New Year’s Resolutions
Posted by harlan on 30 Dec 2007 at 10:05 pm | Tagged as: talking to the void
I’ve always scoffed at New Year’s Resolutions. I’ve always known that people break their resolutions, and that using the new year as a time to make a change is really arbitrary.
And here I am, pretty much the same person as I was this time last year, with pretty much the same lack of focus. So this once, I’m going to make a reasonable number of resolutions. And I am going to then tackle them as if they were action items, given to me by an unforgiving boss. Here are the three resolutions to which I am resolved:
Resolution 1: Stop spending money on ridiculous things. On Christmas morning, I ordered a computer so far out of proportion to what I need that I have since spent several hours looking for software that will let me somehow justify this purchase. I could, evidently, open up a fairly nice feature film editing studio, or make the very best home movies ever. Except I don’t have anyone to film. I don’t even have a camcorder, unless you count my phone.
I know that I spend money on myself when I feel angrily alone. My mindset is kind of like, "Well, why shouldn’t I? Who’s going to stop me? What am I saving up for? Remind me sometime to tell the story of how I got my car. For now I’ll just say that learning what the initials "BMW" stand for was as expensive a lesson as I’ve ever had. Bavarian Motor Works, just in case you didn’t know.
Resolution 2: Lose 30 pounds. I need to lose more like 60 pounds, but that’s too much to lose in a year. I will do this by using the Slim-Fast diet, which seems very convenient and doesn’t require me to go to any meetings or meet with a counselor or anything like that.
Resolution 3: Make someone fall in love with me. I realize this is ridiculous. I can’t make anyone fall in love with me. Jane didn’t make me fall in love with her. I just did.
Just in case you’re interested, I expect that I will do a very good job with the first resolution until something really bad happens to me. I will also do well on the second resolution until I either get turned down or fail to have the courage to ask someone on a date.
Resolution 3 won’t ever even appear on the horizon.
Hey Harlan. A couple of free suggestions;
60 pounds in one year is achievable. I suggest something like Weightwatchers online for men - http://www.weightwatchers.com/men/ . We had something similar in Australia and it worked well for me. And you don’t have to interact with anyone if you don’t want to.
I find this a lonely time of year too. I don’t have a big group of friends. But there’s things you can do to meet more people and maybe make some friends. Like here’s a web site where people organise hikes that anyone is welcome to go on - http://hiking.meetup.com/ - and they have lots of other activities too. I might try this myself soon.
don’t you understand man!
you’ve got to fall in love with yourself before anyone else will.
good luck dropping the weight tubby
wow! words of wisdom from Lyle! He speaks the truth, Harlan.
I think you will gain a lot of self respect in accomplishing your first two goals, and in doing so you’ll start to fall in love with yourself.
Sounds a bit selfish, but you also have to make yourself happy before you can make anyone else happy. Do stuff that *you* enjoy, and that gives you a sense of satisfaction, accomplishment, or just contentment.
When you see the good in life and in yourself, others will be drawn to that. I promise.
Happy New Year.
well said swtkaroline and Lyle.
!