My Goals For 2014

I’m trying something new this year: I’m setting a small list of goals. In the past I’ve written long lists that sounded great but weren’t possible to complete. This year I’m focusing on a simple list I know I can achieve. If I screw something up, I’ll acknowledge it, correct my behavior, and continue toward the goal.

— Read More — I’ve been reading less lately but that hasn’t stopped me from buying books. Some are physical, some are digital but I haven’t read most of them. I have 8 partially read and 11 unread books on my list for 2014.

— Accumulate Less, Eliminate More — I buy a lot of things I don’t need, it’s a character flaw likely caused by a childhood where I had very little. It’s difficult to stop buying things but it can be just as hard to decide what to do with the resulting clutter. I see a few trips to the Salvation Army in my future.

— Write More — This is on everyone’s list and you’re tired of hearing it but I rarely write so this might be an easy victory. I plan to journal on a semi-regular basis and if I’m lucky, some of that will carry over to this site.

— Lose Weight — This also seems cliche but I’ve lost 35 pounds in the last 6 months and I have more to go. I’ll continue my progress until the scale reads 199 (only ~25 pounds left). The holidays added a few pounds but that’s a minor setback.

— Think — Yes, “think” as in spend more time in thought. I’ve noticed many areas in my life where taking time to assess a situation would have been in my favor. They say “think before you speak” and I’m a prime candidate.

These are what I want to focus on for 2014. I’ll revisit in 6 months and let you know how I’m doing.