 |
| English: New Year's Resolutions postcard (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
A case in point for me would be one of the more popular resolutions that folks tend to make and that is the goal of weight loss. Last year at this time, I definitely needed to lose some weight. I wasn't mentally prepared at that time to lose weight, so I knew I wouldn't change. However, some time in the spring I was mentally ready and lost 40 pounds over a five month period. Sadly, I have slipped a bit of late and lapsed into some bad habits and gained about half back. Time to get back on the wagon.
That is not to say that I do not have some idea of things that I would like to accomplish in the coming year. They are more or less some general ideas floating around in my mind and not things that I am 100% ready to commit to with specifics at this time. One thing that is floating around in my mind are things that I would like to accomplish with this blog, specifically in regards to content and consistency.
Last year, I kind of let the consistency of posting slip from previous years. In 2012, I posted less than 200 posts for the first time since I began this blog in 2008. Of course 2008 was basically only 4 months of posting versus and entire year. I am not sure that I will get back up to posting nearly every day, but I would like to post on a more regular basis, maybe 250-300 posts during the course of the year.
Then there is the content side of things. In previous years, I posted a lot of political content. Since the election two months ago, I have been taking a break from a steady dose of following politics. I have found that I do not miss it at all. Instead, I have been concentrating on doing more reading and trying to get back in touch with my spiritual side. I suspect that you will see more posts with a spiritual leaning. I have been considering a series of posts regarding some of my spiritual journey through the years.
With the start of the new year, as usual, I am concerned about financial issues. I officially get my first pay check of 2013 on Thursday, but my credit union gives me access to my direct deposit early. I noticed my deposit was about 3% less than usual which I can most likely attribute to the expiration of the 2% payroll tax holiday. In two weeks, I should see the results of the 30% increase in my share of my health insurance premium. Not an encouraging start.
The good news on the financial side of things is that I just closed on refinancing my mortgage through the government HARP program. It is allowing me to reduce my mortgage by about $260 per month which hopefully will result in a wash when my health insurance premium kicks in. The other good news is that with the timing of my closing, I will not have a mortgage payment due until March so it will give me two months to replenish my savings account some.
A couple of the nebulous goal thingies that are floating around in my head is to concentrate a bit more on my photography. I kind of started this a bit last year, but time is a precious commodity and there were not as many opportunities to devote to it as I would have liked. Another idea floating in my head is to attempt to write a book. This one is so nebulous that I do not even have a clue what kind of book it would be. That's why I can't commit to them as "resolutions."
So, in closing, I would like to wish everybody a very successful and happy New Year. If you are of the sort that makes resolutions this time of year, I hope you are able to achieve your goals. If not, well that's OK too.
I've enjoyed reading your wonderful posts this year. I hope 2013 brings you joy and fulfillment. Happy New Year.
ReplyDelete