Each year I make New Year’s Resolutions and each year I forget about them and ultimately fail with most of the resolutions in probably the first month. lol. But, this year shall be different! (Except I bet people say that about every year… ha ha). Here are 10 New Year’s Resolutions that I honestly feel I can and will accomplish this year. Let me know what you think and let me know what your resolutions are! Maybe we can motivate each other :) Here it is:
- Take More Professional Photos
- Make Exercise Part of My Monthly Routine
- Eat Healthier
- Go to more Tweetups
- Volunteer/Help out in the Community More
- Spend More Time With Family
- Get a Good Job
- Save Money for a Cool Vacation
- Stop Texting and Tweeting While Driving
- Cook and Clean More
I take a lot of photos. My life is basically documented via photos. But most of those photos are just quick point and shoot snapshots of me spending time with Mike or my friends. What I want to do more of in 2011 is take more professional photos. I have a professional DSLR (though it’s about 4 years old at this point), and I used to have to take “professional” photos for Journalism school and certain journalism jobs/internships. Since I went to Television Broadcasting at NAIT and had jobs at bigger newsrooms, I never really had to take my own photos but I still tried to do some for fun and on the side. I love taking nice pictures of people and scenery. I had actually contemplated doing more legitimate freelance wedding photography and/or couples photography before but then life just got so busy. Anyway, this year I’d like to take more photos with my professional camera and I’d like to take more professional shots with friends and/or random “clients” (free for my portfolio/practice and/or paid if they want to pay me ;)). I also don’t like to bring my DSLR with me to many places because it’s so big so maybe tacking onto this resolution I’ll also strive to bring my DSLR with me to more places I go in 2011. (Maybe that means I need to invest in a bigger/better DSLR bag too then!)
This is the resolution that I know I failed in 2010. There was always some excuse. Well the biggest excuse was that I was always so “busy.” Which isn’t a lie. I really was busy but I still could have made time to fit in exercise. A half hour exercise is do-able. I just chose to sit and watch TV or browse Twitter whenever I had a half hour off. This year I WILL get fit! Notice that my resolution is to make it part of my “monthly” routine. Originally it said “weekly” routine but I felt that was far too daunting and I would fail in no time. This way I could still exercise every week or I could miss a week for some reason and it still would be okay because at least I fit in some exercise time the week before or the week after. :O) I gained 10 pounds in 2010 when I had been steady at the same weight for the last three years prior to the weight gain! So it was a bit of a shock. What I really want is to have a flat/toned stomach. I don’t need abs because that might be shooting too high up but a flat stomach I feel is realistic enough. I’m the kind of person who when I do actually work out, I can actually get fit pretty quickly. I am just SO lazy. So also tacking onto this resolution – I will strive to be less lazy this year. lol
I eat. A lot. I love food. But that doesn’t necessarily mean I eat healthy. Actually I really don’t eat healthy at all. So I hope to change that this year. I am not eliminating the junky food that I eat completely because I don’t think I ever could fully stop eating chips (yummmmmmmmmmm, chips), but I’m going to be more conscious of buying/eating fruits and vegetables and choosing salad or alternative options over fries or greasy fast food. I also plan on continuing to document the food I eat via my Food Journal (which i only recently started officially, but I’ve been taking photos of my food for years!) But yes, hopefully less of the above picture (although doesn’t the above picture make you DROOL? Ugh, so good), and more healthier food choices!
This year I only went to one tweetup. The tweetup was one to help wrap presents for Santa’s Anonymous and it was really fun. Throughout 2010 I had wanted to go to a lot of different tweetups but they were all either last minute notices, they cost money (that I didn’t have), or I already had plans on the day that it was taking place. I really want to go to more Twitter meet ups in 2011 because I’d really like to meet more people who I talk to on a regular basis on Twitter! The one I went to was fun except I didn’t really meet too many new people because we were all pretty focused on wrapping presents – but I’d like to go to more general just hanging out at a restaurant/etc. ones. Or even cool like photography walk tweetups or whatever there are so many different things! Maybe I’ll even organize one.
This kind of tacks onto the above tweet up resolution. The only tweet up I went to in 2010 was to help wrap presents for less fortunate kids as part of Santa’s Anonymous and I loved it! I have been wanting to help out in my community/give back and volunteer a lot. It’s been a growing thing that’s been poking at me, especially when I don’t really give back much in terms of monetary donations — I feel like I can do my part with my time instead. Along with Santa’s Anonymous I helped with the Salvation Army Christmas Kettle this year. Beyond that I can’t really remember if I did much else in terms of volunteering in 2010 and that is what I’d like to change. Hopefully I can sign up with some organization and make volunteering a more regular part of 2011 because it makes me feel great when I do give back with my time!
In 2010 I moved out so I don’t live with my parents anymore but even when I did live with them, I rarely saw them because they work all day every day. I actually found that moving out I was more compelled to visit them every other day and I think my relationship with my parents is even better than it was before. I would like to take that to the next level by spending more time with my family this year. My parents have precious spare time so we don’t get to do much except squeeze in a lunch or dinner here and there. I’d like to squeeze in a ton of lunches and dinners throughout the next year. I used to spend a bunch of time with my oldest brother as well but since he got married and I’ve been in the hectic TV broadcasting program we haven’t been able to hang out as much as we used to but I’d like to make sure that gets fixed in 2011 too! I love my family!
Television Producer. Reporter. Shooter/Editor. Whatever it may be I hope to get a good, solid job in the media industry in 2011, especially as I’ll be officially completed my post-secondary schooling at the end of April this year. That’s really enough said I think :) I will put my all into whatever full-time job I land and hope to help whatever station/newsroom I am working for shine, and hope I shine in the process. Oh I guess I’ll also say I hope I get hired. This industry is a tough one, I’ve been told time and time again but fingers crossed! I also hope to get better at writing/reporting/shooting/editing/producing and all of that so that I can be an even better and more sell-able multimedia / multiplatform journalist.
So far I am doing really well in terms of saving money to pay off my student loans as soon as school ends. But I’d also like to start saving money for… vacation! In 2010 Mike and I both worked basically full time over the summer. Most of my money went to savings for my student loans and most of Mike’s money went to spending it on me, LOL, so we didn’t have much money to go vacation anywhere extravagant. We had a little Alberta roadtrip that was super fun but this summer I’d like to travel somewhere outside of the province! If we stay in Canada, I’d like to go to Toronto, and if we decide to go somewhere more exotic, then I’m down for that too! I’ll be stalking the exotic vacation package websites over the next few months to see if we can get any great deals and I’ll be making sure I don’t blow my money on random impulse purchases too.
I am horrible for texting and tweeting while driving. I mean I actually think I’m really good at it but that’s why it’s so horrible. Because I do it so often and I know it’s wrong but I do it anyway because nothing bad has happened yet. I need to stop. And I will stop this year! Mostly because there’s going to be the new distracted driving bylaw in place in the Spring so that will probably be a big motivator but I know it’s really unsafe and I think weening off of it is probably one of the best resolutions I could make for 2011. As it could save my life.
Since I moved out I’ve started cooking and baking more but not nearly enough as I’d like to or as much as I thought I would be doing. I still resort to picking up food from my mom mostly every other night and Mike and I still eat out quite a bit. So in 2011 I hope to add more recipes to my recipe box and make more homemade meals and baked goods! Because even though I don’t cook or bake often, when I do, it is delicious. I’m not even bragging, it is really good… hehe. Adding to that kind of domestic resolution is I’d also like to clean more. I hate cleaning and I rarely cleaned when I lived at home (my mom was probably so disappointed in me as a daughter). But since I’ve moved out I’m basically the sole cleaner (Mike helps when I ask though), and I should do more of it and more consistently. It always feels great after we’ve vacuumed, swept, mopped and thrown away random stuff that’s been piling on the tables so I hope to make that great feeling happen all year round !
So there are my New Year’s Resolutions for 2011. I think ten is quite a bit, but a year is a long time for me to do it so hopefully it’s all achievable! So what are your resolutions? Do you even make resolutions? Let me know! :) Good luck and have an incredible 2011 everyone!
