Happiest On The Dancefloor

New Year’s Resolutions

Photo taken by Stuart Lovinggood during a New Year’s Day adventure through the Austin Greenbelt with him and Sam

I realize I’m a little late to the New Year’s resolutions game, but I wanted to share mine in hopes that seeing them typed out in front of me may help me commit to them a bit more, especially since the first one is solely about accountability.

I’m not really a “lose 10 pounds resolution” kind of girl. No offense if you are…well, maybe a little, that’s silly. But, instead, my resolutions are less year specific and more focused on overarching life goals and self-improvement.

Be Accountable
The whole notion of new year’s resolutions seems like it was designed to encourage people to set unattainable goals, only to meet there failure in a few short days or week, depending on their level of resolve. One thing I’m focused on in 2012 is being accountable for the things I say and do. I don’t really think it’s the thought that counts, but rather the follow through. That being said, some of my personal goals involve eating healthier, getting more sleep, and being more focused at work. All of which are doable if I hold myself accountable for my actions and the things in life I have control over

Leave Less Time Wasted
As I get older, I’m forming a whole new understanding of how precious time is. With my quarter of a century birthday only months away, the idea of getting older isn’t depressing but energizing. There are so many things I want to do and see and experience, which I won’t do if I’m wasting time frozen in front of the tv or dicking around on the Internet. Wasting time is wasting life and I’ve got a lot of living left to do.

Cherish Friends
I can be a bit of a selfish person. A number of my friends attribute the phrase, “I do what I want” as somewhat of a catch phrase for me. And while I love and value my unflinching independent nature, I admire my friends who are truly compassionate and kind. I want to spend more time this year showing my friends how much they mean to me through words and gestures. With a really small family, I’ve been blessed with a large family of friends that challenge, surprise, and delight me at every turn. Time to spend time returning the love they give to me.

Never Stop Learning
While my academic endeavors have (finally) come to a conclusion, there’s still so much I want to learn. From coding to gardening to arts and crafts, I feel like there’s always something I want to try to understand. I’ve started to dip my toe into coding with the free lessons from Codeacademy  and, so far, it’s pretty nerdy and hard and awesome. I need to keep trying and learning new things about myself and the world around me.

Be Ready for Anything
One of the most exciting things about being in my mid-twenties is just not knowing what life has in store for me. The best I can hope for is to be ready when opportunities to make a change or take a chance arise. There’s always going to be reasons not to do something but, while I’m young and somewhat carefree, I think it’s important and exciting to embrace novelty. 

I’m so looking forward to seeing what 2012 has up its sleeves!

5 January 2012 ·