(ROCKWALL, TX – Jan. 6, 2017) I’ve never been one to make resolutions whenever a new year begins. Why? I don’t know. It might have something to do with the fact that I’ve never really been a goal-setter or a planner. I kinda just live my life as it comes, and it seems to have worked out well so far. This past year has brought a lot of good into my life. I met some fantastic people, found love, visited the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in Orlando for what was the best birthday vacay EVER, and I became the editor for Blue Ribbon News, which has turned out to be one of the greatest joys of my life thus far.
I had a lot of “firsts” happen to me in 2016 as well. The trip to Harry Potter World was one of them. I was stage manager and played a supporting role in a local theatre production (not my first time on stage, but was the first time I landed a role with multiple lines). I held the first signing for my book – Images of America: Heath – right inside my mom’s flower shop. And last fall, I discovered for the first time what feels very much like true love, and spent Thanksgiving and Christmas with this special someone, something I’ve never experienced before.
Being an avid reader, I feel inclined to say that I also read some great books in 2016.
Speaking of books…
I’m not sure why, but I recently broke away from my no-resolution-making ways by adding a little structure and organization into my life, including starting a reading challenge for 2017 on Goodreads. I couldn’t be more excited about it! I decided to start small and pledged to read 20 books this year. On top of that, I’ve made it a point to set aside at least an hour a night for reading, just to make certain I complete the challenge. And to make it more fun, I’m partaking in the challenge with that special someone I mentioned previously. Many of the books we’ll be reading are by authors I’ve heard of but have never read, and it makes me happy thinking about all the potentially amazing characters and wonderful prose I will experience this year.
Another resolution I made this year has me just as excited: I want to gain more muscle and hit my ideal weight. I joined a gym before the new year, and during my free session with a trainer learned exactly what I need to concentrate on in the gym to gain the 30 pounds I need to hit that ideal weight on the scale. I also learned that I need to up my daily calorie intake by about 1,000 more calories. I’ve never eaten so much tuna fish in my life! But I’m proud to say the routine I’ve developed is already starting to show results – I’m up 10 pounds in two weeks!
There are other small personal goals I’ve set for myself this year which I won’t mention, but I will say that many of my resolutions this year are more like life changes than merely challenges to complete. What I mean by that is to fulfill these resolutions, I’ll need to make them a part of my everyday routine. By doing that, I’ll form good habits which will strengthen me as a person, both physically and intellectually. And hopefully by 2018, I can say with confidence that I’m an even better person than I was at the start of 2017.
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