“What are you looking forward to this year?” Rob asked James.
“I look forward to getting my new Penguins jersey,” said James.
James is all about short-term payoff. After all, he’s eight. But wouldn’t it be nice to think that way again?
This shiny, new year we tend to ask that age-old question: What’s your resolution? To me resolution sounds negative. Instead maybe we should ask: What’s your goal?
Sleep in. Avoid health club. Eat more chocolate.
Everyone on the east-side of Rochester seems to have resolved to work out more and join a health club. Last Saturday, I couldn’t find a parking spot in the main lot at Midtown Athletic Club. So I joined 50 cars parked in East Jesus (aka way the heck out there). While huffing and puffing to my tennis match, which I was already late for (a goal that eludes me is to make appointments on-time), I narrowly escaped injury by motor vehicle.
Behind the wheel, health club members have some unresolved anger management issues. They will run a fellow member down to get a prime parking spot. I felt like I was in an Olympic obstacle course zig-zagging around cars backing out, pulling in, and driving in circles. Instead of “Health Club,” it should be named “Risk Club.”
First Goal: Stay alive. Second Goal: Avoid injury.
As I considered making goals for this year, I thought that I should review last year’s goals and whether I achieved them. Overall, 2010 went well. I’m here to write about it, aren’t I? However, 2010 was not without it’s bumps, bruises and whacked-out conspiracies:
- A back injury sidelined me from tennis for a couple of weeks. (I was playing poorly anyway.)
- The puppy had some serious poop issues. (My family thinks I have an unnatural obsession with poop.)
- MadMen ended with Don Draper’s surprise engagement. (plus a few other cliffhangers for fans to theorize before the next season: Could Don become monogamous? Will Dr. Faye murder Don? Will Betty win the Mommie Dearest award? Will Joan’s husband discover that it’s not his baby? Can the women of the agency save it?)
- I still don’t have Jillian Michaels’s abs. (probably because of I can’t kick my chocolate addiction.)
- My home is not clean (I live with boys who find sports more interesting than dust.)
- My multi-million dollar book deal hasn’t come through, yet. (It would help if I write the book.)
As you can see, I have a lot of work to do. But that’s okay. Who wants to achieve perfection anyway?
This year I’m going for instant payoff goals for my mind and body.
- Quit tennis
- Install a bidet (for the dog)
- Buy the complete MadMen DVD series
- Toss out Jillian Michaels’s fitness DVDs
- Eat more chocolate
- Only clean stuff when it: (a) multiplies (b) smells (c) catches fire (d) blocks the fridge (e) all of the above
- Throw myself a “write-the-book-kick-off” party (bitchoktam)
What are you looking forward to this year?
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P.S. If your serious about achieving your goals, check out last year’s post called: What’s your dream? . Chris Guillebau’s post on conducting your ownannual review is great. Just for fun check out: David Letterman’s top 10 resolutions.
