You know, one of these days I'm going to learn that I really should figure out what I want to post before assigning topics. In my defense, however, my REAL winter break finally started yesterday when I finished taking the entrance exam I failed the first time, so I gave myself the evening off to knit and watch TV. That's right, I get FIVE WHOLE DAYS where I don't have to do anything for school for break. And I'm still going to work for three of those, to make up for being home for two weeks. Ain't grad school great?
As I mentioned in my topic post, I'm not a huge fan of the term "resolution." It has come to mean something that we try for the first few weeks of January and then inevitably fail at and give up on (ironic, considering the root word of "resolution" is inherently stronger than "goal"). So, instead I usually write some goals, or "I will" statements. It seems to work for me!
1: I will not let school work overwhelm me this semester. Last semester I spent far too much time in a terrible mood because I was terrified of not getting my work done or doing it well enough. I did almost nothing besides schoolwork, sleep, and grocery shopping, and it kind of turned my apartment into the "scary study/sleep place" instead of a home. I've been working this past week on reclaiming it (amazing what you can do with a few snow days!) - I've rearranged and I now have an office I can close off so the work is shut away, and created a "book nook" where the desk used to be for reading and crafting. Already I'm loving it so much more!
2: Relatedly, I will eat better. I bought way too much fast food and junk last semester, and I never exercised. Net result? I regained all that weight I lost a few years ago. This semester I will allow myself time to cook, shop correctly, and exercise (or more often, walk between home and school instead of taking the bus), and as a result I won't be able to help losing weight (in theory anyway).
3: I will keep track of my unscheduled time better, and therefore keep up better with things like this blog, my book blog, and catch up calls with friends. I will also make an effort to give myself time to do some recreational reading each week, even if it's only a few minutes here and there.
4: I will apply for internships. I was gonna say "I will get an internship" but let's face it, they're pretty competitive, and there's no guarantee I would actually get one no matter how many apps I put in. I CAN however guarantee that I'll apply to some!
5: I will focus more on the things that make me happy. I've noticed that being happy is not something that is particularly valued in our society. I mean, everybody will say "I want to be happy" if you ask them, but have you ever noticed how much we put down the people who actually admit to being happy? Think of how most of the rest of the world talks about fans and fandom - it's not very nice, and all the fans are doing is publicly admitting that something makes them happy! It's even worse in academia - admit that you like something, that it makes you happy, and you automatically cannot have anything worth saying about that thing. Being happy apparently precludes objectivity. I am NOT OKAY with that. So, I've started an (anonymous) tumblr where I post daily-ish about things and events that make me happy, mostly to remind myself that being happy is a good thing.
Happy 2014! Good luck to all of us keeping our goals!
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