2012 Resolutions

I’m a big fan of making New Year’s Resolutions.  For several years I’ve diligently sat down in January and written out my resolutions on a sheet of colorful cardstock.   Once the sheet is full of all my goals and dreams I proudly place it on the stack of other paperwork that needs to be addressed where it slowly fades from my memory and eventually gets filed away with the resolution sheets from years past.

This January I pulled out all those old sheets and reviewed what my priorities were in the past.  One category of resolutions could be lumped together as personal improvement goals like quitting smoking (took a few years but was eventually successful), running a 10k (did it), and eating healthier (not so much).   There are also a few items in the “projects that I want to complete” category like refinishing the old dresser and reupholstering the couch of which I’ve got a roughly 50% follow-through rating.  Not surprising to me, I’ve always had craft project ADD so I end up starting more projects than humanly possible to finish.   It would be nice to actually wrap up some of the projects I’ve got laying around that never seem to get done considering I’ve usually bought all the required supplies. 

There is one last category that appears on several of my years past New Year’s sheets which is really shameful… the “things I want to buy” category which were often inappropriately labeled as “needs” including a flat panel tv, new stereo, new car… you see where I’m going with this.  The worst part is that almost everything that falls into the “things I want to buy” category was fulfilled.  I’m pretty disgusted with myself on this one, it’s pretty hard to deny that I’ve got a problem when I’ve got actual documented proof that I put “things” in front of all my other dreams and goals.

This year I am vowing to put my personal growth and my financial health ahead of tangible objects… Here are the top 5 goals I want to accomplish in 2012:

1.       Pay off credit card debt which is roughly 10k

2.       Focus my creative energies on completing projects that I already have the supplies for

3.       Clean up my diet… I want to cut my dependence on processed food and junk food/ soda which is good for my health and also good for my finances!

4.       Brush up on my basic Japanese language skills and sign up for the fall intermediate class

5.       Start walking every day with the dogs… they are in need of more exercise just as much as I am!

Here’s to the beginning of a New Year… I’ve got some hard work ahead of me but I’ll be better for it if I can just stick to my priorities!