Last day of the year, so time for the obligatory navel gazing that you all expect and love…
first up: a review of the resolutions I made for 2002, and some new ones for 2003…
- to take more exercise – hmmm. I did fairly well on this one, certainly whilst I was dieting. I think I could do better though, and as transportation is a minor bone of contention at the moment, expect a concerted effort to get my bike back on the road for some serious pedal-powered two wheel action.
- to be more proud of who I am – some would argue that I didn’t really need this, but I knew that, on the inside, I did. I’ve come a long way with this one, but still have a little way to go. Let’s say that it is ongoing, and not unrelated to activities currently being undertaken regarding my work status (more on that subject in the coming days and weeks).
- to stand up for the choices I make – this is related to the one above, and I reckon I’ve done pretty well with this one. Part of standing up for my choices is to do with thinking them through thoroughly beforehand, so that I have more confidence in them myself. Not only that, but putting past choices into perspective has been a good thing too – the bad choices don’t seem so bad now, mainly because in the long run, they either form the person that you are, or don’t really matter.
- to manage my money more effectively – well, I’ve got my borrowing under control and have managed it efficiently (switching to a personal loan and less reliance on credit card debt has been a good thing, coupled with using those 0% introductory deals on balance transfers to keep credit card debt costs to a minimum), and I’ve also reined in the spending (less CDs purchased this year than last, for example). Still could do better, although a boost to my income is what is really needed to balance my personal books, and that is something I am working on, as you will see.
- to finish doing up my flat by the end of the year – ah. hmm. yes. Well, looks like I’ll just move this one into the 2003 column. I have done a little on the flat, but unfortunately it is really too little.
- to see more films – at least I can claim success on this one, as I saw a pitifully small number of films in 2001, and have seen many more in 2002. I still think I could see more, and it shouldn’t be a difficult thing to achieve, what with the excellent New Park Cinema just ten minutes walk from here, and Chichester’s new multiplex opening at Easter.
As for the new resolutions for 2003…
- to finish doing up the flat by the end of the year, which needs doing not only for reasons of comfort and appearance, but also for financial reasons and with a view to what the future might hold.
- to get back into learning, which is, apparently, a very popular resolution this year. I’m definitely going to try to acquire some sort of language skills in excess of my pitiful schoolboy French, and there are a couple of other things that I might learn, if in a less formal environment than the college
- to be more organised, particularly in the areas of filing papers and running systems. This is going to be not only desirable, but essential, with everything else that is going on at the moment.
- to do more real cooking and eat fewer ready meals
- to watch my weight and not balloon back up to 14 stone like I did in 2002. I’m going to start a new diet after the end of the party-and-chocolate season, with a target of 12st 7lb (I’ve crept back over the 13st mark during the festivities) and the aim of losing this podgy belly thing.
I’ll add these into the sidebar, so that readers can nag me occasionally about them.