Aims for 2013?

jam08

new-ish in here..

- get back to playing ball

- get fit, proper fit, not just the usual

- don't make a balls of teaching practice again

- find a girl

- don't pack in the guitar again

Augmerson

Pay off Loan
Travel more (within Ireland...been abroad plenty but a lot to see at home and shamefully I've never seen it)
Learn to swim
Develop interest in Photography
Make more of an effort to spend time with family & friends
Win World Cup with Ireland in Pro Evolution 6 on hardest setting

Kev.OC

Nothing major here. The main two would be;

Get into decent shape.
Get back into playing the guitar.

cade

Here're my goals for 2013. I tried to keep them reasonable.

• To expand my group of friends.
• To, by the end of the year,
  1. be able to perform both the front splits, on both sides, and the box splits; Achieved via a committment to stretch a minimum of once a day, five days a week.
  2. be able to perform a free standing hand stand, ten hand stand push ups, a hand spring, a no handed cart wheel and a one handed back roll.
  3. be able to play a minimum of twenty four songs on my guitar, and twelve on my Ukulele.
  4. have completed my learning from books one to four of 'Japanese from Zero'.
  5. have gone surfing and snowboarding a minimum of four times.

Galwayguy35

I've been a lazy git for the last year and a half so starting on Monday I'm getting back to the gym and stop making excuses for not going.

My second aim is hopefully not to be still single by the end of 2013.

We should try to keep this thread alive over the next 12 months and see how we all got on.

Young_gunner

Aims

keep working hard at work and progressing well perhaps buy property at long last get really fit and stay injury free

Desires
Meet that someone special to begin a relationship with...

Itwasntme.

Great thread

- Love more
- Live more
- Learn how to manage my time (Eff procrastination. Seriously, I am doing it right now )
- Set goals and see them through

1ZRed

- Get into a proper sleeping routine, kick my developing insomnia and actually get about 8 hours a day
- Commit myself fully to more running/sprinting and general fitness.
- Bulk up more
- Take up a new sport
- Find a new job and save up for college in September
- Move out and live more independently
- Keep learning French on the side and work on building my fluency in it
- If it things suit, spend a few months abroad.

I notice the things I aim for in the new year usually gets me the opposite result, but I recon I'm being somewhat realistic this time. You never know, it could go great or it could be a complete nosedive :P

boomtown123

1) Pass my driving test
2) Go to my first ever concert (Girls Aloud 16th March)
3) Save for college in September
4)Get fit and lose that clingy stone
5) Have more fun
6) get a job i like and near my qualifications

1ZRed

Fox_In_Socks wrote: »

Keep going with my very basic drawing/art (hey, it's a start!)

I want to learn how to play music. At least using an instrument that I can work (keyboard and guitar are out)

Do, keep it up. I've recently been trying to get back my passion for drawing and painting after a few years of losing interest. If you're into it, it's a thoroughly enjoyable hobby.

Funnily enough I found myself alone with a keyboard one day and I taught myself half a song fairly decently by ear. Took ages tho and I got bored of it the next day. A musician I ain't it seems :P

1ZRed wrote: »

- Get into a proper sleeping routine, kick my developing insomnia and actually get about 8 hours a day

I'm off to a great start so far!! :pac:

Jarrod

1- Get a job.
2- Plan more things after completing number 1.

I am a little short on 2013 goals at present. Most of the things people generally list on threads like this are things I work hard at already and so I have no goal to start or improve them. They are ongoing.

I am also finished some of my more insane DIY projects such as using my free time to learn how to - and then engaging in - build a house and a jacuzzi and an outdoor stone oven BBQ combo thing. All three projects complete now and with my herb and veg garden and chickens and so forth there really is no more spare land left to engage in any weird projects with - at least if I want to keep SOME garden space for us all to move around in and live with.

So I guess my goals for 2013 pretty mundane until I can think of new ones:

1) Maintain everything at the level I have already been engaged in.
2) Win this years Weaponized Go Karting race.
3) Find some new DIY project that I can get engaged in. Maybe build a state of the art Tree House with all kinds of hidden secrets and compartments and functions and the like.

Pretty crap list but I am coming up short on thinking of anything

GalwayGuy2

Eh, I already failed walking once per day resolution...and learning Tai-Chi. Ah well, there's always summer:P

^ I have long felt one of the worst ways to do these things is to plan some future time to start.

coffee_cake

I'm the same as taxahcruel I think... my goals are about the same as always, keep up the various things I'm doing, start the new thing I was already planning to do...
Any improvements I want to make I just do them. Doesn't mean they're easy but no putting off

Pawwed Rig

Deleted User wrote: »

^ I have long felt one of the worst ways to do these things is to plan some future time to start.

I dunno. Some things you have to mentally prepare yourself for. For example I gave up smoking the day after my birthday. I needed a few weeks to prepare myself (and smoke my brains out).
I also do lent every year even though I'm not religious. Like 44 days of eating healthily and exercise with a definite start and end date sets you up well for the rest of the year.

^ Giving up things may be different. But I generally mean taking up a new hobby. Running, excercise, reading, studying, music instrument and so forth. People seem to have high expectations of how much time and effort they will put in and this can be the first hurdle they fall at.

Take the guy who said he wanted to take up walking but failed above. People like that often think "Right I will start doing X next Monday and I will do an hour a night at it!" and then Monday arrives and they can not find the time. So they say "Ok maybe tomorrow" then "Maybe next monday" or "ok ok then dammit... the first of next month" until its so late in the year its "Ah I will leave it for next Jan 1st and try again".

So not only do people not do what they wanted to - it also hits their personal self esteem as they failed to meet their objectives and targets.

I have promoted a different way to people I have worked with on personal issues - as well as just friends and family - of an incremental approach which basically goes:

1) Start today not at some future point
2) Start by doing a tiny amount and then make it longer and longer over a period of time until you reach some set personal target.

This can feel _ridiculous_ at first depending on what "X" is but anecdotally at least I have not seen one person fail yet who has implemented it. Take me for example - I run an hour in the morning before anything else (which involves me getting up at 5am nowadays) and I cycle an hour every evening and I study a foreign language for 1 hour a night.

I started each of these at 1 minute a day. I just got up one day and went out walking (and cycling when I did that one) for 1 minute. I literally spent many times longer putting my shoes on and getting the bike out etc than I actually did doing it. 30 seconds down the road then 30 seconds back again on a bike. The girls and my mates though I was bonkers. They could not imagine anything so pointless. With the language learning I did this at 30 second intervals not one minute ones. Day 1 I picked up learning material and literally did 30 seconds study.

Day 2 I did 2 minutes. Day 3 - 3. And so on. Getting to doing 1 hour of each a day was - at the risk of seeming arrogant or dismissive - effortless. Yet I now get people saying things like "Where do you find the time/energy/motivation????? I simply can not get myself to do it!".

And whats better is each day the increments were so small I met my targets. I mentioned this earlier in the post that this can hit your self esteem - and one should not underestimate how hard it can do so. But my way I met my targets each day. Of course I did - they were piss easy to meet. But that _felt_ good and that self esteem boost is priceless when trying to make a life change.

I am sure SUDDEN life changes work for _some_ people. Everyone is different so it is not a one size fits all perfect solution I am espousing. But way - way - more often than not when people try to implement a large life change such as going for couch potato to 60 minutes a day in teh gym - it is too big a leap too quickly and they fail at - or soon after - the first hurdles.

ironnike

1) Loose as much weight as I can!
2) Rebuild my life( out of 5y relationship)
3) Quit smoking again(that will be later on at some stage)

Mr_Spaceman

Hi,

I've only noticed this thread but thought I'd fire in my 'Ten for Today' :

1/ Travel more. I did feck all last year (which was a bad year anyway) after years of regular trips, long and short-haul.

Thankfully, I've already made a start on that as I'm just back from a wee trip to Paris, which has gone some way in terms of recovering my mojo

2/ Plan better for work and become more self-motivated/self-disciplined as there is really no-one around to give me kick up the arse

3/ Go to bed at sensible times instead of staying up late, arsing about on the internet and what not

4/ Return to reading books regularly again as I'd lost the habit of late

5/ Exercise. I wrecked my ankle playing badminton two years ago and it's only now I feel like I've recovered. Dust down my bike and swim more. Walk the Capital Ring here in London (which I've already made a good start on)

6/ Do a bit more of the cultural stuff here

7/ Spend a little time - say 20 mins a day - improving my touristy Spanish. Every little helps, I guess

8/ Try not to analyse every wee fecking thing. Usually it doesn't matter anyway.

9/ Socialise more/go to more gigs. I used to do this a lot until last year when I lost my edge and my head was gone

10/ Last but not least, find a special lady friend. I enjoy my own company but it's not enough

Hope the above isn't asking too much... hmm, quite revealing when you write things all out, isn't it?

Oh, and if anyone else has top tips on 'self-motivation for slackers', I'd love to hear them! (taxAHcruel's advice has certainly made me think)

_Kaiser_

Some great posts in this thread. taxAHcruel in particular...

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

Good thread.. must remember to check this out again next year.

Let's see..

- Get the finances in order and start putting some aside (rough few years but starting to come together)

- More money in work. I had a good year last year and need to get more for it.
Otherwise there's always plan B

- Change the car would be nice (06 Passat with 233,000 km on it. No problems with it as such, but I'd like an A6)

- Find some way to control my sweet tooth and start looking after myself a bit better. Getting older now after all. Can't just live like I'm 20 anymore

So one month update...

Finances: I've done out a very simple budget in Excel and am keeping track of the cashflow a bit better. I've also cut back on things like takeaways and instead bought a fortnight's worth of shopping on Tesco and am making stuff instead. Also cutting out the random crap I buy (eg: stuff on Bargain Alerts etc)

Work: Only getting busier (which is a good thing) and I manage a small team which looks likely to expand. I need to start fighting for what I'm worth more - I'm rubbish at the question "so what are your salary expectations" for example and seem to always undersell myself, even though I do extra hours, short notice on-call, get stuck in with the hands-on work if needed etc and go in with the attitude that things just need to get done.
It's not just more cash though - my role is in practise more senior than the title (basically I'm responsible for everything in my area) so more recognition of that too would be nice.

Car: Assuming I get the cashflow sorted out I'm hoping to still do this later in the year

Food/Fitness: As above I've made a conscious effort to cut back on the crap. Living alone + canteen in work means that when you do get home, you're not going to bother making up a meal for one.. far easier to get a takeaway on the way home.
So to counter this I've cut out the lunch/dinner in work (not great food anyway), have something small during the day and then DO make something when I get home. Only problem is I'm a useless cook My mother was a chef but I think it skipped me!

I need to do something about the fitness side though as my current job basically sees me going from bed-car-desk-car-couch-bed most days I know joining a gym is the default answer but I don't know if it'd work for me to be honest. I seem to have no energy most of the time as it is no matter how much/little sleep I get so maybe a general once over by the GP is in order first.

stratowide

Infrequent poster but longtime reader here.Some good post's here,so I'd said I would join in..So here goes..

1. Get divorced Anyone here that has ever tried to get divorced from
someone that doesn't want to will know how hard it is.

2. Buy a house As soon as no.1 is done this will follow shortly afterward's.

3. Achieve a 3RM on the following Deadlift @200kg,squat @ 150kg,bench press @ 120kg.
should have this by early Summer.

4. Meet that special lady After a few false starts,this is a priority..!!

5. Take charge of my life No if's or but's about this,stop going with the crowd and take the initiative..
you only get one life so use it wisely.

6. Have more fun and meet more people Time to be more sociable this year and make some new friend's

7. Smile more The next time the cute blonde in Ryan's bar smiles at you,for the love of God go over to her and say hello.

I'd take 5 out of that 7 but the getting divorced is non-negotiable..

Oh and read a book a week..forgot that one..

Ilyana 2.0

1. Get rid of that nasty half a stone that's crept on since Christmas, starting with giving up wheat from today.

2. Really make a go of things with my boyfriend, after the annus horribilis that was 2012.

3. Keep writing little bits and pieces here and there, even if it's just bits of fluff.

4. Improve and maintain my college grades, especially in September.

5. Read more.

6. See my friends more.

7. Exercise, even if it's just a bit of jogging.

8. Wait patiently for my skin to clear up.

9. Support my dad in his next career path after a rough few months, and contribute to the family finances howsoever I can.

Blowfish

1. Move flat - Done

2. Use excess savings from last year to sort out wardrobe - Done.

3. Complete 3 or 4 more IT certs (depends a bit on training budget in work) - One down, 2/3 to go.

4. Volunteer more - Started, due to get trained in with www.aware.ie in a few weeks.

5. Get more involved in the process of managing complete projects in work, rather than just doing the technical bits - Started, have a project that I'll be doing about 75% of the work on, which'll keep me busy.

6. Add x amount to savings.

7. Do a cookery course.

8. Do a 200km bike event (maybe WW200 again, I'll see), at least 2 160km events and various other 100km events.

9. Complete the Dublin Marathon.

10. Progress more towards long term goal of setting up my own business, probably through a course or looking into the legalities around company formation.

11. Expand group of friends and be a bit less single.

toastedpickles

Get back into drawing

Get my passport sorted out and actually get on a plane (serious fear of em too )

Join a few things and see how they turn out

Start looking after myself more, cut out most of the crap I eat and what not

Do a course of some sorts

Travel the country in 24hrs

Start a savings account and try get a job in what I'm good at, but that's highly unlikely

miker1983

1. Lose 15 pounds
2. Stay off the fags/drugs
3. Visit Asia

Gi joe!

Here's how things have been going for me.

Get down to 8% bodyfat-got to 12% then tendonitis reared its ugly face. Out of gym for next few weeks which is driving me nuts! March is essentially a recovery month so hopefully will be back to where I was.

Get back to playing rugby with local club-played couple of games and really enjoying it.

Be more social/engaged/meet more people etc-very pleased with this. Have met loads of new people through rugby and college.

Get big boy job for after college-early days but not going too well, so easy to get discouraged with this one!

Be more proactive in general-kinda my main goal as I've always been mr passive, which hasn't brought me diddly squat in my life! At least I kinda know what to work on now. Its bloody hard though.

So mostly positive but after the clusterf*ck that was 2012, anythings an improvement!

Pawwed Rig

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

1. Go to Old Trafford for a PL match.
2. Run outside rather than on a treadmill (it's cheaper for a start and probably healthier).
3. Pass the exams again this year.
4. Investigate whether a new job would be better than this one.
5. Be more patient and nicer to people.
6. Socialise more.
7. Read more sci fi books.

Seems like a good time for an update on this.
1. Done and have already booked flights and match tickets for a Barcelona match in May.
2. A slow start but am out 4 times a week now. Still a torture though
3. Exams in 1 month :eek: but did well in the CA already.
4. Yes a new job would be better so new goal is to start applying.
5. Hmmmmmm
6. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm
7. Working my way through 2 trilogies.

Any more updates? Keep the motivation going

CastorTroy

CastorTroy wrote: »

-Become less single. - Mmmm, nope
-Get fit and keep fit. Started near the end of last year but didn't last long - started but didn't keep it up. Have to restart
-Teach myself to cook - Does keeping different frozen food count? No? ah well
-Become more sociable by joining a class of some sort. So similar to knuckle's number 8 - Joined an acting class

As Meat Loaf didn't say 1 out of 4 ain't bad. Though 25% is a fail. But can look at it this way: 25% done and not even 25% of the way through the year.

karaokeman

karaokeman wrote: »

Good thread OP, my top in order of importance;

1. Grow closer to the friends I've made over the last few months, because I've made a lot
2. Stop wasting so much time on the internet/ reading AH
3. Start doing my reading well in advance for college assignments/exams
4. Do a better job planning my career/ learning about other job areas
5. Look after myself more, cook more of my own dinners etc.
6. Find a girlfriend, I know if I have this attitude it won't happen, that's why its last even though the rewards would exceed the other 5

Bit of an update on my part. All goals in the same order;

1. Slowly but surely doing well in this area, we have some nights out planned, things are going well in general
2. Stopped using boards everyday, almost completely avoid AH, still waste time on other sites though
3. Not doing as well with keeping up on the reading as I thought I would
4. All I have learned is that research jobs aren't as well paid, and that I could become a second level religion teacher with a BA in Sociology
5. It varies, depending on how much college work I have to do
6. Still single, but no pressure, it only means one is strong enough to wait for what they deserve

3 the square

1. get herself away been married bit now at it ever nite 2. buy bit of land 3. buy 35x for hearding...