Friday, January 06, 2006

No New Years Resolutions here...

If you’re looking for New Years Resolutions…




You won’t find them here.

I don’t know who came up with the idea of New Year’s Resolutions, and I have never known anyone personally who has made such resolutions and kept them ALL. Maybe one or two, but now, ALL.

What I hear more of is “Oh, I made some New Year’s Resolutions, but I messed up right around early February.”

So I choose not to make resolutions.

Instead I set a few small goals for myself. I think of them as things I strive for...They may look like resolutions, but they are not. They are things which I can hopefully attain, and then overshoot if need be…

Some are short-term goals, lasting only for a few months, whereas others are long term and ongoing, lasting years or the rest of my life. I’ve only listed a few, but I have a little over 20, some of which I chose not to post. These are the major ones, though.

So here are my list of goals for 2006…

Read my Bible and Pray for at least 20 minutes a day. I’m sure that I can spare twenty minutes of my precious day to spend a little time reading and praying. Some may think that’s a little sparse, but of course, I’m free to overshoot that time, which I usually do. Sometimes, I look up from getting caught up in reading something interesting and an hour has past. Just remember a mere 20 minutes a day adds up to a little over 2 hours per week, 10 hours per month, and over 120 hours per year…. Time adds up.



Stop putting my job first. What I mean by that is stop being so concerned about it. It is a place where I trade my time and skills for money and I need to just leave it at that. My place of employment has pretty much become a pretty bad soap opera or terrible B-movie. Tired of watching, and of reluctantly being caught up in, such a bad environment with such crazy negativity.

Last year, I made a few changes, like not slaving away for 10 hours a day, or taking time off and going to a Church function that took place during the workday.

This year, I’m not going to worry about being behind in my work or scrambling to catch up. That has been a personal problem for me for the past three months. I am simply sincerely going to try and do my very best, and don't beat myself up about certain things… That in itself is the ultimate goal. As long as I’m being sincere and work hard, well, that’s going to have to do for now.

I haven’t had a soda or carbonated beverage since September of 2004, and I think that I’ll just keep that up. My lil’ sister drinks Coke like it’s water, and it doesn’t bother me one bit to just push those big 2 liter bottles to the side and grab a bottle of water. So I decided that this will be something that's ongoing with me.

I will work on my manuscript at least one hour per day, 4 out of 5 weekdays, and one and a half hours per day on the weekend. When I am consistent with this, I get A LOT done, sometimes over 600 words per day. I’m currently working on Chapter 25 of my manuscript, and I should be finish by late March if I stick to the writing schedule. (My two bootleg “work-for-free” editors are going to have a field day when they read this!! I can feel the harassment kick up a notch already!)

I just bought a new house back in October 2005, and my goal is to have it fully decorated just the way I like it by December 31, 2006. That’s kind of hard for a tomboy like me who HATES to shop or decorate. (Yikes!) My best friend, Lady Tee, is a consummate shopaholic, and carries my bathroom tiles around with her, and she alerts me to deals, etc… so it gets me a tad bit excited to see her so excited about helping me. But my goal is to get a few items per pay period. I started off this weekend by buying a huge plant for my mantelpiece. I’m sure over a year’s time, I will definitely make a lot of progress!

I haven’t had a drink (liquor) in five years. I think that I’ll continue that this year. (Hey, that’s a goal I’m sure to accomplish!)

I will fast one day per week for the rest of the year. This is a goal that I tried last year. Wednesday was my weekly fast day. I did well for 6 months. I fell off the boat (I know what to avoid now :). I’m going to try for a little longer than that this time.

I’m going vegetarian for the month of January. I’m moreso doing this in support of my sister, who is going vegetarian for 2 months. (I might continue with her if I’m not going crazy by the beginning of February). We’re at day 6 right now, and I feel… okay. LOL. I told her I’ll give her $25 each time I messed up (you should have seen the $$ in her eyes). But one of my dreams is to go completely vegetarian… Now that’s a big step!!

Read 40 books this year. That is down from my usual 50 books a year. I just have more on my plate these days. At least 20% of those books have to be spiritual. I had to bring my reading frenzy down a notch.

Increase my giving. I’ve been doing this for the past five years, and this is a goal I’ve always been able to meet. When I say increase my giving, I mean give more of my time and resources to Church and various worthy causes. I joined a book club last year that is very active in the city of Atlanta when it comes to charitable causes.

A lot of these goals are ongoing...

Hopefully, they'll bring changes for the best in me!





16 comments:

  1. I like your list. I want to be like Ladylee when I grow up. And you get your house in great shape so that when me and LB come to Megafest, we'll have somewhere to sleep....
    As far as the coke habit, I have a bad one. If I don't drink 4-5 cokes a day... Gotta work on that for the sake of my kidneys.. And what's up with the cartoon character photos? Those are cute. Enough rambling from me. Good luck with your endeavors.

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  2. Glad you like my list... It's a big vague, but it would've stretched out a few pages if I didn't cut it short (I am soooo longwinded!!)

    No, I want to be like S23 when I grow up!!!

    We'll hook up if ya'll come to the "A"!!

    Drinking 4-5 cokes a day?? How do you do it? Oh my! Where's the water, girl!

    The cartoon photos... In the first, she'a a little perplexed and bewildered, in the second she's pissed, and in the third she's happy... The range of my emotions these days...

    These are little pictures I have saved on my Laptop after watching many hours of my Fat Albert DVD's (you know I'm a cartoon fiend!!)...

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  3. I hear what you're saying, but they still sound suspiciously like resolutions to me!

    Good luck. (That's not sarcasm)

    KZ

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  4. Ha!

    GOALS, Zed!
    Alright, Alright, maybe 2 or 3 are resolutions, but I connect resoultions with the start of a New Year... Most of those were NOT started on January 1st, but are ongoing things, started during the middle of the year, a few years ago, etc...

    But if you want to call them resolutions, go ahead, partna!!:)

    I see your comments all over the place, dude... Thanks for coming stopping through my neck of the woods!

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  5. ok...I'm joining in with you on:

    1. Read my Bible and Pray for at least 20 minutes a day.

    2. I will work on my manuscript at least one hour per day, 4 out of 5 weekdays, and one and a half hours per day on the weekend.

    3. Increase my giving.

    Those are some serious goals...and I will join u my sis and together we can hold each other up...

    I been missing yall this week...but yall know I was in revival all week...I'se so tired...but full of the Lord!

    I miss my 3 sisters and Ima be back in strength 2morrow night!

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  6. @DJ...

    I wondered where you were... Been reading your posts, though. CONGRATS on the FAT new job... Handle your bizness!

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  7. I think that’s great that you are setting these goals for yourself! I’m kinda laughing to myself because you haven’t had a soda or carbonated beverage since September of 2004, and I’m sitting here chugging back one as I type, LOL. I cannot help it. I just love soda. I have been time in increase my water intake buyt I’ve been having a hard time.

    Decorating your new house should be fun, at least it would be for me. Girl go ahead and take some time and decorate your beautiful house. Please send me some pics (if you don’t mind). I love stuff like that.

    Since you are doing the vegetarian thing, please make sure that you are getting plenty of protein in your diet.

    You seem to be doing great with your mini goals. Keep up the good work girlie!

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  8. @ Nic... I wasn't the biggest soda drinker in the world like a lot of folks.. maybe a 6 pack a week, but I decided that September to not drink any until the end of that year, and then just kept going... but I GOTTA figure out how to drink more water!

    yeah, I'll send pics as soon as I get thangs the way I like!

    And with the protein... I'm going to whip out the tofu this week, and I do protien in my smoothies, and I have some unsweetened soy milk... That's about it... we'll see how that rolls... I do have a lot more energy these days, though..

    Enough blogging, Nic...get back to those slides!!

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  9. Okay Lady, first of all you are wrong for putting your school pictures up here, LOL! Girl that yellow bow ain't doin' nothing for ya! Just put down the comb and walk away because it's not working! You were too cute for the
    'fro girl! Did you get any dates in school looking like this? LOL!

    As for resolutions, I agree with you. I put that down years ago. I think they jinx people anyway. No one ever sticks to them. I think people should go one day at a time and then they will accomplish more. It's fine to list goals but I wouldn't label them resolutions. Also, my sites are up for some awards. Check out my latest blog post and vote for me if you like.

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  10. Great goals for the 06!

    Subscounciously or unconsiously, we all want something different, and that usually occurs in the new year.

    I'm with you on the goal, sister, particularly studying the word of the Living God.

    Keep us posted.

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  11. @Stacy-D... you are sooo crazy! LOL! But I see these as goals. People tend to throw resolutions away once they mess up. If I look at these as goals... when I screw up, i can figure out where I went wrong, I can get up and keep moving towards that goal.

    @ P... I agree with you, girl... Thanks for stopping by!

    @ Khalli 88...where you been, sneaker king... That's a good goal...keep on breathing! LOL

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  12. You will be happy to know that I'm almost done with my slides. I have 42 slides so now I will be just fine tuning and adding some notes here and there and I will be done!

    Thanks for staying on me!!!!

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  13. Good goals for the new year, LL.
    I'm refraining from making any tangible list. It will then turn into a resolution list and I'll purposely stay clear of it.

    Once again, love the cartoon pics.

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  14. @Dr. Nic...

    YOU GO GIRL!!! You doin' the darn thing!!! (I told you!).

    "It's gonna get done? Why? Because it ALWAYS gets done!"

    @ CC...

    Come on now, Chubbs... Make a list of ONE thing. Just ONE. You're in ATL this week, right? Well you're starting off the new year right with the CDC thing... The whole Aids prvention thing for minority women program, That's soooo important! What a great "unwritten" goal, Ms. Milestone woman!

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  15. I love your list, Lee! Great goals! I'm doing the soda thing myself. I hadn't had any in years, and all of a sudden I started drinking it again. Not all the time, but enough to tell the difference. The stuff burns my throat, so you'd think I wouldn't drink it.

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  16. @Kayla... yeah, I just don't have a taste for soda anymore... Since I haven't had one in 16 months, kind of scared it might burn a hole in my stomach or something if I drink one!!! LOL! So why don't I just leave them alone.

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Slap the *crickets* out the way, kindly step up to the mike, and SAY something!!