Here’s to another New Year. 2017 was somewhat of a rocky ride, and despite some of the things that happened during that year, I will look upon it with a sense of thankfulness and pride. This is because I feel that I’ve grown a lot over the past year; I finally found my passion and purpose in life, I learned to let go of things that don’t matter, I’m learning to be more open in terms of sharing things about myself (though I sometimes still hedge from getting personal. I’m still working on that), I learned to be more disciplined, etc. Lots.
Honestly, 2017 was a very fruitful year for me, and the only regret I have is that I didn’t realise what I really want in life sooner. My only and biggest regret, because that was a lot of time up in smoke.
But that’s alright. Now it’s 2018, and hopefully it’ll be even more productive than the last. I’ve never been the sort of person to draw up New Year’s resolutions, but seeing that I’ve become more and more goal-oriented, why not? I might as well, since I’m already doing just that.
So here’s my very first list of New Year’s resolutions:
Be more disciplined
Top priority. I know I’m not a robot, but I would like to be more disciplined in terms of work. Due to the nature of my job, it sometimes can’t be helped that I might have to suddenly work outside of office hours. Which is fine, but it would be good if I could do all I can during my usual hours to ensure I’d have less to worry about later. This can be done by preparing articles way in advance.
If I can do this, I’ll have more time to devote to my studies, health and hobbies.
Learn a new skill
Low priority. Photography, maybe? If I can’t manage to secure classes for this one, I can always try learning how to apply makeup hahahahaha. I know the basics, but if you ask me to do anything else, I’m at a loss.
Earn more money
Medium priority. This is something I’ve been thinking about for a while now (think 3-5 months), but I never really got round to it due to time constraints. This is tied to my first resolution, so if I manage my time just right, I might be able to secure a part-time/freelance job.
This isn’t a priority, but it would be nice to have a bit more cashola in my pocket. Wishful thinking because my schedule is already bursting at its seams hahaha. No harm trying, though!
Allocate more time to studying
Top priority. It’s not easy studying while working a full-time job, but something has to be done about this. Japanese is steadily getting more and more difficult, and I really need to dedicate time to studying as much as I can whenever I can. I’ll just have to squeeze in studying during my commute to and from work, and maybe an hour after work before I head home.
Read more
Low priority. Not just novels, but works of non-fiction as well.
Dye my hair dark ombre purple
Medium-Low priority. Because why not? Ehehehehh. I’ve had the same hairstyle since forever. Time to try something new.
Participate in a marathon
Low priority. It would be a nice challenge to myself! We’ll see if I can even manage it, though. This also depends on the marathons that are available when I’m finally ready to take one on. At this point, I’m just aiming for a half marathon.
Keep meeting new people
Medium-Low priority. Despite being an introvert, I realise how important it is to keep meeting new people, so… Just like the tail-end of last year, I’ll be open to and keep meeting new people whenever the opportunity arises. Whew. This is a far cry from how I used to be; I’m fairly sure I used to have social anxiety at some point in my life. Now that trait is barely there. I’m definitely still quiet, but the fear of speaking to someone new doesn’t strike me anymore.
There you have it. My first list of resolutions. Yay!
Have a very happy New Year, everyone!