"Años Nuevos"

I've always wondered if I should create my New Years Resolution on January 1st, or January 24th. January 1st of course being the new year on the calendar and the 24th being my birthday, my new year. This year I've decided that I'm going to figure out my resolution by the 1st, and take the time from the 1st till the 24th to create a plan of action in order to implement the resolution in a proper manner. Meaning, those 24 days will be for trial and error to see the best ways to make sure I keep my resolution, but it isnt until the 24th that I actually have to start in honest following it. Most people by the 24th have already forgotten what their resolution was, but I'm hoping if I try hard I can actually keep it going. My resolution this year isn't as simple as stop drinking or do better in school, my resolution is actually a system of goals encompassing 10 categories and each having 3 sub levels of accomplishments I want to achieve. So you see it will definitely take some time and effort to figure out how to best situate myself to hopefully achieve all of the goals I set for myself. I need to schedule time for certain things, I need to train myself to instinctively take certain actions, and I need to gradually place myself into a daily routine to get my objectives met. This is something I have never done before; I have always been a very spontaneous act now think later type of person. But I am trying to totally reconfigure my attitude towards life. I still want to have a spontaneous side and fun loving characteristics, but at the same time I am getting older and have to start meeting some goals that I've set for myself, and that takes dedication and discipline.

1) Drink Responsibly (A drink with dinner, or a few beers with friends)
a. No more blacking out
b. Be in control of all actions and speech
c. Know when to stop drinking
2) Take school work seriously
a. Study
b. Attend all classes
c. Do all required reading and work
3) Be more creative
a. Writing
b. Draw/ Digital Art
c. Film
4) Self Education
a. Learning Spanish
b. Philosophy (Socrates/Plato/Aristotle primarily)
c. Archery
5) Create positive attributes (Imitation eventually turns into your natural way of being)
a. True respect for others
b. High spirits in the face of adversity
c. Do not question commands given by authority figures (I know the whole teaching of Socrates is to always question everything, and that the only way to learn is to question things. However I have learned that questioning authority only leads to bad things therefore I am going to have to start expecting that even though I may be right in some situations, I have to forego my ego and let the person who has more power in the immediate situation take control)
6) Become less dependant on sleep
a. Natural energy boosters (Ginseng, Echinacea, Co Enzyme q10, Carnitine)
b. Exercise
c. Staying active either physically or mentally throughout the day
7) Set a limit on desires
a. Girls
b. Possessions
c. Recognition
8) Spiritual development
a. Meditate regularly
b. Take "spirit journeys" often
c. More research into certain religions
9) Staying healthy and happy
a. Keeping with a healthy diet
b. Vitamins
c. Breathing exercises
10) Entertainment
a. Take more time out to watch movies (I know this sounds weird, but being the self proclaimed movie buff that I am I have been slacking off lately, missing alot of movies in theaters and just not seeing certain movies that I know I should
b. Read at least one new book a month.
c. Catch up on back issues of DC comics from the past two decades. (I already am very knowledgeable in Marvels back history, but DC not so much)


Other random goals I have to fit in are getting a new job (but I need to figure out certain things before being able to find a new job), finding an artists to collaborate with on a comic (Which I’ve been trying to do for years) and getting a Volkswagen bus by the end of this year maybe beginning of the next.