Someone would probably have something to say about the fact that I writing my goals/resolutions, the 3rd day of the year.

Coming up with goals is difficult: when coming up with New Year’s resolutions, I either aim to high and fail spectacularly, or I aim low, and tell myself “I promise I’ll think about exercising.”

It’s not a bad thing: creating achievable goals is something that lots of people struggle with. So with that in mind, I want to give myself goals that are measurable, fun, and are workable. I can’t promise myself to get six pack abs by December (if I wanted six pack abs), but I can promise myself to be healthier, or work out more.

So here is a list of things, in no particular order:

1. Learn and perfect 3 different knots. This is both fun and practical. I want to work in theatre, so having knowledge about using rope is important. Learning these knots also gives me something tactile to practice (kind of like when I learned how to lay the drums). At the end of year, I want to be able to know which knot is which, how to tie it, and what situations I would want to use those knots in.
2. Save $1000 dollars. I never feel comfortable, feeling like I’m spending too much on frivolous things, or that the cash I do have in my bank account can’t be used because it will be going towards rent/taxes/etc. My goal: have $1000 dollars just in savings that doesn’t need to be touched for day to day life. This also is a goal of being credit card debt free, that the money saved I don’t need to use or anything other than emergencies.
3. Write a short film (and produce it). I want to be able to write a short script for a five minute film, and then make that film into a reality. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a magnum opus, but I want to create something in the medium, and work with people I like to get it made.
4. Edit my 2018 NaNoWriMo material. I have 50 plus pages of writing from NaNoWriMo 2018. I want to edit it into material that I would be happy publishing (or at least be made clearer and more organized).
5. Be active or exercise 4 times a week. I like myself better when I exercise, and I want to look and feel better. Also in this resolution, to make my physical appearance more of a concern. With my work, dogs don’t care what you look like, they just want you to walk them. So often (along with mental health) shaving can fall by the wayside.
6. Celebrate Holidays with Friends (including my birthday). In the last year, I would work on holidays, or not make plans. Some is social anxiety. Some is dedication to holiday pay. But often times, I just couldn’t come up with things to do, or hope that someone would invite me to something. I want to change that: these don’t have to be big events, but I want to hang out with friends.
7. Read 52 books (Not Plays). This is self explanatory. I will still read plays obviously, but I want to read fiction books, non-fiction, poetry, and more.
8. Finish the AFI Top 100 list of films. I started watching the 100 films (or rewatching) in coordination with the podcast Unspooled and my hope is to watch all the films on the list by the end of the year. As of this writing, I have currently seen 43/100 (having just watched Apocalypse Now right before writing this post). If you are curious, here is the list.
9. Have a piece of writing to premiere at Fertile Ground Festival next year (2019). The festival highlights new theatre works in the Portland area, and I want to have something (or somethings) to premiere.
10.  Publish a post on this blog once a month. This can be writing, an update on projects, or even an essay/article.
11. Write a monologue, a 10 minute play, and a one act play sometime in the year. I want to be able to stretch my skills, and my hope is that I can post any or all of these things on New Play Exchange, or submit them to festivals.

Honestly that’s probably enough goals. I have other things I have in mind, like do more social events, or leave the Portland area a few times this year. But these goals are good starts.

Feel free to tell me what your goals are. I think holding each other accountable, and making sure we support each other is the only way these things can possibly get done.