Time to Set New Goals

HAPPY NEW YEARS!!

I hope you all had a great time ringing in 2010!! Can you believe we're starting a new decade?!

So, I'm not a resolutions kind of person. Instead I'm setting a few goals for 2010 that I will do my best to achieve. Many people say that life is to short to let it pass you by, and I feel that for most of my life, I have let things pass me by. Not intentionally, but more because I tend to think "there's plenty of time to do (fill in the blank)." Well, the truth is, we don't know if there is plenty of time to do all we want to do, and why not do it now?

I have a lot of hopes for this year - that the economy will start to turn around enough that we actually feel it, that the conflicts overseas start to be resolved (at least some of them), that our lawmakers will wake up and realize that they need to start representing us for a change, that people will take more responsibility for the earth, that we will help each other and genuinely try to make the world a better place. I know, I know. Some (most) of these are probably pie in the sky dreams, but a girl can dream, right? On a more personal note, I hope that my health issues will finally, truly, be put behind me and that I'll be able to run without any pain in my feet!! I also hope that Woody and I can find a new apartment in the city that is in a green building and still close to a great running trail. (I will miss the park if we move from the UES.)

I've put my goals into categories and thought I'd share them with you today, to celebrate the first day of 2010. Some are pretty simple, others will take a bit more time and planning, but they're goals nonetheless.

(in no particular order)

FITNESS
Run 4 half marathons
Qualify for the 2011 NYC Marathon (just in case)
Try at least 12 new fitness classes throughout the year
Go to yoga at least two times per month
Become a jump rope master
Walk more

DIET
Incorporate a wider variety of vegetables into my meals
Reduce the amount of sweets, added sugars, and processed foods in my diet
Concentrate on eating more whole foods
Cook more real meals
Try a vegetarian diet for at least one week
Loose a few lbs.

LIFE
Visit at least 3 new cities
Take at least 4 classes/seminars/lectures on topics that interest me (food, nutrition, the arts, business, a city tour, etc)
Volunteer on a regular basis
Pay closer attention to my overall consumption habits and decrease when possible
Organize more days with my girlfriends - yoga classes, movies, potlucks....
Clean out my closet and donate clothing & old books to Housing Works
Read more (and borrow more books from friends or the library rather than buying all the time)
Attend more jazz concerts

I have a feeling I'll add to this list as the year goes on. That's the great thing about goals, you can add to your list as you check them off.

What do you think about resolutions? Good? Bad? Did you make any this year or did you set some goals for yourself instead? What are your hopes for the new year?