01.09
I remember making New Years resolutions for 2009 but I don’t think I wrote them down or recorded them anywhere so I don’t even remember what they were, or if I even met any of them. To avoid a repeat of this snafu, I’m recording my 2010 resolutions here. I suspect one or more of my 09 resolutions had to do with becoming more physically active which is something I think I accomplished quite well towards the end of 2009, so I’ll be looking to continue that trend. Anyways, here we go:
#1. Continue to build upon my base workout regiment and improve cardio fitness
A few months ago I started running 3 times a week for about 10 minutes, and walking for another 50 mins. Right now I’m up to running 30 minutes and walking 30 minutes, and I want to keep improving on that. My goal is to be able to jog for an hour straight without stopping (or dying)
#2. Explore more trails around SA and the surrounding hill country.
Back in October I bought a mountain bike. I’ve always wanted to do this but I didn’t really know anyone who was familiar with the sport until I met my buddy Bert. He was able to give me some pointers on how to not seriously injure myself, and I’ve had a blast hitting some of the easier trails in San Antonio. I’d probably be out on the trails right now if it weren’t for this ridiculously cold weather. This will also help with resolution #1 as biking is a great workout, and I always feel physically drained after an afternoon session. Anyways, I really want to hit up Salado Creek and Government Canyon among other places. I’m hoping to accomplish this as soon as the weather warms up
#3. Try to be more social, especially when interacting with people I don’t know very well
Anyone who’s met me can probably attest to the fact that I’m very reserved around people I don’t know. I’ve had multiple friends tell me that their first impression of me wasn’t very favorable as I tend to come off as aloof, and a bit cold. I’ve even had one female friend describe me as “emotionally unavailable.” I’m no psych major but I think that my upbringing has a lot to do with my current disposition. I’m a naturally shy person but on top of that I’m an only child, so growing up I always had a lot of time to myself. I never had problems making friends, but being a military brat, I had to deal with moving every 3 years or so and severing ties with my friends and having to make new ones.
OK enough excuses, the point is I know that I want to make a change. While I don’t believe you can (or should) change the core of who you are, I do think everyone can work to make themselves better, and that’s what I want to do. I want to be able to present the best version of me to people whether that be friends, family, co-workers, and especially people I don’t know very well. I have a pretty good idea in my head of the changes I’d like to make, so its just a matter of putting them into practice. Most of them are subtle so it shouldn’t be too big of a deal. I’ve spent a good amount of time the past few months reading self-improvement material. A lot of it is complete crap but there is some good stuff out there. Most of it is pretty obvious too. (improve self-confidence, be able to project that, don’t be a douchebag, etc) Hopefully by this time next year I’ll feel good about the improvements made in this area of my life
#4 Expand my cooking knowledge dramatically
This is an area that I need a LOT of improvement in. Unlike a lot of people I’m not content with being terrible at cooking and just eating ramen and hot pockets every day. In 5 years I want to be very comfortable cooking a large number of unique dishes, and be comfortable and knowledgeable enough to where I can improvise and hopefully start to put my own touch on certain recipes. As it is, I have a specific set of dishes that I can cook, and I know how to cook those well, but anything outside my comfort zone (which is mostly everything) gives me trouble. Luckily I have an amazing mother who is the best cook I know, who is willing to share her knowledge with me. Actually she’s the one always nagging me to cook more and not go out to eat as much. I’m going to make it a point to go to my parents house more and help my mom prepare dinner for the fam. I think this will go a long way in my aspirations to be the next Food Network star.
#5. Improve my financial portfolio
I’ve been really bad about this the past few years. I make enough to live comfortably but I’m not saving for retirement at all. My company has a 401k plan but they don’t do a match, so its tough for me to want to contribute anything even though I know I should. I’d like to explore retirement plans outside my employer to see if there’s a better one out there, at least until they decide to contribute to the 401k plan. It seems like I just stash money in my bank account, and whenever it gets large enough I make a big purchase, such as a car, or most recently, a house. Now that those two are out of the way, I really have no excuse for investing in my retirement.
That’s all I have for now. There are a few other things I want to improve that are minor and don’t warrant an entry here, but I think 5 is a good number. The common theme here is self-improvement. I’ve worked hard to get to this point, and now I want to tweak and re-calibrate various parts of my life to be the absolute best person I can possibly be. I feel very blessed to have gotten this far, now its just a matter of continuing the progress I’ve made.
-h
