Resolutions and Goals

I have been feeling very disappointed with myself lately. I have mixed feelings about the choices I have made in the last 10 years (if you know me, I know, but let’s not go there…). A part of me would really like to go back and change things: finishing high school; going to class in college; finishing college; going on to law school (yes, that was my original plan); being able to play numerous piano works; and being completely self sufficient.

On the other hand I have had wonderful things happen in my life as a result of the decisions I made, however juvenile, inappropriate and/or unwise. I have 3 beautiful, and I mean beautiful, (not that I’m biased or anything of the sort), a loving husband, a fantastic extended family, many supportive friends and a good job that I actually enjoy.

As I reflect on these things and the ideas I had 5-10 years ago about where I would be, what I would be doing and what I would have accomplished, I can’t help but feel a smidgen of disappointment in myself.

Since this is the beginning of a brand new year and the count-down to being the big 3-0 (Didn’t you hear? 30 is the new 20!), I have made the “30 Before 30” list; I know, how very cliché of me. I have opted to focus on this rather than my very short list of 2010 resolutions, of which I will also divulge for your entertainment.

2010 Resolutions:

1. Work out 3 days per week.
2. Get up when my alarm goes off.
3. Don’t sleep in until 10 a.m. or 11 a.m. both days of the weekend.
4. Encourage my husband to socialize more.
5. Save a 1-month buffer ($4,500 minimum)
6. Pay off all credit cards by June 1.
7. Track spending in YNAB weekly.
8. Learn something new.
9. Make/create a compost bin and garden.
10. Do a monthly house project.

I started out with a much smaller list, but have since added a few things. I think that all of these are do-able in the next 12 months or by their respective deadlines. Only a small percentage of people stick to their New Year’s resolutions past March, if they even make it that long, mainly because they make them to difficult to accomplish. I know that I won’t succeed at each of these all the time and I’m okay with that. But, I also know that I have something to strive for and that’s better than not trying at all.

Now for “The List.” I will review a few of the goals every few days. So here goes:

Pay off all debt: I know a lot of people want to pay off all of their debt, but I really think that we can actually accomplish this in the next 5 years. It will take some hard work and perseverance but I truly think that it can be done.

Get a degree: Most people would think that getting a bachelor’s degree in 5 years is reasonable; well, not if you have young children and a full time job. I can barely, and by “barely” I mean almost never, get the laundry done in a timely manner, not to mention the 10,000 other things that we’re supposed to do on a daily basis. I can’t fathom trying to be a full-time student as well. I know people do it, but I cannot voluntarily subject myself to that much stress.

Go camping: I have never actually been camping. I’ve done it halfway, where you stay in the pop-up trailer/tent thing and have facilities to use. I want to really “do it” but I don’t know if I could handle not having a bathroom. I’ll gladly sleep in a tent though! We never did things like this when I was a kid and sometimes I think I might have missed out; on the other hand, maybe I’ll hate it and thank my parents for not subjecting me to such horrors. We’ll see.