2019

I have always been a very goal-oriented person.  If I make a New Year's resolution, I tend to stick with it.  This year, I want to do things a little differently.  Instead of choosing a list of things I want to fix or change about myself, I want to be more open.  Openness isn't really a measurable goal so I had to sit back and think for a while about how exactly I was going to accomplish that.  This is what I've come up with:

First, I plan to remove one thing from my life each month.  That can be a shirt I haven't worn in 5 years, the stack of books that no longer fits on my bookcase, or the time vaporizing act of scrolling through social media.  The older I get, the more I've realize that consumerism and popularity do not bring happiness.  Trying to keep up with others is an endless cycle that often leads to bitterness and frustration.  Trying to achieve goals without having a passion for those goals leads to burnout and exhaustion.  Both routes replace confidence with doubt and zeal with hollowness.  That's not the life I want to live.  For the month of January, I've decided to eliminate social media.  I look forward to relearning how to live where my feet are planted this month instead of constantly seeing what other people are doing (and sometimes envying them for the adventures they are having).

Second, I plan to spend each month committing to a specific activity.  I have a tendency to try something one time and then never do it again so I want to devote a full month to each activity I choose. For the month of January, I am going to blog.  I don't plan to blog for extra money. I don't plan to blog to teach others about a skill that I've learned.  I don't plan to blog because I want others' attention.  I am blogging for me.  I am blogging because I enjoy writing.  I enjoy looking back at old posts and seeing how much I've changed over time and what lessons I have learned or am continuing to learn.

Third, I plan to learn a new skill.  Some months, the skill I learn will correlate with the activity I commit to.  Other months, the skill may be something as simple as learning how to start a fire.  I have always wanted to learn survival skills, but I have always let others take care of me while camping or backpacking.  This year, I want to change that.  I want to be able to help on camping trips.  I also desire to learn a few signs in sign language to use with Emerson.  I'd like to learn how to help with house projects and how to do more DIY projects.  Typically I get overwhelmed by all the skills I want to learn.  But this year, by spreading them out through the months, I have the ability to learn at least 12 new skills, which is very exciting!
 
Fourth, I plan to read a book each month.  I used to read regularly, but that was before social media.  Because I let it, social media shortened my attention span and stole all my time.  I found it a lot harder to focus on books.  I kept wanting to stop reading so I could see what was happening on the internet.  But honestly, I was happier when I spent my free time reading.  I want to get back to the adventures that reading provides.  I have a feeling I will end up reading more than one book a month, but you've got to start somewhere, right?

Fifth, I plan to go to a new destination each month.  Some months this will mean a vacation to a place I've never been.  For example, in January, we are going to Oahu for the first time.  Some months this will be a day trip a couple of hours away.  Some months this will be something as simple as going to a local place I've never taken the time to visit.

All that being said, this year should be a journey out of my comfort zone.  It will probably hold many moments of fear and hesitation, but I'm determined not to let fear and excuses hold me back from truly living any longer.  2019 will be a year for the books.  I'm sure of it.