Do you have any New Year’s resolutions?
Most people nowadays scoff at the question; how passé, how out of vogue! The most common answer is: “I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions,” and it is said flippantly with a small, condescending smile.
To be fair, “resolution” is an ugly word—indeed, a misnomer. Resolutions are made to be broken! They are doomed to failure, because they imply broad and sweeping transformations of self; such changes are admittedly difficult and complex, often requiring the support of third parties and a timeline longer than 365 days. Such transformations are total life changes, and should not be consigned to the January–February cycle of failure. I do not wish to suggest that they should not be attempted, but rather that a series of smaller, attainable goals with tangible rewards may be more beneficial in the long term.
Lest I not appear a hypocrite myself, I offer my own experience for 2007: last year I set 10 personally challenging but achievable goals which I did in fact accomplish during the year. Two of these were subject to modification in June during the mid-year review, but on New Year’s Eve I checked back through the list and could feel genuinely happy with my progress. Thus it is with the glow of past success—and some measure of blind foolishness—that I present a new list for 2008.
Note: I have had to edit for public digest.
1. Whoops – can’t disclose this one!
2. Travel out of the province at least once (somewhere I haven’t yet been)
3. Travel out of the country at least once (and the US doesn’t count)
4. Begin the pursuit of either a professional designation or a second degree
5. Double my Net Worth (calculated as assets – liabilities)
6. Whoops – can’t disclose this one either!
7. Stop ripping my hair out (yup… don’t laugh)
8. Earn at least a ‘B’ in French oral (c’est assez difficile à parler bien en ANGLAIS)
9. Do at least four of a list of skill-building clinics, events, or group training sessions relating to triathlon (which I will refrain from listing here).
10. Do at least three of the following (caveat: I learned to swim last year!):
*Move up a lane
*Learn ‘fly (oh please!)
*Learn to do a somewhat decent dive
*Learn flip-turns
*Complete an open water swim >= 2K
*Do my first ‘real’ triathlon
11. Do at least one of the following:
*Improve my best Oly Du time by 5 mins (2:33:46)
*Run a Half-Mary sub 1:50
*Place in top 3 women in any event (or top 25% of women in triathlon, given my atrocious swim times)
12. Write 3 letters or articles that are accepted for publishing in the media
13. Do at least three things this year that scare me to death (note: a lot of things scare me to death).
And just for fun, a list of things that my friends would like to see me do for 2008:
1. Drink more
2. Stay out late
3. Train less
4. Stop worrying
5. Have more fun
6. Answer the phone more often
7. Wear colours other than black, white, blue, and grey
8. Walk slower
9. Sleep in past 8:00 on a Sunday
10. Stop using the words “only” and “10k” in the same sentence
