New Year's Resolutions - 2008

I never bother to make New Year’s resolutions, mainly because I know I will never be able to keep them and am therefore just setting myself up for failure. However, this year I am trying to set realistic goals that I just might be able to accomplish. For the record, here they are:

Exercise at least two or more times per week
Even to me, this doesn’t seem like very much effort, but I know myself well enough to realize that if I set a lower goal I am much more likely exceed it. However, if I set a higher goal, such as exercise at least four times per week, or every other day, that won’t happen and then I will get discouraged and quit all together. Hence my totally wasted gym membership at Pure Fitness. I would also like to incorporate eating healthy into this goal.

Stop gossiping so much (especially at work)
I’ve really been doing this far too much. My work environment is not the most healthy, and it seems the way most people have dealt with this is by shit talking. Eventually this is going to get me in trouble. Instead of focusing on the negative aspects of my job and then perpetually complaining about them to my co-workers, I instead need to focus that energy on either having a positive attitude and doing the best that I can at my current job, or find a new one.

Put $150 per paycheck into savings account
It is completely unacceptable for a 26-year-old woman to not have a saving account, in my opinion. I am embarrassed to admit that for the past year my savings account has had less than $10 in it. However, now that my credit card is paid off (yay! – a huge goal I was determined to accomplish by the end of 2007!) I am going to try and put the $300 I used to put toward my credit card payment every month into my savings account. This combined with my Roth IRA contributions and I think I might really be moving into a more stable financial situation.

Seriously pursue going back to school
I have really felt the itch to go back to school lately. After doing a lot of research I think I might look into the Executive MBA Program at the University of Washington. I am going to an informational meeting next month to get more details, but the program is really flexible and I would be able to complete it while working at the same time. So now I really need to focus on how to pass the GMAT. My current score would read “Verbal: 1 billion, Math: negative 2” so I need to look into a study course or something.

LET IT GO
I have been harboring some serious resentment and borderline hatred for some people who have affected my life during the past couple years. Unfortunately, I will most likely have to interact with a couple of these people in the future. I am really trying to convince myself that hating these people does nothing to them, it only amplifies my own negativity, which does not make me a better person. I need to take a deep breath, rise above, and continue to remind myself that taking the most mature approach possible is probably the best answer.

I hope that the goals I’ve set for myself this year are realistic and that I don’t look back on this entry a year from now feeling like an embarrassed failure. Time will tell, wish me luck!