Don’t Say I Want a Resolution: 2018 Goals

Like all other people with dreams and ambitions on the eve of a new year, I always have BIG GOALS. This is gonna be my year. Not like last year! This one’s gonna be different! Finally, I’m gonna DO IT. This is it. No more fooling around. HERE WE GO, NEW ME!!!

That’s the way we all think on December 31st, right?

So what do I want to do in 2018?

WRITE. I always want to write more. I always say I want to write more. But I really do want to make a commitment to that next year. I’d like to write a pilot I’m proud of. I’d like to write essays, stories, and other things that aren’t comedy sketches or late night packets – two things I have written a lot of. I’d like to keep ending sentences in prepositions.

BLOG. I’m excited to continue writing in this blog. I’m so glad I started it. It’s my space. I like having a space. It’s like having an extra room in my apartment that I can decorate however I like, only it’s filled with words instead of furniture. It’s so nice to have. I don’t even care if anyone reads it. I only started it in September, but I think it’s already made me a more disciplined writer. A better writer? Maybe too soon to say.

COOK. I want to cook more. I tend to be super lazy in the kitchen, making things that take the least amount of time. It always felt pointless to spend more time preparing food than it takes to eat it. But then I make the same stuff over and over and get bored. So maybe it’s time for a change. I want to incorporate more about cooking on this blog – trying out recipes and posting the results on here would be fun. Will be fun. ‘Cause I’m gonna do it.

READ. I want to read 50 books in 2018. Goodreads Reading Challenge, let’s try this again.

RUN. I’m most excited about running in 2018. I want to run longer and faster, smash some PRs, do more races, and be even more dedicated to the sport than I was in 2017. I’m slowly learning that if I put in the work, I will see results. It’s a great feeling, and one I’m trying to apply to other areas of my life.

Are these New Year’s resolutions? I say no. They’re more goals. I don’t really make resolutions. Resolutions feel different than goals – more stringent, less forgiving. Although there have been times I set out to start some kind of project on January 1st because I like neat starts, when I want to change something about myself, I’ll usually just change it.

The date July 17, 2014 stands out in my mind. That was the day I began keeping track of my calorie intake with myfitnesspal after a frustrating trip to the doctor (and frustrating experiences in dressing rooms), and subsequently, slowly, and healthily lost 25 pounds in five months. I started myfitnesspal on that day because I wanted to change this thing so much that I literally couldn’t wait another day. Hell, it wasn’t even a Monday.

There’s another reason I don’t like resolutions: I got burnt out on them super early. Check out my list of New Year’s resolutions from December 31, 1985. Be warned. You think I’m anal now? Take at look at 11-year-old me. Yes, this is real.

I was so anal and so hard on myself. Thankfully, I loosened up a bit – in my 1988 and 1989 diaries, I swore that resolutions were stupid. Although then I followed each of those statements up with actual resolutions I wanted to accomplish?!

At least I stopped writing in my private diaries in cursive. That has to count for something.

And yes, I did get my grades up.

Happy New Year, everyone. I’m at the tail end of this week-long cold so it’s indoors tonight for me. A couple weeks ago, I thought I might do the Midnight Run in Central Park this year, but after a week of not running due to my cold, I didn’t think being outdoors in sub-zero temps tonight was the best idea. My dad and I are watching The Twilight Zone marathon, and I might have to comfort the dogs if fireworks go off, because dogs think fireworks mean we’re at war. I’m also eating a lot today. No matter – tomorrow is a new year.