New Year's Day Redux

One evening last week, I finally got around to writing a fair amount in my personal journal and coming up with some New Year's resolutions. It's nothing earth-shattering, but I promised I would share them. Without further ado, here they are, excerpted directly from my personal journal (something I never share with anyone, so feel privileged) with maybe a few minor updates.

I want to write more, in my journal and in general. My personal journal has been neglected for far too long, and with new time restrictions related to my new job, my blog has begun to falter a bit as well. I don't even want to talk about my fiction-writing habits. For someone who considers himself a writer and hopes to actually earn money (or some form of compensation, at least) for it at some point, this is simply unacceptable. Over the course of the coming year I have to find a way to work more writing into my schedule. That's all there is to it. It must happen.

I'd also like to spend at least some more time reading. When I changed job I lost some of my reading time each day, as I used to read on my lunch break and now I don't have time to do that. I need to work that time back in somehow. A friend of mine suggested audio books, which is something I'll probably look into. That's not the same as settling down with a good book, though, so I just want to make sure I don't neglect that as, hopefully, at least a small part of each day.

One thing I started last year, and that I will continue to do, is taking better care of myself. I give Brandi a ton of credit in this regard. I have a gym membership and I go work out almost every day after work. I'm really proud of what I've accomplished so far, and I plan to continue to step it up. In addition, I'm also eating better. I no longer eat fast food every day for lunch, which is a great thing (see the movie Super Size Me for more info, if necessary). I generally eat lunchmeat sandwiches and soup instead, which is a lot better. I've also cut myself down to two servings of pop per day. Admittedly, I do slip on that one from time to time, but there are also days when I only have one, so it balances out. At any rate, paying more attention to my physical well-being is a trend that I plan to continue and to expand. It'll only aid in the fulfillment of my long-term goal, which is the achievement of immortality.

Another resolution I have for the coming year is the procurement of more money. I do like my new job, for the most part, but it came with the promise of advancement opportunity. If that opportunity doesn't present itself, I need to move on to greener pastures. Of course, happiness is more important than money, and that's something I'll need to weigh as long as I remain content with my job. However, the simple fact remains that I can't continue to survive on my present salary for an extended period of time. I need to keep my eyes open for other things. Of course, tied somewhere into this resolution is the idea that I need to better figure out exactly where I want to go in life, career-wise, and take steps to get there.

Overall, I just want to continue to grow and learn as a person. I feel I have a talent for this, so it seems a safe bet. When I look back at where I was, mentally and emotionally, at various points in my past, I'm amazed at how far I've come. If I can keep that going, I'll be happy.