The things I will do in 2006 are:
1. Make more money. Yes, it's the Year of the Dollar (or Buck if I want to put a double meaning on it . . . which could be interesting and worthwhile) and I'm jumping onboard! (see how that double meaning could be pretty exciting?)I did make more money (only a smidgen) but I got a raise in my job that allowed me to give up all the freelance, which was killing me for time. So, this is good.
2. Spend less. It may be shocking to some, but I have not been living very frugally (or even realistically) this past year ;-) I need to tighten up my purse strings and focus on paying off some bills if I ever hope to do something completely nuts and out of character like . . . buy a house. Why the hell not?! Everybody else is getting one. Real estate is a pretty safe investment. Sooner or later (several years down the road yet) I'll want to own a home and I need to start positioning myself to get one. I DID SPEND LESS!! Yes, I spent money on crazy things sometimes, but overall I learned how to manage my finances more efficiently and I even opened a savings account.
3. Read more books. I used to read for personal pleasure at least 20 minutes everyday, but somewhere in the hectic schedule of 2005 I stopped reading and I MISS IT BIG TIME! I've got tons of books on the shelf that I haven't read, great bookstores in town, a library very close by -- there's no reason why I can't be reading. Well, I read some books. Nothing fantastic. But I did read some books this year. Yes, I'm still reading way more manuscripts and rough drafts than published work, but I am reading.
4. Make an effort to attend more events on my own and meet more new people. I'm talking about the Film Society movies on Thursday nights, the jazz bands at George's Roadhouse, gallery openings, etc. Initially I missed a lot of these things last year because they seemed to happen only when I was out of town, but as winter settles in and I'm not out of town as much and there are even more events happening in conjunction with Mount A, it would appear I've fallen into a comfort zone where I pretty much invent any excuse NOT to go to these things alone. What's up with that?! I've never minded going to things alone. Some things I've even preferred to go alone. I know it's healthy to enjoy spending time with yourself, but hermit-like antisocial behaviour is not healthy at all. This changes, right here, right now. Yeah, still kinda suck in this area. And this year it was even more challenging, cuz I'm truly NEVER here when things happen. So much so, I'm moving.
5. Get my passport. I don't have one, pretty much can't leave the country without one, and Italy looms on my horizon. I need to prepare for world travel. First logical step would appear to be a passport. Hmm. I kinda forgot about this one. Slipped off my radar. I got my medicare straightened out this year though . . . that must count for something? Maybe? Well, now everyone has to get a passport anyway to go to the states or anywhere, so I guess I'll have to get one or get left behind.
6. Attend the Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival. Every year I list events I want to attend. I've never listed this one though . . . and I've never attended, despite always wanting to, and sometimes even being in Fredericton when the event happens. So this year, it's the only event officially making my list. Yeah, this totally fell off the radar. Events in general did. This was not a year for going places and doing stuff. It started with a major excursion to Toronto and Bon Jovi and then the rest of the year was spent working and travelling for work. That's all. Year of the Buck, you know.
So I guess I accomplished about 50% of what I set out for myself, which isn't too bad considering the ones I excelled at were the most important and life changing ones. Hey, change is good. I'll take what I can get.
Okay. On to 2007. I've given this a lot of thought and decided to keep it super simple this year. Focused is key. So I wrote this up on the train yesterday.
The areas I will focus on in 2007 are:
1. Health
2. Work
And that is all.
Or more specifically:
HEALTH
1) Diet
a. Drink lots of water
b. Eat breakfast
c. Control portions
d. Nutrition & balance
2) Fitness
a. Walk everywhere, every day
b. Strength exercise consistently
c. Find an activity (or activities) that you enjoy and participate regularly (dancing, swimming, tennis, ?)
3) Mental
a. Yoga
b. Meditation
c. Sleep
WORK
1) Get organized & stay organized
2) Declutter and maintain
3) Plan and follow through
4) Focus and maintain focus
5) Get ahead of the workload and stay out in front
6) Develop time-saving and productive work habits
So, there you go. That's my focus for 2007. What's yours? Do you have a plan?
Mood: fantastic! the handyman guy just said I don't look a day over 28 :-D yes, he's too kind
Drinking: nothing, but I could if I wanted to
Listening To: Call Me When You're Sober, Evanescence
Hair: long and stringy
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