New Year's Resolutions: 2012

I, um, did not do a very good job with my resolutions last year.

1 - Daily Sketches - FAIL
2 - Write 250 Words a Day - FAIL
3 - Complete a Second Draft - FAIL
4 - Write and Draw 4 Comics - FAIL
5 - Start Saving for a Vacation - FAI... well, I sorta did that one. But I don't think it's a vacation I'm saving for anymore.

It's enough to make one give up on the whole idea of the New Year's resolution. Yet here we are anyway.

I like the idea that there's a day on the calendar that we dedicate to goal setting and new beginnings - even though I don't always follow through, I enjoy taking the time to evaluate where I'm at and where I need to go. The trouble, though, comes when I notice that the same things need improvement year after year.

Pope John Paul II once said (No he didn't.), "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results." That seems to be about what's been happening to me lately - I want my life to change, but I haven't been doing much to actually achieve that change, nor have I even seemed to pinpoint exactly what change is needed. It's something I'll be going over with my therapist a lot during 2012.

Anyway, we'll leave those existential matters for another day. Here are some... less heavy... goals to focus on for now:

1. 30 Minutes of Writing Per Day
2. One Quick Sketch Per Weekday
3. One Drawn "Scene" Per Week
4. 6 Books Read By Year's End From This List
5. 12 Books Read Total (hey, I need ONE easy goal)
6. Watch 6 Movies from the List of Films I Want to See Before I Die (forthcoming)
7. Eliminate the Word "Um" from My Spoken Vocabulary (really, this is just a goal to slow down and think more BEFORE I open my mouth to speak)

Some of my old, less-than-constructive habits have traditionally gotten in the way of achieving these goals, so I'm going to make one additional lifestyle change: No TV until after 9:00 at night on weekdays. Often, I'll come home from work, prop my feet up, and stick in a DVD for Burn Notice or something, with the thought, "I had a hard day - I've EARNED the right to goof off a bit." If there's one attitude that I need to change, THAT'S it.

My therapist might not agree, but he's not here right now.