Resolutions

I've been thinking about New Year's resolutions and what I should focus on this year. I remember years where I only had one goal the entire year. One year: to be nicer to others. I had quite the sarcastic, bitter streak in me that needed purging. Another year: to be more patient with others and myself. That required the Irish/Arabic/Viking in me to learn to control my temper and also to stop saying harmful things about myself. I'm still working on both those goals but being focused on one thing for the entire year helped spur the change that I needed. 2012's list rolled into 2013...and those propelled me into an adventure I could not even imagined!

After pondering a bit for this year, I realized my goal was to become more in tune with spiritual things. For that to happen, I need to spend less time with my tech gadgets and to have a list of alternatives so I don't default to playing games on my phone or watching TV. Here's what I came up with:

• Read more
• Write more
• Run more

Too generic? Good. I'm liking this non-specific resolution way of doing things.

Happy New Year!!

Setting Goals

I like setting goals. I like feeling like I am accomplishing something. Some of my goals are pretty simple: Not eating any candy while at work; not falling while at the climbing gym; not letting technology run my life (which annoys those who call or text me and my phone is on silent and nowhere near me). While others are a bit more difficult: Working out before I got to work (6am anyone?); coming home and reading instead of watching tv (which actually is getting much easier); making time for the important things. My favorite goals are those that can't be measured. They test my courage and push me to become more than I am. Remember my three goals for the new year?

• All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.
  
• All you need is 20 seconds of insane courage and good things happen.
  
• To be surprised.

Right now I feel like all three are actively pursing me. So I'm meeting them head-on and it's an interesting ride. No, I have nothing to report. No big surprises. No life changing events. But one day, all of that will change because of these three random, immeasurable goals.

Being Productive

Yesterday during church, I started writing down all the projects that were sitting at home waiting for me to start and/or finish. Yes. I was bored at church. Actually, it wasn't so much boredom as something the speaker said got my ADD mind off on a tangent. I realized that sometimes I'm pretty lazy when I get home from work because I could do so many different things that I don't know where to focus. I hate feeling lazy. Don't misunderstand me. I like relaxing. I like not rushing from one thing to the next. But I dislike how I feel when I have wasted away the evening. So now I have a list. A list that has everything from doing my taxes to planning my 15-year high school reunion to reading John Adams to upgrading my Macbook to Lion. (As a side-note to my fellow Mac friends, I'm really excited for Mountain Lion.) I also created a separate list of different blog posts I want to write. I have 15 ideas! So my goal this week is to get those all written and schedule them for your reading pleasure. But now I'm off to Park City to take advantage of the holiday sales. Happy President's Day!

2012 Update

Remember my three goals for the new year?

• All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.
• All you need is 20 seconds of insane courage and good things happen.
• To be surprised.

Well, I'm off to a good start. I'm also realizing I don't have as much patience as I thought. I feel like I am a speedboat navigating around a battleship. Somethings just take time and I need to slow down.

2012 Theme Addendum

"All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware."
—Martin Buber

Excited to discover the secret destinations of this life's journey.

Welcome to a New Year

I've reflected much on the past year. 2011 brought many unexpected events that I wasn't quite sure how to deal with. In everything that I had to confront and overcome, I found a resilient strength in me that I didn't know existed but that I attribute to the Lord and the consistency of family and friends.

I've also discovered a bit of personality that I knew was there but for some reason had suppressed. John Adams summed it up best when he wrote to Thomas Jefferson, "I was young, and then very bashful, however saucy I may have sometimes been since." I find myself being much more bold and sassy in conversation, in work, and in my relationships with others. I hope it hasn't come across as arrogance or pretentiousness. But I do like how the challenges of the past have helped me throw caution to the wind and give life my all.

My theme for 2012 comes from a movie quote: "All you need is 20 seconds of insane courage and good things happen."

My goal for 2012: To be surprised.

To speak completely in metaphor, last year was the year I rolled a six. This year I get so see where I land.