My 2009 "To Do" List

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been thinking off and on about what I would like my New Year's resolution to be. New Year's resolutions are goals that many people make at the beginning of the year. I know, I know. It doesn't really seem like a "New Year's" resolution if it's already nearing the end of January and I still haven't decided on one yet. Maybe my goal should be to make decisions more quickly. Then, last night over dinner with a friend, the topic came up again. He asked me what I had resolved to do this year, and I didn't have a good answer for him. Now, the pressure is on!


Lots of people make the same kinds of resolutions every year, and never keep them. After doing a quick search on the internet, I learned that nearly half of all Americans make at least one resolution each year, but most of those people cannot keep their resolution beyond the first month. The majority of those resolutions have to do with health, money and employment; they include things like reducing stress (especially at work), keeping more money in their savings account, quitting smoking, having a healthier lifestyle and losing weight. All of those things are fine in and of themselves, but I want my resolution to be something original.


The first thing I thought of was to learn more Japanese. This would be no easy task for me, because I am embarrassed to admit that I've lived here for 2½ years already and still can't go past the basics. I like living in Japan and hope that I get to stay here for a while, so knowing the language should be a lot higher on my priority list. It would certainly make doctor's visits and grocery shopping a lot easier, and hopefully I'd get a few friends out of it, too! But I'm not ready to settle for that as my only resolution.


There were only two other things that came to mind. One was to write more letters (by hand!) and the other was to read more books. More exactly, I should say that the other was to finish more books. I am notorious for buying books, starting them, then getting bored or finding something else interesting to read, and never finishing them. I have even made an agreement this year with one of my students that we would both read an entire book by the end of March.


But genuinely, the hardest part about New Year's resolutions isn't coming up with an idea about what I want to change or improve (I think we ALL have plenty of ideas about that), but rather it is coming up with ways to keep those resolutions. This year, here are a few of the techniques I've decided to try:
• Don't make the goals too high or the projects too large. That doesn't mean I should have lower expectations for myself, but I have to remember that if something seems overwhelming, it's easier to get discouraged if I'm not making as much progress as I'd like.
• Try to find ways to motivate myself. In order to pique my interest in writing letters, for example, I made some cards by hand and found some really nice paper at a department store. Now, I'm eager to put those materials to good use.
• If possible, share your goal with a friend. (Or in my case, with a student!) Doing something with a friend is always more fun than doing something by yourself. It's also better to have someone holding you accountable for "finishing what you start."

So for now, that is where I'll begin. I'm still trying to think of my most creative resolution, but I can't put off starting those goals any longer. What about you? Have you resolved to do anything special this year? If you have, why don't you tell me about it? I'm always looking for great ideas, and of course, I'm looking forward to hearing from you when you reach your goal.

Good luck in 2009!




▼▽▼▼Melanieの過去の記事を読む━━━━━━━━━━━
・【Fun With Morphemes】2008.10.17 (Fri)
・【More About Morphemes】2008.11.21 (Fri)
・【Happy Holidays!!】2008.12.26 (Fri)

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