new year's resolutions
the journal of Michael Werneburg
twenty-seven years and one million words
OK, it's taken me a couple of weeks (due to the job situation) but now I can post my new year's resolutions for '09. Well, they're more like goals.
1. make time for the boy
This comes first, because everything else I'm doing is really secondary to ensure that the child has adequate parenting (especially while he's young).
2. get the new business launched in April
I'm doing this for many reasons.
First: I'm not getting anywhere working for gigantic financial firms. This was driven home when my employer was cutting some 50-70 staff while I was tending to my wife and newborn in a hospital. I figured that if I'm going to be putting in the hours under unstable terms without any sense of security, I might as well be doing it for myself.
As it happens, I had a potential partner to turn to, and between us we each had a business idea in mind. Now I'm committed to making those ideas my source of income.
3. pass the level three Japanese exam in December
To run a business in this country, I'll need to speak (and read) the language. Level three ain't much but it's better than where I am today.
To this end I'll be diving into an intensive Japanese course, just as my colleague suggested last week.
4.cut my use of film by 2/3 immediately
I shot, on average, three rolls of film every week in '08. Since I'm now on a limited income, I'm going to cut that by 2/3 to a more sensible one roll a week.
5.learn to juggle by June
Because I can't juggle, and I figure juggling is a good way of entertaining the boy (see #1 above). I might even be able to teach him, some day. Besides, I've read that juggling improves the wiring in your brain, and rewiring my brain sounds like a good thing.
I'm going to start modestly: just three items. Think I'll pick up some bean bags at the toy store this week!
6.complete another draft of my novel
I worked on my story with an editor last Autumn. So I've got not strong ideas on how to reshape the story as well as countless insights into improving the writing. In fact, I'll be rewriting some chapters from scratch.
Going to be a lot of work!
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In fact, it's all going to be a lot of work. But that's what life is, I suppose. Otherwise it's a waste of time.