I love the new year. I love the idea of starting fresh. Maybe it's just the crazy Virgo list-maker part of me, but I like to sit down and make a list of goals for the year.
Of course, you shouldn't make resolutions simply for the sake of the new year. They should just be things from your general list of life goals that you feel would fit the new year in regards to your current life situation. The excitement of a fresh, new year should just be used as a motivator to continue going after what you want.
And if you don't already have a list of goals, I highly suggest you make one. Even a short one. Just list a few things that you really want to do/accomplish in life, and look at it once in awhile to make sure you're working towards those goals.
Now, while "get rich and famous" may be high on your mental list (as it is for many people), it would do you better to write down more realistic things.
Not to discourage anyone who wants to become rich and famous, because there's nothing wrong with that. It's a natural desire to want to have enough money to live comfortably (or luxuriously, if you so wish) and to want people to know your name. Everyone wants to make some kind of impact.
And we all see some of the talentless assholes who manage to obtain riches and recognition in today's world. If fortune and fame is what you desire, go ahead and write down how you want to do it, because if they can do it simply by being the world's biggest tools, you can do it, too, and likely in a much more respectable fashion.
On to my own list:
1. Blog more, and about more subjects that I love.
2. Try to be less anti-social (key word = try). This includes getting back in touch with some good people.
3. Open an Etsy shop.
4. Obtain lots of hands-on experience in my field and other fields I'm interested in.
5. Live life more like Barney Stinson. And by that, I mean creating and accepting more challenges for myself, not becoming a huge whore. Although I could probably use a little bit of that, too. (Kidding. Maybe.)
6. Continue to lighten up my life. For the past couple of years I've been slowly cleaning out my life of material things, people, and mental hindrances that I no longer need and/or that are bringing me down. It's an ongoing process, and a helpful one.
7. Read more books. I have so many books that I've never read, and I would like to re-read some older ones, too. I just need to get back into that reading kick.
8. Decide where I really want to live (SoCal, you're in the #1 spot right now), and move the hell out.
9. Get my scuba certification. Just a little something I want to do.
10. Write more. Music, scripts, screenplays, whatever. Lots of ideas in my head. Need to stop being lazy and actually type them up.
11. Travel more, at least within the states. Of course, my real desire is to fly around the world at will on a turbo-jet, but this year, I at least need to see more of the US.
12. Create a website for myself.
13. Get fit (as usual) and really focus on a clean, healthy diet. I kind of do this already, but there are still some habits that I need to kick and some that I need to adopt.
14. Slowly replace some of the products I use - beauty, skincare, cleaning, etc. - with more natural and cruelty-free products. Already started this, need to keep it going.
15. Get back into acting.
16. Start singing again. I haven't sung in so long, but I love it so much. I need to re-train my voice and then take it even further.
17. Research. Science research, animal shelter research, personal research, just...LOTS of research.
18. Try/do more adventurous activities - hiking, ziplining, horseback riding, surfing, etc.
19. Make good money. I know this is a goal for everyone, but it's very important for me this year, especially if I want to accomplish some of these goals.
20. Don't lose the fire needed to pursue these goals. The most important thing needed to achieve all of this is to keep at it. A lot of the time I end up sitting around and wondering "What the hell am I thinking? Do I really think I can do all of this? Do I really even want to do all of this?" It's the most destructive thought ever, and it needs to be destroyed every time it creeps its way into my mind.
Of course, I have lots of other life goals. Some are simply personal, some are long-term goals, and some are things that could happen this year but will require more money and experience than will likely be available. But you never know. Things are always changing, right?
I feel the things in this list are good goals to start with in 2012.
