I’m not sure what it is about this particular New Year’s that has got me thinking about resolutions, but it is not something I have ever cared about before. I would imagine that for the first time in my life I can look back on the past year and point to some very tangible things in my life that I was able to improve upon. Most everything revolves around the theme of “being healthier” and I think that we accomplished that with flying colors. At the start of the year we ate more of our meals out, and when we did cook there was little imagination or flavor. At the end of the year we have probably swung the pendulum too far in the other direction and eat out so little that I couldn’t tell you the last time we did. We also have always struggled to find an exercise routine that we could stick to and would have laughed you out of the room if you suggested that we go run any length of time. Thanks to Bootcamp we have achieved a level of physical fitness and endurance that I never would have dreamed of, and is a spring board into some of my goals for 2014. With 2013 in the rear view mirror, I think I can honestly say that there has never been a year with more tangible results, and I am hoping to expand upon those in 2014.
Which brings me to the official 2014 Resolutions. If 2013 was the year of “being healthier” then 2014 will be all about learning. One thing that I’ve learned over the course of the last few months is that I am happiest when I am learning new things. It honestly doesn’t matter what the subject matter is, I am a sucker for learning new things, so that is the lens through which I am framing my resolutions.
- Yes – I chose that particular phrasing on purpose. I have been dabbling in photography for about a year and a half now, and I am ready to take the giant leap. With the new lens that everyone got me for Christmas I have already taken the scary step of putting my camera on full manual mode. There is a lot to learn on getting the proper exposure without guessing, but I am up to the task. As part of my learning process I have few projects in mind that will keep my learning curve. The first of which is called a Project 365 – where you take a picture of something literally every day of the year. I will have a post dedicated specifically to this Project as I get into it, so stay tuned for more details.
- Another thing that I have dabbled in before has been improving the way I dress. Every so often I would make very small gradual changes in my wardrobe, but that never translated to a new mindset. In 2014 I plan to always choose my wardrobe with a purpose. That means not just having the right tools in my closet to meet any occasion, but to actually use them. It has been proven through my studies that the way you dress affects almost every aspect of your life, and as I turn 30 I plan to take that to heart and use it to my advantage. And thanks to my amazing wife, I always have a great eye to help me out as I learn what does and does not work for my wardrobe.
- One thing that I have always been very good at is planning for the future. Sometimes that meant planning for next week, but more often than not it meant planning for next year, or the next 5 years, or even beyond that. One thing that I have somewhat struggled with though is living more in the “now”. In 2014 I want to learn how to be happier in the here and now and less in the near future. This means that Jes and I will be spending more nights out at restaurants, plays, comedy shows, movies, etc. and for you that hopefully means more exciting blog posts.
- And finally – I want to ensure that I build upon the success of 2013. There is no point in learning how to be healthy if I don’t continue that trend moving forward. 365 days ago I couldn’t run for 60 seconds without getting winded. Today I can run for 60 minutes with relative ease. In 2014 Jes and I want to run in the Bourbon Chase, which will require pushing that endurance even further. On top of increased physical fitness, the learning curve on cooking never ends, so I hope to be able to bring everyone some great recipes over at Mint for Two as well.
So there you have it. For the first time ever I have some New Year’s Resolutions and I wanted to make sure to put them out for everyone to see. At this time next year we can all take a look back at this post and see how well I was able to live up to these resolutions.