2010

In the past few years I've started following the New Year tradition of making resolutions that will hopefully work to guide my actions in the coming year.
In 2007 I wanted to be able to do the splits, practice violin everyday, stay organized and resolved to do what I love in life.

In 2008, I dropped the splits proposition, and decided to learn how to swim, become a morning person instead of a 2am person, and give my classes the attention and care that they deserve.

By 2009, I wanted to cut down the bucket list and created three priorities: 1. friends and family, 2. finish my work to spend more time with number 1, and 3. stay healthy in order to do both. This was somewhat pillaged from a part in About Ed Ricketts, John Steinbeck's ode to his deceased friend, in which Ed Ricketts tells his three children in a time of poverty that they must remember three things:

"Number one and first in importance, we must have as much fun as we can with what we have. Number two, we must eat as well as we can, because if we don't we won't have the heath and strength to have as much fun as we might. And number three and third and last in importance, we must keep the house reasonably in order, wash the dishes, and such things. But we will not let the last interfere with the other two."

For this year, I've returned to specific actions since I think last year could have used a bit more structure. I'll keep the same priorities from last year, but I resolve to do a couple of things everyday. Daily, I want to exercise a little, whether that be a walk to the art store or a jog around the perimeter of campus. I want to invite my friends over at least once a week, which has been sadly difficult with all of our busy schedules. As I mentioned in my last post I want to be vegetarian, and now that I'm clear from family gatherings I can actually start ("Do you want one roast duck or two?" my dad asked me, you can see why it was difficult). I snuck in a vague resolution to balance planning and action since I find myself getting caught up in the ideas of things rather than actually doing these things (like laundry). And at the end of the day, I want to make sure to write in my journal, to better document and decant my life happenings.

Before I finish, since I've already put in one large quote, I'll leave you with another, from a "30 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary" book that was a lot more inspiring and educative than I expected from a dusty paperback I found in my brother's cabinet.

"Forty nine out of fifty persons don't thoroughly finish what they begin. This is what will make success so easy for you. Use your will power. Will power is often just another name for courage. Perseverance is energy made habitual. And perseverance, continuously applied, may become genius."

So here's to a new year, and may it bring us a new opportunities and resolve to work towards what we set out to do. 2010, here we come.