Happy New Year, my friends! We made it through 2020, thank whatever merciful god or giant turtle you worship. Some of us have lost loved ones over the last year or have had to go through probably the worst year in everyone’s life.
I’m not a vendor of false hope: things may not immediately get better. Positive vibes only go so far, so if you have stuff you need to do just to get by for the next 2-12 months and don’t have time for the pep talk, I get you. Stay safe and healthy, fam.
But if you’re interested in hearing about my plans, I’m happy to share some of my goals for the coming year. I don’t do this because I think, by looking at a loose list of aspirations of mine for the year, that your life will turn around or that you will be inspired. So, without further gilding the lilly (You say it’s a Shakespeare quote, I say it’s a Knights Tale ref), here are my goals for 2021.
1. Get below 200lbs
Yes, just like everyone else, one of my issues over the last year has been weight gain. At first, I thought ‘This will be over by the summer, I’ll just wait till then to figure out my workout routine in the age of Covid.’ Yeah, that didn’t fucking work out, did it?
Since college, I had kind of always sat, at my best, in the 210-215lb weight range. It mostly worked cause I’m a bit tall and have the kind of frame that hides a lot of that fat. But getting below 200lb was always something I considered unattainable.
At writing, I have a little over 30lb to lose, so I’m going to buckle down, stop making excuses and stop searching for magic beans and just work on it, and tell you how far I’ve got each month until I hit 200.
2. Publish my first novel
What did you think the blog of the self-publishing novelist Sam Rose wouldn’t include this in the new year’s resolutions? Come on, son.
As we stand, I have had some beta readers working with me on the first major rewrite of Mystics and Misfits, we have some illustrations and character intros, and a blurb. We’ve even done some editing and I’ve started in on book 2, Hacks and Hexes.
So 2021 will be the year that it’s all going to happen. By force of will, I will make sure I do everything I can to make this a successful launch and introduce you all to a whole new world. I’ll try and update you on pages edited, words written and other monthly updates.
3. Do more for others
I’d like to find more ways to give back, in terms of serving my community, working with local charities, and just helping where I can. Even before the pandemic, I was so self-focused and just uninvolved. But it really takes all of us, and I can’t feel right sitting on the sidelines anymore.
Whether it’s volunteering in food drives or soup kitchens, I am making it an important goal to try and give back and serve others more. It’s never been hard in terms of the motivation; I’ve always considered myself a giving person. I’ve often just not thought hard about what I could do on a regular basis.
And so in 2021, I’m going to volunteer at a minimum 8 hours every month, and post about it on my blog here, that way I am held accountable.
4. Maintain my “Taking Ass and Kicking Names” outlook
Guys, don’t know if you noticed, but 2020 was a bit of a body blow to people’s psyches, including my own. There’s a reason I need to lose over 30lb.
A lot of what went wrong in 2020 for me was allowing what were, in perspective, easily overcome obstacles like not getting to go out or travel or visit friends to interfere with much more important aspects of my health like physical fitness or mental resiliency.
In 2021, the goal is different: quarantining and social distancing probably isn’t going away anytime soon, and that’s not the problem. The problem is continuing to allow things that cannot change affect me so greatly and take more control of the things that I can and should change. So every month, I’m going to take time to reflect on the things I’ve accomplished, small or large.
Well, guys and gals, that’s it. Those are my goals, and my accountability measures. I know that the opportunity for me is out there, and I’m going to do my best to make it a reality. Life can sneak up on you, as we all learned, and she never stops trying to surprise us.
So when you have the chance to try and get the drop on life with some badass, wholesome and productive life planning, you need to take it. And if things don’t go according to plan, take your time to regroup and try again. I hope this year goes well for you all. Stay happy and healthy.
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