My 2010 New Year's Resolutions

There are a lot of things I gave up and started in 2009 but I never officially committed any of these to writing.  I'm sure I twittered about some or updated my facebook status with others, but I never set out to actually make a commitment to myself.  In 2010, I want to be more mindful of the things I do (or don't do) and set real attainable goals for myself.  I also want to see how these goals develop over time and be able to look back at the progress I've made.  Which is why I made this blog, my last act of 2009 to prepare for the year (and new decade!) ahead.  With that said, what follows is not only a list of my 2010 New Year's Resolutions (after all, this is such a trite phrase), but a mindful set of goals I'm committing myself to.

1. Continue my Japanese studies: I want to take courses in the spring (already signed up for it!), summer and fall at the NC Japan Center.  I would also like to finish (or continue working in) several of the Japanese books I currently have on hand: Basic Kanji Book, Vol 1, Basic Kanji Book, Vol 2, Crazy for Kanji, Japanese for Busy People 1, and possibly Japanese Demystified.  As part of my learning, other resources I want to take regular advantage of writing journal posts at Lang-8, doing at least 3 lessons a week at JapanesePod101.com, and working on lessons at Smart.fm.
2. Take the JLPT4 (or JLPTN5) in December 2010: As long as I keep taking courses and studying on my own, I should be prepared to take the easiest of the Japanese Language Proficiency Tests by December.
3. Read more this year: I think it's reasonable to set a goal of 12 books this year, hopefully more!  With some other resolutions I have in mind, I should have more time to accomplish this.  If I like a story, I can read really fast.  If I don't, it takes me awhile because I get distracted and put the book down easily or I won't want to pick up the book as often.  Maybe as part of this resolution I should immediately stop reading anything I'm not enjoying.  Also, as part of this resolution, I need to read the books at home.  I shouldn't buy any new books unless I'm giving away old ones or I've read at least 2 that I have.  That doesn't mean I won't accept free books though! :D
   
4. Cook more this year:  The past few months of 2009 have proved to me that I love to bake and cook.  So I'm setting a goal of 2 new recipes a month.  I'm thinking my first recipe will be Homemade Pocky!
5. Garden time!  Can't cook without fresh veggies and herbs, right? :)  For the past 2 years, we've had a bountiful vegetable and herb garden.  I want to continue the trend with pics this time.  I'm even thinking about tinkering with Google SketchUp to design the garden.  I'd also love to build a trellis-thingy over the patio for creeping vines.
6. Bring back the spirituality:  I recently started attending church again. A Unitarian Universalist church to be exact (if you've never heard of UUs before, please check out their website to understand what they're all about).  I would like to continue this weekly tradition this year as well as incorporate Sabbat celebrations too.  I plan on having Sabbat dinners for the eight holidays to celebrate the cycles of the Earth.  My "Cook more this year" and "Garden Time!" resolutions fit perfectly with that.
7. The requisite "Be more physically active" resolution:  We all have this one, every year... I mean it this year!  I love going contra dancing with my friend, but if I'm not regularly working out, contra is brutal.  Plus exercising and moving just make me feel better all around.  My plan?  Set aside 30 minutes a day to do something, anything.  Even if it's pacing back and forth in the living.  Though I'll hopefully opt for DDR, walking outside or yoga ;)
8. Get up earlier: I go through phases where I get up before noon, but for the most part, it's usually after. I'm always more productive when I get up early, so I need to make a regular habit of it.  One way to expedite this plan is to set my coffee maker for 10 am!  Nothing like the smell of coffee to get you up in the morning.
   
9. Finish some crafting projects: I am notorious for starting something then not finishing it. N.O.T.O.R.I.O.U.S.  (without the B.I.G.).  I've started that lovely D20 bag and a crocheted blanket and come hell or high water, I will finish both!  And maybe start (AND FINISH!) one or two more things if I want to.
10. Give up MMO Gaming: And finally, the big scary resolution.  The hardest part about this resolution is missing my friends I've made online.  But I have other ways to stay on contact with them.  I have nothing against MMOs, I just can't get anything done when I'm in involved in one.  They take up a lot of time and energy (especially emotional energy) that you don't realize are missing until you wake up a week after not playing and realize how much more energized and productive you are.  So this year, I'm giving up playing any MMOs.  However, I will still game since I am, after all, a gamer at heart.  Guess it's time to brush off my Wii, XBox 360 (hellooooo Fable 2) and Playstation, huh?  Oh and I'm not going to let my super awesome gaming computer go to waste!  I've got Dragon Age on the way and a selection of fun games sitting behind me on a shelf ready to go.
    

After jotting down all my resolutions, I realize that being flexible will be the most important thing this year.  I'm taking on a lot and making some big changes in my life.  I need to continually reassess my progress and be willing to make adjustments along the way.  The biggest thing is not to be disappointed when I don't reach goal, but rather readjust and make them more reasonable for me to handle.  At the same time, however, I can't let myself be lazy either.  I'll have to learn where that fine line is.  It's definitely going to be an adventure in learning about myself!  Plus, everything on my list sounds like fun anyway ;)