NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS

I don't really like New Year's Resolutions because I always resolve to do too much. I can't see myself pinpointing one tiny goal to reach for a year when there are like a hundred billion different things I need to work on. So I've come to a solution. My bishopric in this ward focuses a lot about different aspects of life that work together to create a balanced lifestyle. These aspects are:

Spirituality

Mental Health

Social Well-Being

Physical Health

Organization

I think I'm going to set goals in each of these areas. These goals will not be continuations of things I've already done (for example, "I will continue to get good grades"). They will be specific changes, new things I haven't tried yet, or things I haven't done in a while. I added the final aspect, "Organization," which involves working all of those other aspects together efficiently and effectively. Here we go:

SPIRITUALITY:

My goals for increasing and strengthening my spirituality are very action-based. I hope to get my patriarchal blessing sometime this year. I also pledge to be worthy to receive a temple recommend and go to the temple at least once this year. Those shouldn't be too hard of goals to meet.

MENTAL HEALTH:

I think this has something to do with stress. I need to find ways to be less stressed in my life. One of the big factors of stress in my life is homework. So my resolution for improving my mental health is to plan ahead. A specific thing I can do to help this is to start my papers the day they are assigned. I don't need to finish them, but start them. Write a draft. Brainstorm. Do some research. Plan an outline. Do SOMETHING so that I get my juices flowing right away.

SOCIAL WELL-BEING:

This is easy. I will go on at least five first dates this semester. Hopefully I will also go on some second dates as well. If I get a boyfriend, I will still try to make the five-first-date mark.

PHYSICAL HEALTH:

This one's harder. I don't have a lot of time/money to have three square meals a day, and work is a great deal of exercise time for me. So I think my physical health goal this year will be to go to bed earlier, get more sleep. My goal is 11 PM every night except maybe Friday. I'll stay up later on Friday. In order to get this done, I need to do my homework early!!

ORGANIZATION:

I've learned a lot from my roommate Chantelle. I am not that neat of a person. And I think my life could go a lot smoother if I just kept my room clean. So my resolution to improve my organization of all the aspects that create a balanced lifestyle is to keep my room clean.

Hopefully these goals will become actions and these actions will become habits.

Here are some other things I hope I can do this coming year:

Get into the BYU School of Music

Get a 4.0 again this semester

Keep my weight between 130 and 145 pounds. 135 is the ideal.

Finish my 2011 Calendar, but that of course won't happen til at least the end of the year

Read more books

Write more songs

Write to missionaries regularly

Dress more stylishly

Fulfill my calling, whatever that is

Impress my boss, or maybe get a new job

Afford Rent and Groceries

Keep kitchen clean