The Ultimate Reach for the Stars, Way-Too-Ambitious, All-the-Stuff-I-Always-Think-of-Doing 2019 Resolutions

[Guest]

Your list is phenomenal, @unsinkable. I had this year, and am renewing for next year, my little, extremely tiny by comparison, New Experience Each Month. I’m such a content homebody, it is easy for me to just cocoon here and go/do nowhere new, nothing unfamiliar. But my goal to intentionally seek out a new experience ever month and record it really helped so much. 

PS. I did decide in October that only positive new experiences count. Things like surgeries and cancer treatment don’t count! 

[sassenach]

18 minutes ago, Seasider too said:

 

Links please?

I heard about it on the Jamie Ivey podcast. Tara-Leigh Cobble was on her show (twice) and I really connected with her story and objective. Here’s the website for the Bible Recap and everything you need to participate.   https://www.mydgroup.org/podcast

I’ve tried many time to read through the Bible but I’ve never tried to listen through it. I have podcasts running all day long and I’m hopeful that this might be a very successful approach. We shall see. 

[SeaConquest]

I start nursing school orientation on January 15th. So, at age 44, with bipolar disorder and an arthritic back, my goal in 2019 is not to wash out when I hit those 12 hour night shifts for clinicals! My long-term goal is to pursue a second doctorate and become a nurse practitioner. It's going to be a long road, and seems insurmountable. So, I am trying to not think about it, and just put one foot in front of the other. I mean, I am going to get older regardless (G-d willing); might as well learn something new along the way, right?

I've lost 63 lbs since my gastric bypass last January, which still seems incredible to me. I would love to lose another 10-20 lbs, but mostly I will be happy just to maintain and firm up with some weight training. So, I would say that finding the time for self-care during nursing school will be a major goal for me in 2019.

Finally, learning to juggle school and homeschooling two kids is going to be a serious challenge. I know that I can put the kids in public school for a season, if need be, so I am trying not to put too much pressure on myself. But yeah, another 'learning to balance it all' goal for me in 2019.

Any other goals are probably just too lofty for me right now. I am trying to stay focused.   

[hornblower]

1 hour ago, SeaConquest said:

I start nursing school orientation on January 15th.  

Hey SeaConquest - can you get whoever moderates the WellTrained College Students forums to let me back in? It's asking a password or something.... 

I guess we'll be graduating at close to the same time; Aug 2021 is my grad date. My BSN is 36 mos and I started in Sep. I'm older than you and still recovering from cancer treatments and still made honor roll in the first semester - you will rock it! 

[KungFuPanda]

22 hours ago, Ottakee said:

Could I add, learn to like (or at least tolerate) a cup of coffee?  Is that a reasonable goal for 2019?

 

WHY? Just drink tea! We need more tea drinkers so we can demand a decent cup at a coffee shop. 

[Momto6inIN]

My goals are modest. I want to be more consistent about taking a walk every day. I take one on most non-yucky-weather weekdays but I would like to be more consistent. I would also like to not gain a bazillion pounds when this baby is born in April and I start nursing. I know many women say that nursing just sucks the baby weight right off them but that has not been my experience. I am so freaking starving when I'm nursing that I can't seem to stop eating ALL. THE. THINGS. So my goal is to only eat some of the things and if not lose weight then at least not gain any either.

[fairfarmhand]

32 minutes ago, Momto5inIN said:

My goals are modest. I want to be more consistent about taking a walk every day. I take one on most non-yucky-weather weekdays but I would like to be more consistent. I would also like to not gain a bazillion pounds when this baby is born in April and I start nursing. I know many women say that nursing just sucks the baby weight right off them but that has not been my experience. I am so freaking starving when I'm nursing that I can't seem to stop eating ALL. THE. THINGS. So my goal is to only eat some of the things and if not lose weight then at least not gain any either.

I’ve never lost weight while nursing either. I want to scream LIES! When I hear people say nursing doesn’t hurt and you’ll lose weight while doing so!!!!

 

[SeaConquest]

15 hours ago, hornblower said:

Hey SeaConquest - can you get whoever moderates the WellTrained College Students forums to let me back in? It's asking a password or something.... 

I guess we'll be graduating at close to the same time; Aug 2021 is my grad date. My BSN is 36 mos and I started in Sep. I'm older than you and still recovering from cancer treatments and still made honor roll in the first semester - you will rock it! 

 

You are my hero. Seriously. You are really truly amazing and inspiring.

I will have to check on the college students forum. I haven't really been posting there after the change to the new format. But, I will see what I can do to help.

If I make it through, I will graduate in July 2021. Gosh, that seems like forever from now! And then, of course, getting a job, which in San Diego, is incredibly difficult. No nursing shortage here! And then, grad school. Oy vey...

[Junie]

Goals for 2019 (numbers in parentheses indicate number per year)

Lose 15 pounds

spend 50 hours outside

complete Tai Chi form (50 times)

correct posture (200 times)

keep health log

Complete ASL 4 (Bill Vicars youtube) (15 lessons left)

watch Sunday School lessons in ASL (Jim Bracelin youtube) (15)

watch youtube videos in Spanish (15)

watch youtube videos in French (15)

watch youtube videos in ASL (15)

go to Spanish church (3)

speak Spanish with a fluent Spanish speaker (10)

speak French with a fluent French speaker (3)

Speak ASL with a fluent signer (10)

watch movie in Spanish (2)

watch movie in French (2)

read books (52)

learn to identify birdcalls (10)

take items to Goodwill (4)

sell items on ebay (100)

roomba (50)

wash bedding (10)

clean kids' bathroom (50)

clean downstairs bathroom (50)

memorize Scripture verses (20)

hand out tracts (50)

read the Bible (all 66 books)

write encouraging notes (150)

write encouraging emails (20)

invite people over/out (5)

play games/puzzles/watch movies with the kids (50)

complete scrapbooks (7)

write literature units (50)

[Ann.without.an.e]

I wasn't planning New Year's Resolutions but you all are so inspiring.  Let me rethink it really quick before noon 😂

[AmandaVT]

I have a few, but they're bigger than my normal goals: 

1. Apply to and start grad school

2. Publish the third book in my Minecraft series 

3. Move to a new house

[Just Kate]

I’m trying to set a few simple goals that I can (hopefully) stick with. If I’m successful, my plan is to add more goals as the year progresses. For now, my goals are:

- write in gratitude journal daily (list 3 items)

- weekly meal plan (and stick with it!)

- continue to use YNAB for budgeting 

- take my dog for a daily walk

[MaBelle]

Hm,  I'm already screwed.

1.  Clean up potty mouth.  This is a wash.  Failed three times already and it's only 11:00

2.  Tweak morning schedule.  I don't rise really early.  I like to read the Bible and a devotion when the house is empty.  Need to get up and moving.

3.  Not kill my mother.  Yes I'm joking but she drives me batty.  I realize she is not going to change, now I'm waiting for her to realize that I'm not going to either.

4.  Get a better handle on my diabetes.  

 

 

[Jenny in Florida]

On 12/30/2018 at 12:19 AM, PeterPan said:

And you know, this whole thing opens up really important philosophical questions, like would being more productive make you HAPPIER? I'm really not sure. I mean, I'm pretty happy being less productive. If I stress and rush myself a bit and fill out that focus journal and set goals and get more done, will I be happier? 

 

For me, the answer is absolutely yes -- I am definitely happier when I feel productive. I haven't looked at the link you provided and so don't know if that particular vehicle would work for me, but having goals and meeting them is pretty much essential to me maintaining my sanity and anything resembling a positive outlook.

[Lucy the Valiant]

Someone I love is very ill, which prompts me to humbly suggest to this thread . . . blood donation? It has saved my loved one's life more than once, and I'm praying it does again in 2019. I don't even know any of you, but please accept my truest thanks for the donations that have been and will be made . . . it's fully possible that one of YOU has already given to my own dear person. Thank you.

[Pam in CT]

((Lucy)) thanks for this reminder. Giving blood is about the easiest and sure way to save a life there is.  

[moonflower]

I would like to complete several quilts.  I've just started sewing again after 6 years' hiatus.  I loved to sew from about 2008 to 2012, then started a small business with it and got completely burned out.  When the business's focus turned to making fabric labels instead, I put the sewing machine in the closet and didn't look at it again except to move it when we moved.  Eventually during a move I gave it to Goodwill. Just a few weeks ago I borrowed my mom's old machine and have started sewing a quilt.  I'd like to not abandon the effort 🙂

I'd also like to get completely current on taxes.  Should be much easier to make quarterly estimated on time this year b/c of the tax reform, which cut our taxes in half.  

Finally, I'd like to practice and develop the skill of not being entirely in the moment emotionally all the time.  I have trouble seeing things with long-term or even a few weeks' perspective, and it makes for a lot more drama than is necessary.  I've just started to be able to see that not everything is 100% great or 100% awful all the time, and holding on to that idea and practicing using that perspective during hard times is a goal.

[Ottakee]

2 hours ago, Lucy the Valiant said:

Someone I love is very ill, which prompts me to humbly suggest to this thread . . . blood donation? It has saved my loved one's life more than once, and I'm praying it does again in 2019. I don't even know any of you, but please accept my truest thanks for the donations that have been and will be made . . . it's fully possible that one of YOU has already given to my own dear person. Thank you.

Yes.  Good one to add to my list.  I was donating regularly until a health issue made me ineligible....but I should be good to go again.   My daughter is O- so they love him.

[Carrie12345]

3 hours ago, MaBelle said:

2.  Tweak morning schedule.  I don't rise really early.  I like to read the Bible and a devotion when the house is empty.  Need to get up and moving

 

My issue is that I do rise early and want to tackle the un-fun chore stuff. Unfortunately, in our small house, that risks waking everyone else. 😕

[Slache]

I have reassessed. Goals for 2019 are as follows...

The Body:
2,019 pushups
365 miles (walking, hiking, claiming, swimming)
52 walks outside by myself (because I'm a big girl now)
52 segments of self care
12 pounds (lose, not gain)

The Brain:
365 Spanish readings
52 Books (including 27 from the NT)
12 scriptures memorized
12 sermons outside of church

The Family:
52 games with the kids
52 short stories to the kids
$ 2,019 extra to debt

3 hours ago, Lucy the Valiant said:

Someone I love is very ill, which prompts me to humbly suggest to this thread . . . blood donation? It has saved my loved one's life more than once, and I'm praying it does again in 2019. I don't even know any of you, but please accept my truest thanks for the donations that have been and will be made . . . it's fully possible that one of YOU has already given to my own dear person. Thank you.

And join the Be The Match Registry for marrow donation. There is a great need here.

[Junie]

4 hours ago, Lucy the Valiant said:

Someone I love is very ill, which prompts me to humbly suggest to this thread . . . blood donation? It has saved my loved one's life more than once, and I'm praying it does again in 2019. I don't even know any of you, but please accept my truest thanks for the donations that have been and will be made . . . it's fully possible that one of YOU has already given to my own dear person. Thank you.

Thanks for the suggestion!!  Yes, I hope that more people will donate this year.

I occasionally donated a long time ago before my own health took a downturn.  I always felt that it was worthwhile.

Last year I needed two units of blood when my doctor realized through routine bloodwork that I was severely anemic.  This was my first time being on the receiving end and I realized what a gift blood donation truly is.

[Ann.without.an.e]

Ok, it is January 3rd and I think I am just now coming up with a list 😂  Maybe it is too late now 🤨

[unsinkable]

5 minutes ago, Attolia said:

Ok, it is January 3rd and I think I am just now coming up with a list 😂  Maybe it is too late now 🤨

It's not too late! 

A new year is always starting; every moment a new year begins!

[Jenny in Florida]

Well, I don't do resolutions, usually choosing instead a few areas of focus in which I want to accomplish certain things. And I don't intend to name 52 of either. However, rather than splitting everyone's attention by starting a new thread, I figured I'd post my goals here.

Reading:

• Complete the 2019 Parasolverse Read-Along. I happened to pull out my "Who doesn't want an exploding wicker chicken?" t-shirt to put on today, and I was idly thinking it might be fun to re-read all of the books in chronological/story order. Coincidentally, I opened my monthly e-newsletter from the author and discovered that her fan group had already decided to tackle that project in preparation for reading the new book due in August. The list also includes the novellas and short stories, which I haven't read before. I'm technically starting late, since we were supposed to have read the first short story by today, but I downloaded the PDF and plan to catch up ASAP.
• In addition, after a lackluster 2018, during which I read fewer books than I have in any recent year (which I attribute largely to spending a lot of the hours I might have been reading in a normal year to doing schoolwork), I'm aiming to split the difference between 2017 and 2018 and read at least 45 books.

Educational/Professional:

• Finish the graduate certificate I started in August. It's a five-class series, of which I have so far completed two. I'm taking two more in the spring semester (starting tomorrow) and hope to take the final class over the summer.
• In the meantime, I also want to figure out what is next for me on the educational and/or professional front. I'm feeling uninspired at work, but also unwilling to leave for a variety of reasons. I have managed to put the whole quandary mostly on hold while working on the certificate, but once I finish that I will need to again begin dealing with the question of what's next. 

Personal/Financial:

• Keep up with my walking and exercise and do more where I can.
• Pay down at least as much debt as I did in 2018. There are two accounts that are due to zero out around the middle of this year, and I plan to direct the money that was going to those to making extra payments on other debts. The longer-term goal is to have us our of debt (with the exception of one student loan that I started paying on only this past year) within four years.

Reading over those feels pretty uninspiring compared to goals I've set for myself for the last few years, but the reality is that I've reached kind of a holding pattern in some ways. I can't expect to make huge headway job-wise this year, since I already reached the goal of getting a full-time, benefitted job; and unless something unexpected happens to fall into my lap, I can't expect to make the kind of gains in salary that I've pulled off for the last few years, either. Same thing is true for my personal/health goals; I'm already pretty consistently doing about as much exercise as my schedule and health can accommodate. In previous years, I've had goals for things like travel, but between school and some family stuff, it's not realistic to put that stuff on the list this year. 

So, I guess I'll stick with the above.

[SKL]

Nice inspiring list.

You have inspired me to think about doing something similar, but it is unlikely I could do 52 things every week.  🙂