. No fizzy drinks in the house.
Am determined to make sure we all only have it once at weekends.
3. Alcohol only on special occasions.
Have to watch this one but I’ve been reminded I really don’t like feeling rough the next day. I like the odd glass of wine (prob best in a restaurant where I don’t drink the whole bottle or more). Also managing to go out and be more conscious of my limits. I’;; always have to be vigilant but I’m happy with this for now.
4. Don’t shout, don’t swear.
I’m not perfect but I have improved this. I don’t like hearing myself shout or swear – it’s not pretty.
5. Pursue my 43 Things!
Always have my goals in my mind – current and future.

I’m happy to call my New Year’s Resolutions done for 2009. If any of them need revisiting then I’ll add seperate goals. I’m done! 4 years ago

FINALLY today is MY day. No more white flour, no more sweets, they’re not even worth it. I KNOW Ihave the dicipline and determination to succeed at losing weight. I know I can accomplish everything that I want and I WILL! A good attitude, God, and goals will guide me to exactly where I want to be and who I want to be in my life.

My Stresses:
Defensive Driving/Court Meeting
English book/worksheet and test
My GPA
Getting into college
Spending too much money
My job
Weight/appearance
My lack of skills
Disorder
School absences/forms
Clogged toilet
Friends
Boyfriend
Keeping in touch with family
Parents
ERJ and other clubs

So Today:
900 AM: go to courthouse
1030-345: School
4-5: Workout
5-6: HOMEWORK. STUDY. and do a load of laundry. 4 years ago

1. Give up chocolate.
Don’t want to be overly confident but I think I’ve cracked it! I’ve gone 13 days without a smidgen and generally once I go that long I’m fine.
2. No fizzy drinks in the house.
I feel one bottle a week is fine plus the odd glass if we’re out and about!
3. Alcohol only on special occasions.
A few slip ups this week (wine in Mon, Weds and a teeny bit Thurs). I really can’t keep doing this (especially considering the calories). As of today I’m quitting wine. I’ll stick to spirits on my one night a week (tonight = vodka)!
4. Don’t shout, don’t swear.
I need to learn not to swear when I’m cross!
5. Pursue my 43 Things!
I want to find a good time to my daily goals when I am not harrassed by children/husband/dog!! 4 years ago

1. Give up chocolate.
Finally getting somewhere! Had gone 5 days without by the end of week 3 – now 9 days – woohoo!
2. No fizzy drinks in the house.
I think we’re getting used to only having diet coke once a week (though hubby has cheated – I know)!
3. Alcohol only on special occasions.
A ridiculous amount on Saturday night but allowed as rare night out with the girls. I really don’t want to do that too often though!
4. Don’t shout, don’t swear.
Getting better but there are still some improvements. I just don’t want to do it, there’s no need.
5. Pursue my 43 Things!
Yup – going to start thinking about getting my children’s books sent off now – that’s my next time limited goal. 4 years ago

1. Give up chocolate.
Oopsie. Christmas choc gone – phew. Couldn’t resist rum truffles on Mon! I’m going to have one last ‘treat’ then give up altogether either tomorrow or Sunday.
2. No fizzy drinks in the house.
Not bad! Saturday night as agreed we bought some but didn’t drink it all so finished on Sunday.
3. Alcohol only on special occasions.
Fairly good. Got quite tipsy at party but that’s ‘allowed’. 2 Tia Marias Sun then a couple of Irish coffees (just using up the Baileys lol) during the week but really barely any alcohol since Sat. Will have some either tonight or to,orrow.
4. Don’t shout, don’t swear.
Doing well – yay! Sore throat means no shouting and no temptations to swear.
5. Pursue my 43 Things!
I’m mentally running through my goals each night to see where I can make progress. Keeping my goals at the front of my mind is really helpful, especially on days where I can’t get online. 4 years ago

1. Give up chocolate.
Not doing great. Mainly just little bits left over from Christmas (coins etc) but hubby and I did buy some yesterday. I really need to give up altogether.
2. No fizzy drinks in the house.
Since a very small lapse on Saturday there has been none in the house and I haven’t drank any. Rumour has it hubby has a secret stash in his car!!!
3. Alcohol only on special occasions.
Oh dear. Sun, Mon & Tues I only had Irish coffee (barely Irish at all), NOTHING on Weds – woohoo, half a bottle of champagne on Thurs (really no excuses but had hibiscus in syrup left over from New Year), an Irish coffee today too. Tomorrow I’m going to 40th birthday party which is def a special occasion!
4. Don’t shout, don’t swear.
No shouting necessary. Have become conscious of times I swear and am trying to stop – had to explain to Jimmers today that he shouldn’t say bugger! His friend at nusery told me he’d said a bad word and I had a little panic but it turned out he said he’d send her to prison for pushing (not surprising given my job)!
5. Pursue my 43 Things!
I’m finding writing a list of what I plan to acheive the following day really useful. It’s a goal in itself but I also try to include something else relating to my goals. 4 years ago

I promise that resolve will not be lacking as I tackle this year’s list. Here I go again on ten of them. The rest are new.

start an internet company – coming soon
read Ulysses – third year here
Lose 30 pounds – necessary!
go to bed earlier – very do-able
publish a book of poetry – scheduled
go green – if not now, when?
scan all my old photographs – tough one
go to my high school reunion – I’m hopeful
practice tai chi – can do
write another novel – difficult & possible
learn some Spanish – some means some
Get an appointment for car maintenance – really!
try 43 new recipes – easy one
Give 5000 cheers – virtually done
Watch Star Trek Enterprise – four more episodes
participate in Sierra club activities – yes I can
address the 800 lb gorilla – very scary 4 years ago

1. Give up chocolate.
Day 1 fine but then gave into temptation – it was too tough with so many chocs left over from Christmas and hubby and K sitting either side of me munching! I’m not giving up on the goal though.

2. No fizzy drinks in the house.
Hmmm. Has a little left over which we agreed to finish. Then today bought a small amount of coke to go with ‘Saturday’ alcohol. Excuses, excuses.

3. Alcohol only on special occasions.
1st Jan was a bank holiday (2 glasses of wine, 2 Tia Marias), yesterday was a Friday (1 Tia Maria) and today’s a Saturday (2 Tia Marias and one more waiting)! It sounds bad but I know starting gently means I’m more likely to stick with it. Next week only one weekend day counts. I really haven’t had much though.
(More excuses)!

4. Don’t shout, don’t swear.
Yay! I really stopped myself today when Jimmers had a huge paddy and I conciously kept my voice low. No temptations to swear….yet.

5. Pursue my 43 Things!
My goals are very prominent in my mind at the moment which is great. I can also feel a shift inside me at the moment which is reminicent of times of change in my past so I feel very optimistic.

I’ve not had a 100% completion rate so far but for me that’s not such a bad thing. I will do this. 4 years ago

1. Give up chocolate. I managed this for 4 years in the past.
2. No fizzy drinks in the house. Except for with alcohol-see below.
3. Alcohol only on special occasions. Or once at weekends.
4. Don’t shout, don’t swear. Well, less anyway.
5. Pursue my 43 Things!!! Goes without saying! 4 years ago

Honestly, unfortunately, I do not like this person I’ve become. Overweight, frustrated, indecisive, messy, and short-tempered are a few of the qualities that I can no longer live with. I’ve made some truly awful decisions in the past recent months and the only excuse I have is one of my favorites cliches, “If you don’t stand up for something, you’ll fall for anything.” I do have standards and beliefs, but my apathy has resulted in hurting myself, my family, and my friends.
My first obstacle would be coming to terms with the fact that my two best friends are really negative influences. They’re great girls with good hearts, but always end up being sketchy and making poor decisions. I need and want to be around others who are positive in their attitudes and in their choices. I don’t want to upset my friends but if their constant presence is hurting me then I have to do what is best.
I need to put down exactly what I stand for so there is no gray area. I don’t want these to be resolutions for the new year, the timing is just coincidental, but I need a guideline for me and by me so I have only myself to blame for poor judgement.

I claim to respect and obey my parents.
When all else fail, they are the ones who always have my best interest in mind. Of course they aren’t perfect and I need to accept and forgive their mistakes just as I want them to pardon mine. Not only do I need to honor them more, but to be more eager in spending time with them and enjoying their company.

I claim to be drug free and abstinent
Drugs are bad for the body, mind, relationships, and the economy. I’d rather be saving my money on a camera and spending my time reading. Enough said. Sex usually leads to a variety of complications. It just isn’t worth the possible consequences.

I claim to be optimistic and sincerely happy, never envious, for those around me
Jealousy is a lack of self-confidence and usually turns into anger. This is unnecessary, mentally damaging, and exhausting. Sometimes I find myself being jealous of other girls for their appearance/wardrobe, friends, boyfriend, or general lifestyle and it isn’t worth it. If that’s what I want, then I should work hard to attain it and if it doesn’t work out then it means that I’m a different person on a different journey.

I claim to work hard in school and activities

I claim to focus on making my body healthy, inside and out

I claim to take care of my relationship with God, with others, AND myself4 years ago

start an internet company : 80% there, using Elance.com
exercise more : in summer yes, since then no
read Ulysses : still on the list
Lose 30 pounds : sigh
spend more time outdoors : somewhat, but not enough
find inner peace : maintaining it is another matter
practice tai chi : just need to keep at it
see a Democrat elected in 2008 : YES WE DID!
write another novel : carries over to 2009
watch all AFI’s 100 Best movies : fun and done
Rewrite my will & write a living will : shame on me!
start using positive affirmations daily : sporadically
portion control : if there’s no will, no way
try 43 new recipes : eleven shy, will continue
save $100 in quarters : done, and doing it again
ace my next job interview : mission accomplished 4 years ago

- Be able to run 5k comfortably without collapsing from exhaustion upon completion Not done. I’ve been going to the gym a few times a week, but I haven’t done a lot of running. I prefer the stationary bike and the rowing machine to the treadmill
- Get my restricted, buy a car and gain confidence driving in solitude Done. I really like driving now, especially to places with nice scenery
- Limit “unhealthy food” intake to a maximum of one item per day This one’s kinda hard to assess. I’ve cut down in unhealthy food a lot this year”
- Do 30 pushups (not the pathetic “girly” ones) *Not even close with this one. I can do about 17. 20 if I really put all my energy in
- Increase the amount of water I drink Not really…need to work on this
- Straight A’s at university Done. I’m pretty happy with how things are going
- Keep a list of purchases I make in order to track where my money is being expended I did this religiously for a few months, and I was so shocked at how much I was spending that I stopped…
- Be more outgoing and make new friends Not done
- Take one photo each day to document my life I don’t even remember making this resolution, so definitely not done4 years ago

1. Stop fighting
SUCCESSFUL!

2. Lose 26 pounds
Lost 23 – Good enough for me! I doubt that I will lose any more during the holiday season.

3. Work out 150 times this year
Not even close but I’m ok with that!

4. Read 20 books
Done!

5. Get a new job
Done!

6. Keep to my daily routine
Done!

7. Eat the menu I plan
Going a lot better! 4 years ago

start an internet company : still undone
exercise more : kinda, sorta
read Ulysses : unlikely
Lose 30 pounds : down, up, down, up
spend more time outdoors : in a way, yes
find inner peace : still doing pretty well on this
practice tai chi : getting back to it
see a Democrat elected in 2008 : YES WE DID!
write another novel : might finish it soon
watch all AFI’s 100 Best movies : fun and done
Rewrite my will & write a living will : not yet
start using positive affirmations daily : sporadically
portion control : oh yeah… I forgot
try 43 new recipes : lots more to try
save $100 in quarters : done, and doing it again
ace my next job interview : mission accomplished 4 years ago

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 5 years ago

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 5 years ago

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?! 5 years ago

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. 5 years ago

through my creative writing efforts. 5 years ago

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}5 years ago

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 5 years ago

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. 5 years ago

I’m clearing the decks for something, so I’m going to declare this done after this final report. I think I got what I needed from this Thing and I’m pretty happy with how my new years resolutions worked out. I’m realizing that it’s pretty hard to set really good ones that are going to be meaningful for a whole year—I’m only coming to that realization at this point of my life because this is the first time I managed to pay any attention to my new years resolutions after the first month!

I’ve gave up on two earlier in the year: run a 5k, the 2007 TBR Challenge

Completed three earlier in the year: prepare 2006 taxes for accountant, present at the Mobius conference, work through the book Lighten up my body—Lighten up my life

Here’s progress on the rest:

Practice Yoga
still doing this

exercise daily
I stopped logging it but I’m still doing it, which feels like true progress!

eat healthily
Continuing to improve here

Do NaNoWriMo
I’m giving up on this, which is sad. I really wanted to do it, but I really want to get some other things done, too, and this was getting in the way. Maybe next year.

host a party
we may do our first, very small, dinner party in the next couple of weeks

Read 50 books in 2007
Done!

Eat a salad (and one fruit) a day
This is working for me

present at the Missouri Library Association conference
Done!

watch 100 movies in 2007
84. I’ll probably make it.

make my bedroom and study peaceful, sacred spaces
won’t be done this year, but I’ve made progress and hope to complete them in the next few months 5 years ago

1 Finish a half marathon- Alas, this will not happen this year…I have just been too ill to train

2 Get my health issues taken care of-I am still working on the big one but it looks like my new doc might have found the “cure”

3 Lose weight- Not gaining but not really losing either

4 Get a furry baby- Kerwin is cute and fuzzy and has fleas!

5 Complete my first year of Grey School- Done! It was a great first year too.

6 Visit my family in California- I miss them already and wish I could go back again for Christmas :(

7 Read 50 books I’ve never read before- On book #42

8 Move closer to work- If our move ever happens then maybe…

9 Experience more of the Seattle area- I really want to go to the zoo before we move.

10 Be Happy-I’m trying, I’m trying, I’m trying…... 5 years ago

exercise more – autumn is here; no more excuses
read Ulysses – still unlikely (sigh)
Lose 30 pounds – regrouping for the yearend push
spend more time outdoors – still en route
-go to Japan again- – done in March
Publish a collection of short stories – not in 2007
-buy a new mattress- – done!
-update my wardrobe- – accomplished
-refinance my car- – yeah!
-see a dermatologist- – yup
-buy a good bbq grill- – and using it a lot
Rewrite my will & write a living will – still procrastinating
-take ballroom lessons- – quick, quick, s-l-o-w
-Give 2000 cheers- – Just gave #2410
exceed my monthly sales quota – nope, impossible now
do something new and entertaining every month – on course
-practice good dental hygiene- – everyday 5 years ago

I’ve given up on two, sigh: run a 5k, the 2007 TBR Challenge

Completed three: prepare 2006 taxes for accountant, present at the Mobius conference, work through the book Lighten up my body—Lighten up my life

Here’s progress on the rest:

Practice Yoga
still continuing to do a Yoga DVD twice a week – find myself doing little yoga stretches during the day, too!

exercise dailyAugust summary

eat healthily
Continuing to improve here

Do NaNoWriMo
getting close to time to get serious about a plot outline

host a party
still slowly moving in this direction

Read 50 books in 2007
finished 36, should have no trouble reading 14 between now and the end of the year

Eat a salad (and one fruit) a day
This works as long as I stick to my Rainbow Eating which I missed, maybe, once in the last few weeks

present at the Missouri Library Association conference
This is early next month, yikes! Better get my two presentations ready!

watch 100 movies in 2007
Up to 73, so I need to watch close to 7 a month the rest of the year. Doable.

make my bedroom and study peaceful, sacred spaces
My goal for late summer was to make the study functional and it’s pretty much there—less peaceful and sacred than I hoped, but I can still work on that 5 years ago

exercise more – still working on it
read Ulysses – unlikely (sigh)
Lose 30 pounds – making progress
spend more time outdoors – en route
-go to Japan again- – done in March
Publish a collection of short stories – not in 2007
buy a new mattress – maybe for Christmas??
-update my wardrobe- – accomplished
-refinance my car- – yeah!
-see a dermatologist- – yup
-buy a good bbq grill- – and i just LOVE it, too
Rewrite my will & write a living will – procrastinating
-take ballroom lessons- – well, yes, I tried
-Give 2000 cheers- – Just gave #2111
exceed my monthly sales quota – nope, impossible now
do something new and entertaining every month – on course
-practice good dental hygiene- – got it 5 years ago