Welcoming In The Year Of The Pig

It's been a year or two since I've shared my plans, forecasts, resolutions, whatever you would like to call them, for the New Year. I've never liked creating resolutions in the traditional Western timeline because January is always a hectic time for everyone, and I'm no less vulnerable. Also, with so many people mocking the likelihood of breaking New Year's resolutions within a week or two of setting them, there seemed little point in continuing to create them.

I suppose that's why I've always preferred giving myself a moment to breathe in January, and looking to late Jan/early Feb to create goals that will coincide with the start of the Lunar New Year. Except, for the past few years, I've been turning away from that as well. Last year, I opted to create a vision board with 5-to-10-year goals represented instead and use it to serve as a daily reminder of why I'm doing all these late night/early morning hustle-'til-you-drop days for.

I think the vision board is helpful, and it certainly makes my little studio space look more creative, but I miss looking at the year that lies ahead. And I miss reading those New Year's horoscopes that are just vague enough to let me steer my goals where I was already planning to go anyway. Soooooo, I'm bringing it back!

With vision board in sight, I'm taking a look at the Year of the Pig and setting my goals (not resolutions, but really, does it matter what we call them?) to get a step closer to those board realities. So what do the "experts" have to say about what lies in store for this maker of lists and petty dabbler in more than 10 hobbies?

Well, let's see.

According to one website, this year of our swine will be a peaceful one for me ... as long as I practice self-discipline and learn to say "No" more often. This prediction fits another source related to a different nebulous personality belief system that says my life needs more structure, and "structure" is the 2019 buzz word if I want to get where I want to go in the next few years.

That's a fair critique of my life over the past year, and goodness knows my organization skills have been rusty thanks to trying to juggle a schedule that at first glance seems like a cruel joke. OK, Universe! What else you got?

‍Another website echoes that my 2019 will be calm and meditative, insisting relaxation and exercise should become my new best friend. But it's important that I move at the pace that I dictate, so don't let others try to arrest control of it. Additionally, I will put my communication skills to good use and speak effectively, not just in the favor of others, but also for myself.

So what does this mean for my goals with the vision board in sight?

I have some lofty general ideas, but I'll still break some of them down into some short, attainable and measurable ones for the year to hold myself accountable. Here we go:

1. At the beginning or end of each day, meditate, exercise, or read from a paper-printed book.(This is will help provide more structure, as well as aid with the daily stress in my life.)
2. Redo home filing system and organize home office.(Again, this will literally give me more structure, and help me maintain a sense of control when unexpected changes or events take place at work.)
3. Step up my outdoor exercise to twice a week when the spring weather arrives.(My heart and lungs will thank me for it. As well as my wardrobe.)
4. Write for a client or another publication each month if I don't work on my own personal writing projects. You know what this is about. ;-)
5. Study your foreign language software each week.(Seriously, get after it. Once-a-week will pay more dividends than never-a-week will.)

I know those are all very simplified objectives, and may seem a bit superficial. However, keep in mind that there are more goals for me than those listed above, but I'll be playing those special ones close to the vest. Besides, I'm a firm believer in small changes can lead to big results.

The Lunar New Year "resolutions" are really just a way for me to recognize that each week, month and year is a building block for the goals represented on my vision board. As life's not always about starting, but also maintaining and improving.

Sound promising?