New Year’s Resolutions 2012

If my 28 years on this earth have proved nothing else (and let’s be honest, they haven’t), it’s that I am horribly bad at keeping New Year’s Resolutions. So much so that in recent years I simply haven’t made any, to avoid the inevitable shame and disappointment of not managing to achieve them. 2012, however, shall be DIFFERENT.

Last year my friend and colleague Kim set herself 30 different (and fun) resolutions for 2011 and tracked her progress every month on her blog. I thought that this was such a brilliant idea that I’ve decided to completely rip it off in an attempt to keep myself on the straight and narrow in 2012.

Next year this will be true.

Seriously though, I really enjoyed reading Kim’s resolution posts throughout the year and think that using a blog to keep track of successes and failures is an inspired idea. Not only does it turn New Year’s Resolutions into a fun, year-long project, it adds a layer of accountability that, frankly, I’m going to need if In want to achieve even a quarter of what I’ve got in mind.

I’ve chosen mostly fun resolutions related to my interests, with a few more serious personal development/”really must sort out before I turn thirty” goals to keep things interesting. I’ll post an update at the beginning of every month detailing my progress in the previous month. I doubt I’ll achieve everything on this list before year end but damn it, I’ll give it my best shot.

Resolutions for 2012

1. Watch 50 films I haven’t seen before.
2. Complete 20 videogames I haven’t finished before.
3. Try 12 types of whisky I’ve never tried before.
4. Read 25 books I’ve never read before.
5. Get my full driver’s license.
6. Learn to cook 10 new meals.
7. Get my weight/BMI down to the normal range for my height and keep it there.
8. Learn to play 12 new songs on bass/guitar.
9. Learn to code webapps using Javascript (I’ve signed up for Codecademy’s Code Year lessons)
10. Regularly post on this blog (10 posts a month/120 posts over the year)