The reason I am writing about habits and goals today is because I decided to start my New Year's resolutions tomorrow, December 1st, instead of January 1st like everyone else. I guess it really doesn't matter when you begin to work towards improving your habits and moving towards your goals, so the sooner, the better right? I can't remember the day I began walking three miles a day on the treadmill, EVERY day, first thing, as soon as I roll out of bed in the morning; I just got tired of being out of shape, lumpy in all of the wrong places, and unable to look in the mirror without thinking that I used to have a rock solid body...and now look at it. Anyway, in an effort to develop some better habits and work towards some significant goals, I will start doing the following tomorrow:
- Health: continue walking three miles a day, every day and NO MORE caffeine (daily exercise and cutting out Starbucks will go a long way toward improving my health)
- Wealth: become debt free by April 30, 2009 (I'm close...just need to keep forging ahead)
- Home: renovate home, yard, and out buildings by August 30, 2009 (the house is fairly new but hasn't had a lot of attention paid to it over the past few really busy years; by this summer I want it to be in pristine condition)
- Travel: take four multi-country vacations by December 31, 2009 (one of my life goals is to visit all 315 countries/places on the Travelers Century Club list)
- Serving others: serve others with a positive attitude whenever possible (I recently found out there is a difference between "helping" others and "serving" others)
- Productivity: answer all calls and email daily (I'm lazy...I don't always do this but should)
- Learning: study a different language each day of the work week--Spanish, Japanese, Tagalog, Chinese, Arabic (again, I'm lazy and while I have varying degree of fluency in these languages, I need to practice regularly...which I have been slacking on)
- Preparedness: update the CNI website daily, update the CNI blog daily, participate in two preparedness training opportunities in 2009 (I haven't decided what these will be but a week at LFI, Tom Browns place, or Blackwater would be fascinating)
- Business: either make my businesses a lot more hands off or sell them by December 2009 (another life goal is to have a very portable business--such as writing--so that I can travel and enjoy a wider range of learning opportunities)
- Do a WOW project: this may be biking from Canada to Mexico, doing the 88 Shikoku Temple Trek in Japan, or organizing another huge family reunion (we do this every few years at some location around the world and usually have 30 to 50 family members and friends show up...it's just that it usually falls to the spouse and I to organize it...and like I said, I am a bit lazy...)
Anyway, those shall be my goals which will require a good set of daily habits in order to reach them. Have you made your list of New Year's Resolutions yet?
Most commendable, CNI. I hope the world situation helps you achieve each and every one.
ReplyDeleteMy New Year resolution the last forty or so years has been to not make any: I never follow through with them. (So I've achieved one, anyway. Gosh!)
Still, to have goals is worthwhile, especially in the family and health areas. Your desire to be debt free this coming year, to maintain a proper level of fitness, to be with family and to 'serve' others, rather than just helping them, are worthy for each of us to attain. Perhaps the goal to be less lazy, especially in prepping, is one of the most important as well.
God Speed in your aims.
Shy
Thanks. I'm not sure how the phychological part of habits work but most everyone I know who has changed a bad habit (such as quiting smoking or quiting drinking or paying off their debts) didn't set a date. They simply got fed up with their situation and with no planning at all quit doing the things that were bothering them.
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