Goals for the Year 2012

I know from past experience that Writing Lists keeps me on track. I have a lot of goals and plans for the New Year. I always do, but I like to think that the coming year will be different. I’ll keep my resolutions and reach my goals. I know better than to think I’ll reach ALL my goals, but writing them down does make a difference. I’m making a commitment, even if it’s only to myself.

Another technique employed by many is the reward system. If I do this than I can have that… I’ve tried that before without much success but I’m going to try it again.

My first goals are my fitness goals. I’ve written about them before but I’m going to reiterate them. The biggest challenge is walking. I want to walk 1,500 miles this year. It’s doable. It works out to be 8,000 steps a day. That’s approximately four miles a day. I can do that, but it will take some effort. My second fitness goal is to return to the gym. They have water aerobics four evenings a week. I used to go all the time, but I was so busy at school this fall that I slacked off and then stopped. Going twice a week is not unreasonable.

This brings me to my third fitness goal. It hinges on succeeding with my first and second goals. I need to lose weight. I’ve known it for years, committed to one weight loss program after another, succeeded and then failed. I need to lose 60 pounds, but setting that as a goal is just setting myself up for failure. If I lose thirty I might find the gumption to keep going.

That brings me to another point, the reward system. I want an electronic writing tablet. That way I can draw on the board and have it automatically upload onto the computer. If I’m to make my book project a reality I’m going to need one.

So, if I lose the weight AND make significant progress on my book project, I will reward myself with an electronic writing tablet. As I really want one, getting one should be an adequate incentive.

My writing goals are a little more complicated and beyond my book project, I haven’t decided what to focus on yet. I would like to keep my blogs going. I want to write and publish science related articles, post more on RedGage and keep up on Gather. The list is too long. I’ll never be able to keep up with all that.

I have the day to think about it, but once the ball drops, I’m committed.

Evaluating Goals

The year is almost over. It’s time to sit down and look at 2011. Did I reach all the goals I set for myself? I have to admit the answer is no. Oh, I did a lot and I’m happy with the results, but there are some basic goals that I always fall short on. One such goal is fitness. As I said in Fitness: One Step at a Time, it’s time to get in shape. I need to lose the extra weight I’m carrying around. I vowed to lose weight last year and the year before that. I’ll make the same promise again this year. I start out on the right track, but then I let the demands of everyday life mess with my routine.

I’m renewing my vow again this year, but I’m going to track my campaign with hard facts and numbers. Walking is a part of my plans. Researchers claim that in order to lose weight one needs to walk at least 10,000 steps a day. If that goal was met, a person would have walked 2000 miles over the course of a year. I walk a lot during the school day and routinely top 10,000 steps, but I always fall short on the weekends and during the summer. My goal is 8,000 steps a day or 1,500 miles for the year. I also want to return to the gym. I attended faithfully through the spring and summer but when school started this fall I started making excuses. There are water aerobics classes four nights a week. Attending twice a week is not an unrealistic goal.

My writing goals are a bit more complicated. While I enjoy my online writing, I miss writing fiction. I’ve had this idea… It’s fiction but not a novel. I’m afraid to mention what it is for fear of jinxing the project, but I wrote the into last night. It turned out really good. Even my husband gave it the thumbs up. The thought of writing, really writing again, is exciting. Will I have it finished within the next year? Maybe.

I have several other goals and plans for the new year but none can hold a candle to the two I’ve already listed. Whether or not I succeed is yet to be seen, but my intentions are good.

Wish me luck!

Organizing my Content

I’ve had an account on RedGage for over two years now. It’s a great place to post your favorite pictures, blog, and create backlinks to your websites and articles. Since opening my account with RedGage I’ve posted over 700 pictures, links to articles and blog posts.

Not long after I started on RedGage I took some time to organize my content into different collections. But that was over two years ago. Some of the content and links are outdated. I’ve closed some of my blogs and started new ones. My RedGage content was no longer neat, organized or up to date.

I spent the morning on RedGage deleting old links and reorganizing my content. I have a ways to go yet but I’ll get there.

Learn From the Past

We learn from the past. That fact is never more apparent than on New Year’s Eve. While we look back and revel in our triumphs, we are also forced to acknowledge our failures. Analyzing our failures is hard. Sometimes it’s easier to shove the past into the past and focus on the future. But without analyzing what we did wrong, how can we hope to make changes for the better? What’s to stop us from making the same mistakes over and over again?

In these last few days before the New Year take a good hard look at your past. Did you keep your New Year’s Resolutions last year? If so, great. If not, why not? What could you have done different?

I’ve made many New Year’s Resolutions over the years and failed at most of them. I’m not alone. Only about 12% of the people that make New Year’s Resolutions actually keep them. This year I want to be one of the 12%. So today I’ve sitting here thinking about the past and planning for the future.

Counting Steps

I just received a new Pedometer in the mail. I had to buy a new one as my old one went through the wash. I know carrying it in my pocket is not a good idea (I was tissues all the time) but I do it anyway. This is actually my third pedometer but I don’t like to admit that. Washing it once is understandable, but twice… If I destroy this one I’m done.

I had to get a new pedometer. One of my New Year’s Resolutions is to walk more. Walking for Fitness makes sense. There’s a lady that posts on Gather that set a goal of 1000 miles in 2011. She’s close and will probably make it. A 1000 miles sounds like a lot but 2000 steps equals a mile so that’s 5,479 steps a day. Most school days I average between 9,000 and 10,000 steps. Now if I put in 10,000 steps every day I would be walking 1,825 miles in a year.

I would like to set a 10,000 steps a day goal but that’s setting me up for failure. I may walk a lot during the school day but the weekends are another story. I like to spend my weekends relaxing. I spend most days either on the computer writing or curled up in the recliner with a book.

The best I can do is compromise. I am setting a goal of 1,500 miles in 2012. That’s 8,219 steps a day. If I shoot for 10,000 steps a day during the week, I’ll have a cushion for the weekends.

To keep me honest, I’m going to post my totals either here, or on Gather at least once a week.

Wish me luck!

LizzyJean