Resolve and Resolutions

So earlier this week I wrote a whole blog post on resolutions and what I wanted out of this year, and then promptly deleted it. It was incredibly self-indulgent and ethereal, unrealistic and unattainable.

Recently my friend Amanda posted about Rules for New Years Resolutions, and upon reading it, I was inspired to go back to the drawing board.

Lately I have been trying to move away from the concept of wanting things - in the sense of 'wishing things were different than they were'. I have been trying to live more in the moment, and enjoy the life I am living now, not the life I hope to be living down the road, or even the ups and downs of the life I have already lived.

But, the fact is, there are some changes I want to make in my life. There are some things I feel I could be doing to improve my life, not only for the enjoyment of my life as it is now; but to better my future and heal my past. So this year, instead of whining and wishing, I am going to make actionable, measurable goals which will, if achieved, actually improve on the things about myself and my life that upset me.

Firstly, I identified some common 'complaints' I had, and used them to brainstorm on ways I could healthily, and realistically achieve the core change they revolved around.

Whinge #1 - Displeasure with my body

Whinge #2 - Estrangement from my family

Whinge #3 - Missing travel/hobbies that make me happy

Whinge #4 - I'm broke/I can't afford to... (specifically related to whinge 2 and 3)


And from these, stem my (slightly tardy) New Years resolutions:

1. Working out - I have already started, and will continue to do my home-based workouts every other day, when possible, with the ultimate aim of being able to do: 50 unassisted pushups, 20 unassisted chin-ups, and 100 sit ups - each in a single set.
2. I am going to visit my family next year, preferably during the Christmas break. I know this will be incredibly difficult, for many, many reasons, but it is something I really cannot put off any longer.
3. I am going to go surfing for at least 1 full week in the 2nd half of 2013.
4. I am going to save the money necessary to achieve the last two resolutions above. I have found a very basic and manageable (even for a student) saving plan that will help me save the money I need to do both. It is called the 52-Week Money Challenge. Adhering to this will ensure that I have earmarked enough to book a flight to Canada and a week's surfing trip.
5. And, entirely unrelated to the above, but very important to me, are some university-related resolutions. 
1. Get on a summer research project
2. Maintain a first overall

So, there you have it folks! Feel free to check in on me and see how I'm doing, and call me on them if you think I'm slacking!