Like many people, i have had my own attempts at making (and keeping) my New Year's resolution. But yes, very much like the others too, i have often failed. This year however, I have decided to prepare and write down specific goals which I would like to accomplish by this year. I refuse to call them now New Year's Resolution. I would like to call them instead, my GOALS for 2013. Speaking of which, somebody somewhere suggested that when making goals, it is important to consider the following:
1) It should be time-bound. A goal which is not time-bound is bound to be wasted. I could for example declare I want to lose ten pounds but if i don't set a time within which to accomplish that goal, I could be fooling nobody but myself. Lose ten pounds when? In a month? In ten weeks? In a year? To be time-bound means to be right on track. To see to it that every single day, I inch my way towards my goal. That is the only way I could ensure to progress.
2) It should be specific. To be specific means to set concrete standards within which to measure one's progress. If my goal is simply to lose weight without stating in concrete terms how much weight i would like to lose and in how much time, chances are, I could also be going astray. And that is not something healthy. Specific goals help us assess our progress in as much as keeping time-bound goals keep on on track.
3) It should be attainable. I wish to be a multi-millionaire by the end of the year. This is a time-bound as well as a specific kind of goal. But is this attainable? For an ordinary employee like me, this goal is so far-flung. Unless I am an entrepreneur now enjoying my what, 2nd or 3rd year in my lucrative industry, i cannot fool myself into believing that this aspiration is even possible, much less, worth-contemplating. I am not sure if this anecdote is true but i once came across an article about the actor Jim Carrey. Many years ago, he was a newbie actor fighting his way to earn stints in Hollywood. With all his dues and bills piling up, he almost gave up. But he did not. Instead, he wrote a million-dollar check to himself, put it in his pocket and told himself, "This is gonna be may paycheck two years from now." He went on to act and yes, earned the million-dollar paycheck he resolved to get. To this day, he is one of the highest paid celebrities in Hollywood.
With those factors to consider, I came up with the following list of goals for this year:
1) Lose at least 20 pounds by the end of the year. I have a simple plan. Each month, I can only target losing about two pounds. If I firmly hold on to this goal in mind, by October this year, I should have lost all the weight I want to lose. That means being back to my ideal weight of atleast 120lbs. Come the merry months of November to December where I will need to eat up a lot, I will have conditioned my body already into eating only what I need. Crossing my fingers on this as my excess weight is already taking a toll on my lower limbs, my heart, and my over-all fitness.
2) Study (because I am taking the Bar Exams this year -- again) according to schedule. (With emphasis on the latter part of that statement.) To check if I'm on track, i have specifically made schedule for the topics and the coverage. I never had a well-established (read: impressive) study habit and so I always ended up reading and drowsing off as I read. One of my former classmates who is now a lawyer suggested I make a detailed schedule (topics with dates/period of studying) to know that I am able to cover the topics I need to cover within a specific period of time. Doing this will assure me I am doing progress in my review. I have already made the schedule. I wish to give myself a month to check if I am able to stick to my sked. Otherwise, I will devise another scheme.
3) Save at least two thousand bucks every month. Yes, two thousand pesos is measly. But if I am able to set aside atleast two thousand pesos every month, it will mean I'd have 24 thousand pesosEs by Christmas! Now that should be enough put a lovely grin on my face come New Year, dontcha think? If I could save up more, well, so much the better. But meantime, I only target PhP2k.
4) Write atleast three blogposts per week. No, there is no specific length. And no, there is no specific topic either. I know I will be busy but blogging will have to be my respite. I can write short notes to myself, poems, whatever comes to mind. Yes, I can also do some reviews! I know i won't run out of possible topics to write about...hence, i resolve to write -- more..
For now, these are the few goals I have in mind. I hope that by the end of the year, when I read back this post, I will be able to tell myself, "Job well done Cheng. Job well done."
Happy New Year everyone! =)
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