Making a public statement of resolutions takes a certain amount of backbone. In 2010, a good friend of mine publicly posted hers for a certain amount of accountability. She posted semi-regular updates on her progress in her notes on Facebook, and I followed them with interest. I find strength in her courage to let the whole world know her business like that, so I decided this year to go ahead and set my own measurable resolutions down for public consumption–be they viewed with admiration, ridicule or scorn. (You can keep the last two to yourself, but are free to admire me publicly if so moved.)
First off, she only listed three resolutions. Each had a definable goal and number attached to it without the cheating of nebulous language. Specifics! It wasn’t a laundry list of every conceivable thing that she wanted to achieve throughout the year. So, I’ll take that as a guideline. I’m going to put forth a couple of achievable resolutions that are both personal and professional in nature.
So, here goes…In 2011, I do hereby resolve:
1: Reach my goal weight. I’ve spent years dilly dallying around with weight loss. I’ve gotten close, but have always stopped shy of dropping those last few (twenty or so) pounds. While I won’t tell YOU the number, I have written it down on a piece of paper and have discussed it with my doctor. The thing is, I feel great. My blood sugars have come down with Metformin and Byetta, and I’ve been exercising like a fiend. I haven’t started sweating or feeling tired during Dance Central games when Bill is panting away. I’m more fit than anyone else in my household. It’s awesome. But, those pounds are, apparently, still affecting my blood sugars in unhealthy and unwanted ways. This year, I’ll get to that goal, and I’ll do it sooner than later.
2: Submit at least three short stories for publication. Yes. I write. I write A LOT of words–usually on the order of 2,000 words a day. But you haven’t read much beyond my blog posts and my Facebook posts. So, where are these mysterious little buggers? All on my computer, safe and away from the prying, critiquing eyes of anyone. It might be a surprise to you that I’m terribly shy when it comes to actually sharing my work. I have a writing group that used to see my work regularly and give me healthy critique. I’ve been loathe to send out my work to the wider world. The agent who asked for “the whole work” of the novel I was working on was actively encouraging and urged me to keep working, so I know, at some level, I’ve got a future in this. I’m just lazy as hell when it comes to editing and re-writing–and that’s where all the work is.
3: Actively help and support my writing group. Our fantastic organizer and glue of the group until September moved to Japan for a year, and we’re just not really organized at the moment. No one has stepped in to really push meeting times and places. We’ve got plans to start meeting again, but I’ve hardly responded to any emails recently. My plate has been full, and I need to intentionally make room for this group of people. It’s a group of thoughtful, good writers. I don’t want it to fall apart after all this time.
4. Read all of my book group books. From beginning to end. I’ve managed to get started on the last few, but haven’t finished all of them. It’s not that I don’t like reading, it’s just that I’ve been letting those go to the last moment and not having time to read them. I’ve delved into the History of Venice and other books that compose research for writing projects. Reading for “fun” has been lower on my priority list.
I think I’ll stop while I’m ahead. The third on the list is the hardest to put any numbers to, but the others can be moved to a list with definite check-boxes. I’m not sure how often I’ll be updating my resolutions, but maybe every couple of months. I’ll certainly be blogging about some of the things I’m doing that are in support of these goals.
Here’s wishing everyone a happy, safe and healthy 2011!
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