The new year

So, I'm trying to decide on a resolution for this coming year.  I have come to the realization that I should make goals for myself rather than a resolution.  Here are 10 goals:

1. Marry the love of my life (duh!)
2. Lose the remaining 25-30 pounds by June 9, 2012
3. Take more photographs
4. Find a house with my wife-to-be
5. Find my calling in life (even if it means that I cannot necessarily do it right now)
6. Begin to pay off student debts
7. Find more time to hang out with friends
8. Finish off school strong
9. Master some healthy recipes
10. Stop drinking colas (I used to do well, but I have gone back on my ways)

Ways to achieve them
#1 - We are well on our way to becoming a married couple.  Just 158 days away!  I just hope that I can be the man/guy/boy that she initially fell in love with

#2 - Losing 25-30 pounds in 158 days sounds daunting, but if I lose about 5 pounds per month, that will put me very close to my goal weight.  I don't think 5 lbs/month should be too difficult.  I just need to stick to it and look to the end goal.

#3 - I just need to get outside and start taking pictures.  Hiking around and taking my camera with me can help me achieve #'s 2 and 3.  Places I would like to take photos of: local parks and lakes, TCU, Tyler Street, Downtown Ft. Worth, Botanic Gardens, the Zoos, etc

#4 - I just need to keep my eye out for houses in the Ft. Worth area.  Maybe I can do some Google searches, but actually getting out and looking at houses/neighborhoods will be more beneficial.

#5 - This one is difficult.  Trying to find your calling is difficult to do.  I have to first figure out what I'm good at.  Also, if it is my calling that I'm looking for, then I need to listen.

#6 - Many people face this struggle soon after they graduate.  Finding a steady, well-paying full-time job can help with this.  Even if I have to have two jobs to pay this off, then that may be my only option right now.  I do not want to start out married-life deep, deep in debt.

#7 - I just need more clock-management.  I put off school work until the last minute and it comes back to bite me.  If I space-out my work, then I can have more time to relax/hang out with friends.

#8 - I need to get over the fact that I am tired of school.  School has shaped who I am for the last 18 years or so.  Yes, it is near the end, but I need to sprint to the finish line.  I do not want to regret things later.

#9 - I have a few recipe apps and a mother who can cook, so I have the resources I need.  I need to learn to cook from scrap, not pre-packaged stuff full of preservatives and chemicals that are not good for you.  This will help me lose that 25-30 pounds too.

#10 - Put the coke down and grab a glass of water.

I hope these ideas will help you come up with ideas of your own. 

Jake