New Year’s Re-Solutions

Written by Writer Dad on January 7, 2009 - View Comments
Categories: Etcetera

“Good resolutions are simply checks that men draw on a bank where they have no account.”

~ Oscar Wilde

resolutionsI understand the flawed logic of New Year’s resolutions.  If an intention is worth commitment, why should it require a special spot on the calendar?  A valid question, sure.

It doesn’t, but we as humans are always in search of beginnings; few dawns are as clear as that one that doctors our final digit.

The problem with New Year’s resolutions isn’t that they’re made. It’s that they are rarely ever kept. I myself love my resolutions. I make them each year and do my best to keep them. I write them down, commit them to memory, and make them a part of my everyday thought.

No one gets anywhere by saying they want to do something. They arrive only after a series of steps, each moving them closer toward their goal.

I won’t bore you with the minutia of my method, nor will I write the entire rundown of all I’ll endeavor to do this year, but I do adore the public accountability of my internet living room. So here, in no particular order, are seven things I will do by the final seconds of this new year.

1)  I will write a song.  I use to love writing songs in my late teens (basic chord progressions + awkward lyrics = post adolescent awesome). I’ve never actually written a good one, and I’m not saying I’ll write a good one now, but I will write one to completion and share it with you here (yes, terrible singing voice and all).

2)  I will be bilingual. This was on my list last year and I hate to admit I didn’t make it. I don’t expect to deliver any monologues en español, but I should be able to hold my own with an average third grader. I owe it to my children as well as myself.

3) I will make my living online. Yep.

4)  I will see a small fraction of my words in print. Last year’s list said, “I will get published.” I do that M-F now, thanks to WordPress. This year, I’d like someone else to bless my verbiage.

5)  I will organize my digital life. Oh, I love dealing in all the digitalia, but I let it dangle way too much. I have heaps of unorganized photos and files, the pile getting harder to sift.

6) I will read old fashioned books like I have for twenty-nine of the last thirty years. I hardly feel like a need to apologize to the written word; I’ve never loved it more. However, I have traded turning pages for browsers. I will never be half the writer I wish to be until I return to the reader I once was.

7)  I will listen to more music. Music has gone from a large part of my life to a part of my life that is largely gone. No more. I will clear time for the occasional new artist as well as old favorites.

Of course I have additional private resolutions.  These are public, making them so was the first step to making them happen.

Writer Dad

Sean Platt is a ghostwriter for hire, specializing in custom blog posts.

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  • Writer Dad
    Kip de Moll: I just made a note to check out your song tomorrow, Kip. I'm looking forward to it!

    Glen: Not a stupid question at all. I know of no resource like that. Google has made me exceedingly lazy. Whenever I have a question like that, I just ask the overlords of the giant G and they bestow upon me an answer. That would be a really cool resource to put together, though.

    Systeria: I think, for me anyway, it's depth more than length. I don't know about you, but I haven't read a lot of good fiction online. When I'm online, I read a lot of worthy material, but a lot of it is functional text. There isn't a lot of escapism going on. When I say I want to read old fashioned books more, I'm saying that I want to get lost in a story or pulled along in dialogue. I'm of the minority opinion that fiction will make it's way to the digital domain eventually, but it isn't there yet, and as of now, I miss curling up with good ink.
  • I like the 'I will never be half the writer I wish to be unless I return to the writer I once was'. Resonates with me.

    Still, it does raise the question for me, as to why we're still drawing a line between digital reading and the reading of good ol' fashioned books. Is it a length thing, or a depth thing, or an experience thing?

    Understand that I am too, I'm just trying to articulate to myself why, because I'm not making a very good argument to me.

    <abbr>Systeria’s last blog post..My Life, Somebody Else’s Box</abbr>
  • This might seem like a stupid, if not random question, but i thought you would be the best person to ask. Is there a resource out there that breaks all words down into their true meanings?

    I.e. I really like seeing things like re-solutions because you see the word in a new light. Just like disease is really formed from dis-ease.

    Maybe I'm weird ;)

    I would appreciate any resources though...

    Cheers,
    Glen

    <abbr>Glen Allsopp’s last blog post..One Simple Action to Improve at Anything</abbr>
  • Sean,
    After 20 years of not playing much music or writing, I didn't start 2008 with a resolution, but by making a major change in my focus in another area, the creativity just came bursting forth. What a thrill! 2009 has already kicked off with a new song. I just posted it on my blog.
    It's been fun watching your determination unleash some great ideas and fine writing.

    <abbr>Kip de Moll’s last blog post..Perpetual Motion</abbr>
  • Writer Dad
    Ron: I like that - breaking them down into munchable chunks. It works in all other areas of life, right? Most anyway.

    Friar: Excellent idea, I think I will.

    Eric: We plan on going to Spain for a while. It would be great if I were totally fluid by then, but if not, I'm sure I'll pick it up immediately once I'm there.

    Marc: My daughter is in a dual immersion program, so I'd like to learn along with her. I live in California where half the population is bilingual. I should be too.

    Betsy: Ooh, Betsy, I like that. "Simplicity keeps failure away from the gate." That's tremendous.

    Danny: That's perfect, Danny. Four quarters, you definitely have the right idea.

    Vered: True, right? I read two over the holiday and I felt born again.

    Naomi: It's a fantastic idea, I agree. Thanks for sharing your goals.

    Trina: A bit, I know, it's terrible. I am afraid it's true though.

    Anya: LOL! No kidding sister!
  • I'm trying the public accountability with my resolutions this year (and now groaning that I'm committed, LOL). I'm all for picking up a new language, too, as well as reading more books and listening to more music. Now if I could only figure out how to organize my time better to do these things...

    <abbr>Anya’s last blog post..Can I Conquer My Fears in 2009?</abbr>
  • Trina
    aaargh, say it isnt so...books arent old fashioned are they? Hopefully you were referring to literary works from an older time??? I am very aware of how blog reading can impinge upon the time for other pleasures, and, thus arrange my priorities accordingly.
  • I love the idea to split the year into 4 quarters ... and base your re-solutions on that (LOVE the re-SOLUTIONS wording!)

    My simple hopes are to reign in and better manage my budget ... and be more present for my family.

    <abbr>Naomi’s last blog post..Jan. 2</abbr>
  • "I have traded turning pages for browsers. I will never be half the writer I wish to be until I return to the reader I once was."

    OK, I am joining you in this resolution. BACK TO READING BOOKS!
  • Nice goals Sean, I too would like to learn another language and also make a living online. I also look forward to hearing your song, writing a song sounds like a great thing to aim for.

    In terms of my own goals this year I have split the year into 4 quarters which I think will allow me to make smaller more achievable lists.

    <abbr>Danny Cooper’s last blog post..Next Generation of Link Building</abbr>
  • I'm with CK. I'm committed to a very few things this year. Simplicity keeps failure away from the gate. We'll help you with the accountability thing, as you know. :D

    <abbr>Betsy Wuebker’s last blog post..ENDANGERED SPECIES: TRADITIONAL MEDIA AND JOURNALISM</abbr>
  • I am reso-nating with numbers 3 and 6 myself - very much so.

    How are you planning on making use of your bi-lingual studies? I myself am bi-lingual (Welsh is my "first" language) and I'm currently exploring (read: it's on my todo list) possibilities of incorporating it into a freelance writing career. Are you going to be writing in a second language as well?

    <abbr>Marc’s last blog post..How Not To Fulfil Those Important Resolutions</abbr>
  • I used to attempt learning other languages, but have found that unless I have a place to practice (with people who speak that language), I'll never maintain interest. I know that if I lived in Spain over a summer, for example, I'd come back with a fairly strong understanding of the language. But an entire year spent just talking to myself in Spanish would get me no where.

    For me, making my living online is definitely topping the list. :-) Eric.

    <abbr>Eric Hamm’s last blog post..Minimize Your ‘Focus Reboots’</abbr>
  • Hey, why dont' you write a song in Spanish?

    That would kill two birds with one stone. :-)

    <abbr>Friar’s last blog post..Grampa Friar Remembers Telephones</abbr>
  • I'm with you on the "resolutions." I've never made them and never will. My term is commitments and then I break each of them down to a few simple steps to get them done. It's an ADD management trick that seems to work out okay. It reaffirming to know others feel the same about the concept of New Years "resolutions."

    <abbr>CK Lunchbox’s last blog post..Vacation Slides & Prozac</abbr>
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