New Year's Resolutions : 2011

As the year comes to an end, we all find ourselves reminiscing about the past and jotting our New Year's Resolutions (which many times utterly end in disaster) in hopes of attaining a higher level of fulfillment. Well, here's my attempt.

Thanks to a close friend of mine (perhaps my only follower as of now), I've come to a realization that the written - in this case typed - expressions of the mind accomplishes several things. First, it acts to dump all the ideas, thoughts, worries, and other abstractions into a state of physical being. Although our brain is biologically wired for long-term memory, it stinks at short-term memory and processing information in large batches. The brain needs to be in a clear state of being in order for it to process anything effectively. Secondly, the act of writing manifests all abstractions into a state of being. In other words, the act of writing brings thoughts and ideas into concrete existence. This first step allows the writer to examine and evaluate as necessary for further expansion: "Do I really want to pursue this? How do I go about doing this?" Lastly, the physical record of each word, sentence, and thought is a mere snapshot of the ever dynamic and transformative gift we call life. In other words, life is merely a novelty in the works of unveiling itself.

Anyway, here are my New Year's Resolutions for 2011 which are subject to change since life after all is dynamic in itself. I broke down my resolutions into eleven categories - inspired by Celestine.

Academics
- Obtain a job as a Resident Assistant
- Obtain a research position in either in the College of Medicine or Dentistry
- Obtain a shadowing position under a Dentist
- Achieve a 4.0 GPA for the Spring Semester
- Achieve a 4.0 GPA for the Fall Semester
- Achieve a Leadership Position in Extracurriculars
- Manage my time efficiently
- Learn to study efficiently
- Join a Career Counseling Group
- Decide a career path in Dentistry, Medicine, or other
- Travel to South America for an International Service Learning trip
- Obtain my Letter of Recommendations
- Create my resume
- Create a set of business cards
- Obtain an excellent DAT score

Finance
- Create a savings account of $1,500 for emergencies
- Pay off my credit card debt
- Establish a steady budget
- Establish a weekly routine of reviewing my finances
- Establish a monthly routine of reviewing my finances
- Apply to scholarships and grants
- Look for opportunities to make side money
- Learn about different investing opportunities
- Read "I Will Teach You How To Be Rich"
- Learn to minimize student loans
- Set aside a percentage of income for donations
- Set aside a percentage of income for friends & families

Health
- Talk to a dermatologist about scarring
- Talk to a urologist about abdominal pain
- Run a 5k
- Run a 10k
- Run a 15k
- Run a marathon
- Learn to swim properly
- Complete a round of p90x
- Complete a round of p90x+
- Complete a round of p90x : mc2
- Complete a round of Insanity
- Complete a round of Insanity : Bootcamp?
- Complete a round of RushFit
- Establish a health diet
- Establish an eight hour sleep schedule
- Learn to lucid dream

Social
- Get a new wardrobe
- Build confidence in public speaking
- Learn to flatter and leave great impressions with new people
- Go clubbing for the first time
- Go bar hopping for the first time
- Do something memorable with core group of friends
- Do something randomly nice for core group of friends
- Establish a routine of expanding my network
- Build confidence and skills for networking
- Learn some bar tricks
- Score some free drinks with bar drinks
- Learn to be classy and to entertain the audience
- Learn to tell great stories

Family
- Do something memorable with each family member
- Randomly do something nice for each family member
- Catch up with distant relatives
- Keep in contact with relatives on a monthly basis

Romance
- Join and explore the dating realm
- Go on a blind date
- Go on a double date
- Go on an impromptu date
- Establish a long term relationship

Recreation
- Go skydiving
- Go bungie jumping
- Go see favorite artists at concerts
- Go site seeing
- Go ice skating in the city
- Crash an apartment party
- Crash a fraternity party
- Crash a hotel party
- Crash a wedding
- Go visit all the museums
- Go backpacking along the east coast
- Go backpacking along the west coast

Contribution
- Continue APO
- Volunteer regularly at a hospital
- Volunteer at soup kitchen
- Buy & have a meal for a person in need

Personal Growth
- Read "Getting Things Done"
- Read "Making Things Happen"
- Read "4-Hour Work Week"
- Finish Celestine's 30 Live a Better Life Challenge

Spiritual
- Learn to meditate
- Learn basics of all religion
- Explore secular spirituality
- Establish my purpose in life

Self-Image
- Establish a higher self esteem