Review: My 2012 New Year’s Resolutions

At the beginning of 2012, I wrote down 10 new years resolutions and posted it at the exit of my bedroom so that I would see it often. On any occasion, I would be doing better at some, and less better at others. Over the course of the year, I achieved all ten to some degree; if this were a class, I’d give myself an A-.

YOHEI’S 2012 NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS

1. Do what you’ll say you’ll do. This also means stop saying you’ll do things you know you won’t do. This year, I’ve gotten a lot better at managing expectations.
2. Respond to emails promptly. While not yet perfect, I’m much better at this than I was at the beginning of 2012.
3. Work more. I was working a lot in 2011, but sometimes not efficiently. I’m getting more work done now on a weekly basis, even though I’m working less hours. Probably due to…
4. Work on a schedule. Yes, getting a job was a big part of this, also joining a co-working space. Working on some sort of schedule is nice, especially because I know when I don’t have to work.
5. Keep home + car clean. Doing better, not perfect.
6. Exercise more. This year, I did a lot of biking. I’ve started doing yoga, both spiritual and hot yoga. I played tennis every once in a while, and golf on occasion.
7. Cook more vegetables. Dating a raw vegan has naturally led me to eating lots of veggies. I’ve gotten pretty comfortable with cooking a large variety of veggies too. Farm Fresh To You helped.
8. Smoke much less. Why not quit? Can’t say I’ve fully quit, but I’m smoking much much much less now than I was earlier this year.
9. Make more money. Not much more, but more… accomplished.
10. Polish yourself. Look polishes, act polished, be polished. Not sure exactly what I meant when I wrote this, but I’m pretty sure I’m doing well on this one.

Extra Credit: Be Happy. I rock at this one.

LESSONS LEARNED

Goal setting works. By setting goals, and by using techniques to keep those goals in mind, we both consciously and subconsciously make adjustments in our lifestyle that help us achieve those goals.

Progress, not perfection. Benjamin Franklin wrote down 13 virtues that he tried to achieve and kept track of them. He noticed that when he excelled in upholding one of the virtues, others would inevitably lack. It’s important to remember that change is constant, and every improvement in your life is progressive, with both ups and downs.

Remove the root of stress. Many of my goals for 2012 were removing aspects of my life that I often found myself stressing over. Interestingly, removing the stress from my life put a skip in my step, a smile on my face, and gave me the mental capacity to care for those around me.