Looking forward to 2016

Next week, I will reflect back on the year that was, and what a year it was! Today, though, I want to focus on the future. In years past, having a plan saved me. Reminding myself of what I am chasing, and how I am going to chase it, is important. Every year I tell my students that having a dream is great, but having a goal, a plan, and the desire to work for it, is better. Dreams are intangible, hazy, unfocused. For decades I dreamed of writing a novel. Then, one year, I sat down with a plan to write one. Guess what? I wrote one. I am currently in the fourth, and hopefully, last draft of it before sending it to agents to pursue this goal of being a published fiction writer. It all started with a goal. 2016 will further the pursuit of personal betterment, in all areas of my life. Here are my 2016 goals:

1. Lose twenty-five pounds. Putting it out in the world is scary. Weight loss has always been a goal. Specific weight loss is rarely an achieved goal. I've always avoided putting a number to it because if I say I am going to lose twenty-five pounds, and I end up losing twenty, then I have failed. It makes that twenty pound weight loss seem unsuccessful. Well, in the last four years, I have lost nearly one hundred pounds, but over eighty of that was in the first two. The last two years have been filled with weight loss, then plateaus, then weight gain. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. It is time to admit to myself that I need to hunker down and get a grip. I will be thirty-six in 2016. In the next few years, I am hopefully going to be a father, and I want to be an active father. I want any kids I have to grow up loving sports, or adventure because I was able to be out there with them. How am I going to lose twenty-five pounds? Hard work. It it time to get back into working out and staying with it. If it means going to sleep early, so I can get up early, I will do it. I have to make the time again. 2016 figures to be a busy year, with teaching, Grad School, novel writing. That is no excuse. I want to start at four days of intense work outs, two days of light cardio, and Sunday rest. I am still looking into what exactly I will be doing.

2. Eat better. This ties to the first one. The last half of 2015 has not been good in terms of food. I got lazy. I got tired. It ends now. I am going to go through 2016 without eating any doughnuts. That is right. 2016 is doughnut free! I also need to go back to no fast food at all. It was such a great year two years ago when I was not eating fast food. 2015 has been less kind. I know I can do it. I want to incorporate more vegetables into my diet. The last few years have taught me that I enjoy cauliflower, parsnips, squashes, etc. It is time to see what else is out there. It will require meal prep, because like I said, 2016 will be busy. It will be easy to turn my car into a trash compacter for fast food bags and boxes.

3. Drink less alcohol. That is a weird thing to type. Until six years ago, I never drank. This school year has been the worst, and it has led to lots of weekend nights with booze. Cutting out booze will, of course, help with the first goal, but it will also help me stay focused and active. if I am not drinking alcohol on a Friday night, I can be a productive member of society, instead of watching Netflix for hours.

4. Write weekly. The only way to get better is to practice. The last four months of 2015 have been amazing in terms of my productivity in writing. I need to push that into the new year, and go even bigger. Writing has helped me process so many of the issues in my own life, but it has also given me an outlet for all the weird stories I think of in my head. Being able to craft stories, has made me happier, and mentally healthier. I would like to get myself to a place where I can do the following two things: Tell people I am a writer in person. Feel comfortable talking about writing with non-writers without feeling like a pretentious douchebag. I love writing, but I feel weird admitting that to people. The big goal is to write the first draft of my new baseball novel.

5. Get out of the house more. I am a home body. Martina cannot get my out of the house unless it is of great importance to her. I am not a guy who enjoys going out. I would like to change that. I am sure there are nice things in the world, and I am probably missing out on some cool people. My house is safe. It is warm. It is quiet. I like safe, warm and quiet. But, as a writer, I should be experiencing things, listening to people who have experienced things, listening to how people talk, etc. This might be the toughest thing on the list. I want to be more active in the world, less active online.

6. Experience a poem every day. Whether it is reading a poem, listening to one, watching someone perform one, or writing one. My poetry game needs tightening. 365 days of poetry should help in that department.

7. Focus much less energy on the things I do not like. I want to fill my life with the things I like. Time to stop wasting energy on Macklemore, fan fiction, Cosplay, Big Brother, etc. I am aiming to make my personal Twitter a place I go to write nice things, not angry things. Every so often I get this idea that I could be a super optimistic person who strives to enrich the lives of everyone who wants it, then I think about how easy it is to make fun of something, and how hard it is to remain upbeat, then I get sad and dismissive. in 2016, I aim to put a stop to that.

8. Make meaningful, healthy friendships. Time to do some cleansing of people who do not add anything positive to my life, and letting people in who would like to add something positive to my life. This ties to number 5 really. A few of the people I hold very dear to me, think I am stopping myself from making new friends. I worry there is truth to their words. I never thought I still wouldn't have this shit figured out by thirty-five years old.


There you have, eight goals for self-improvement in 2016. What about you, readers? How are you planning to be even happier in the new year?