Hey all! Let’s get started with monthly goals.
Inspired by my friend Michael White, I’m realizing that I don’t read enough anymore. It bothers me, so I hope to read for at least twenty minutes a day for all of January, hopefully increasing that amount when I have time. Of course I’d like to do more than twenty minutes a day, and I will on most days, but that’s my bare minimum, even on stressful action-packed school days.
Anyone else bothered by their lack of reading recently?
My year-long experiment ends this evening with the end of 2008. Almost a year ago from today, I decided that New Year’s Resolutions are silly. A year is too long to resolve to do something. Who actually remembers to carry out their resolution for an entire year?
Nonetheless, I was weary of ditching the whole concept of a New Year’s Resolution. I mean, any concept that exists to better oneself must be good on some level, right?
Enter Monthly Resolutions – a system where, if you choose to accept it, you choose one goal per month and try to meet it. It’s flexible, allowing you to give your month a theme that means the most at that time. Although a month is just as arbitrary as a year for setting goals, at least it’s more often!
My final 2008 resolution was to consciously balance my studies with enjoying myself. In high school, I tended to let my time be “all of nothing” fun or work. Although I had my doubts, I actually managed to moderate myself this time around. I studied hard, but I feel that I gave enough of my time to relaxing and enjoying the company of my new friends before separating for a month.
If there’s anything I’ve relearned again and again this year, it’s the benefits of moderation in most areas of life. Although professional and academic ambition are important, enjoying the people around us is equally important, if not more.
Seeing that 2008′s Monthly Resolution Experiment was such a success, I’m going to try it for another year, and drop “Experiment” from its name. Year 2009, here we go! In addition to a new resolution every month, I’ll make a serious effort to blog more this year than I have over the last four months. Whether about politics, technology, productivity, inspiration, or my path through Tufts, I hope to have something insightful for you to read.
Best wishes for a successful 2009, my friends. May we all work toward a better world. Let me know your New Year’s Resolutions and if you decide to adopt a Monthly Resolution system!
My November goal was to better moderate my work and play time. And fortunately, I think I pulled it off! It was just a change of mindset in how I used my time. As in, “I’m going to hang out for a few hours, but then I’m going to go study.”
Simple, profound, successful.
My December goal is straightforward. I’m dedicating these next three weeks to doing as well as I can on my final exams and papers while not forgetting to have a good time. It’s easy to make the weeks leading up to and including finals miserable, so my goal is to avoid that pitfall.
It’s a very similar goal to November, to practice moderation. I’m certain it’s worthy of a second month.
What are your goals for finishing up the year? You didn’t forget your 2008 New Year’s Resolution, did you? If so, you should read up on my alternative and give it a try.
Time is flying here at Tufts. In fact, it’s already the first day of October!
I know I’ve picked up a few readers since my last Resolution Experiment post, so I’ll explain the game I started playing on January 1, 2008. It’s easiest for me to quote myself from nine months ago.
A year is a long time. It’s around three hundred sixty-five days on our Gregorian calendar. By my unscientific estimate, most people forget their new year’s resolution a few months into the new year. Wouldn’t that time be better spent spacing out several small-scale resolutions – temporary efforts that add up to much more than the sum of their parts?
I think so. At least, it’s worth a shot.
I’ve had some successes and yes, some failures with this experiment. Here’s the way I look at it: with this experiment, this harmless effort, I’ve done more good for myself than if I hadn’t started it.
September was my month of adjusting to college life, which I think I’ve done a great job at. I made a conscious effort to be as sociable as possible, and I’m happy to say I now have an awesome group of friends. I plan to take it up a notch in October, however. I’ve decided to alter my diet somewhat and try an experiment that I never would have seen myself doing nine months ago.
I’m going to make a conscious effort to reduce the amount of meat that I eat on a daily basis.
To you, that might not sound like much. You’re right, it isn’t for lots of people. For me, however, it’s a paradigm shift. I come from a household where some type of meat is the cornerstone of most meals. Challenging that assumption, which I’m able to do with the ridiculously large selection of food at Tufts, opens doors.
Yes, I realize that this monthly resolution may sound exceedingly lame to you, but we all have our personal shortcomings and goals. For this reason, I call on you to try something new this month. Volunteer your time, go on a diet, make an effort to get organized, read more, start an exercise routine, or try anything to be an even better person than you already are.
And please, let me know how it goes.
I’m sitting in a hotel room in Boston with my family, ready to move in to Tufts tomorrow morning. I’m very excited, but predictably scared. It’s a huge change for me – from the countryside of Dover Plains to the urban sprawl of Boston.
In the beginning of this year, I vowed to set a new goal or focus for each month and work at it. I’ve done it before and I’ll do it again – I messed up. August was noticeably missing a resolution, but the most important part of accomplishing a goal is getting back on track when knocked off course.
Let’s get back on track. I’m dedicating September to trying new things, meeting new people, and immersing myself in new experiences. Although this is what college is all about, I plan to put special effort into this endeavor. I won’t lay back and let these experience find me; I’m going to go out and seek them myself.
Besides the changes in my life, you may have noticed a change on this blog. Because this is a very symbolic time in my life, a time of transition, I changed the color scheme of the blog to something much more refreshing. It’s only one of many changes that I have lined up for this website when I get some free time.
I don’t know how my blogging will change now that I’m starting college, but I assure you that I will continue to write. I’m not sure how often or about what, but I will always write about the important things in my life and how they may relate to you, especially when it comes to bettering our world.
I hope you’ll stay with me on this journey.
In June, I enjoyed the time I had left in high school. I’m so glad I made that the focus of my month. No regrets.
For July, as part of my Resolution Experiment, I’m going to go for a jog once a day. I’m setting no other regulations other than that I’m going to go out and move my body.
Let’s see how this goes. Lord knows I can use some more exercise.