While I know it may not matter to you how well I did on last year’s New Year’s resolutions, it is possible that my successes and failures can serve as inspiration, or warning, depending on my ability to keep promises. All in all, I am pleased with achieving many of my resolutions, but I know I left a few on the table.
My favorite met resolution was something of a no-brainer since I had a good hunch. I resolved to attend a wedding of people that I cared about and, this June, that wedding turned out to be between the Boy and the Ber. Since I care deeply about them both, I think their wedding qualifies.
Despite predictions of coming up short on this one, I resolved to have five blog posts per month. Well, I didn’t do five every month, but I did a total of 62 posts for an average of five per month, and that’s good enough in my book – even if a few posts were neither interesting nor readable and I posted eight in December.
Over-promising on your resolutions is to New Year’s what Trevor Hoffman is to blown saves (sorry about that, Mrs. Sladed, but it’s the truth). I hoped to lose a total of 60 pounds, which seemed as reasonable as posting on my blog 60 times. When you break that down over 52 weeks, that’s less than one pound each week. Well, I didn’t make it, but I also knew when I wrote it a year ago, I had no expectation of losing any weight. Weight loss is something everyone resolves to do, but nobody seems to ever do it and that’s why all the gyms are so crowded until about the third week of January.
I did nothing to help my cause until April when I joined a club and got some nutritional and exercise advice and got a BodyBugg for my birthday from Mrs. Laz. From roughly May until mid-November, I lost a total of 36 pounds, but had a bad lap around travel, Thanksgiving and Christmas and ended the year losing 31 pounds. Just the same, I didn’t expect to lose any so I am very happy with the results and it gives me a more realistic goal for this year.
I came up disappointingly short in four areas: I didn’t keep my name from being dragged through the mud of newspapers and blogs last year and even had to watch negative stories written about my brother who, as we all know, is no longer with us. I also didn’t finish my novel and wrote very little on it; quite disappointing. My annual plea to earn money in a different ways turned out to be a mixed bag; I didn’t earn money in different ways, but came to terms with how I earned and will earn my living. This is a big step for me and leads me to my biggest disappointment. I offered an obscure resolution to be free of fear. I fell short on this for the first nine months of the year, but I think I finished strong by ridding myself of two pieces of trash. The “fear” thing is important for me because I think all failure in life comes from living in fear or making decisions on the basis of fear (even though the current economy isn’t helping my decision making).
So what follows are this year’s resolutions:
1. I resolve to lose the rest of my 60 pounds. This may be difficult as I think I lost the easiest part of the 60 this year. Off to good start as I am ready and focused to reach my goal and I feel so much better with the weight loss this year that I am giddy about losing more.
2. I resolve to finish my novel. Again. I really want to do this so this may have an impact on my random blogging, but you never know.
3. I resolve to rebuild my company not only in a financial way, but also to reestablish it as a market leader respected by my peers. We have the opportunity right now and I intend to start making our case.
4. And, finally, become more settled in everything.
5. The final one is not really about me, but I want it as much as anything I would want for myself. I resolve for the girl to get answers to her health concerns and get to feeling back to normal (not that she was ever normal to begin with).
That’s all I want to try to tackle this year. There are other things I hope for, but they are just part of living a good life and should be less a resolution and more a life mandate. If I can reach all five of these resolutions this year, I would be a happy camper. Thank you all for your support since I began this vanity blog in 2005 and hope to keep entertaining or infuriating you in the years to come.
7 comments:
Laz, I think that partial success inyour resolutions is far better than NO success.. As for me my resolution was simple; to get to the next year !! and as you see I made it...
agent 69
If you ask me, I think you've done very well in the resolution department! When we sit down and set out our goals/resolutions for the year, they do not all have the same priority. Sometimes ones that have low priority but are still on the radar screen pop to the top when opportunities present themselves.
2008 was not without MANY challenges. Of course I have a bias for the physical achievements and weight loss that you accomplished. Yes, the next ~30 will be harder but you know how to get back on track and you've been reminded of how good success feels. Having Mrs Laz in the pool and on your support team will help you down the road to your winning figure! (Hubba Hubba)
Your friendship is very important to me so if we didn't get together often enough to meet last year's resolution then it's at least 50% my fault (ostensibly!)
As far as your book goes, perhaps blogging is getting in the way. I certainly hope not! I'd rather read weekly than have to wait months (or years) for a book. Please do both!
As for your 2009 business resolution, I believe in you and your vision COMPLETELY. Even if I wasn't a part of it I believe you are capable of bringing it back to where you want it and to succeed even more than you have in the past.
And as for The Girl, I think that would be a very good thing.
I forgot to mention the friendship thing, but I think that was a fulfilled resolution -- at least with you.
And Agent 69, may you live a thousand years!
And Agent 69, may you live a thousand years!
Laz, I forgive you for your comment about Trevor. I am not thinking about baseball at the moment, since the Chargers have resurrected themselves in spectacular fashion...
Of course, I think you've accomplished quite a bit with last year's revolutions...after all, most Americans don't manage to achieve even one. Your weight loss and fitness push was more inspiring to me than Sladed's and I witness his efforts on a daily basis! It's one thing for the fit to become fitter, but watching you enthusiastically meet the challenges of exercise and healthy diet and a variety of life style changes and your consequent improvement in health and weight made me reconsider my own weight issues and lifestyle. I can’t foresee obtaining Sladed’s fitness level (he is more than a little crazy), but I could and did see that I could get back in shape and take of the many pounds that have found their way onto my body because I saw what you were able to do. So thank you, Laz. Thank you for putting your resolutions on display. Thank you for actually trying to accomplish them. And thank you for inspiring me!
XO
Mrs. Sladed
P.S. Don't tell Sladed it was you that inspired me.
I am really happy to know I had even a slight hand in inspiring your (or anyone, for that matter). You've done so well and done better than I have in a shorter time, it's me who should be inspired.
And I won't tell Sladed, although he reads this blog religiously and will likely see this!
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