New Year's Resolutions 2012

In the past week or so, I've heard a lot of people rag on making New Year's Resolutions.  It actually made me feel bad, because I've never looked at New Year's Resolutions as a trendy, I-must-do-this-to-be-like-everyone-else thing.  I've always looked at it as a fresh start, a time to make myself determined to be better.  Last year, this worked really well.  Some of you may remember, last year I set 20 goals.  Here's what I accomplished because of them.

1. I made a good friend, Kim Welch, and I just had the pleasure of seeing her married to a wonderful man.  And I made another good friend, Jenessa Halliday, in my Arabic class.

2. I wanted at least a 3.4 GPA.  I have a 3.45.

3. I took a social dance class, and a country swing dance class, and this semester I'm taking three more dance classes.

4. I weigh 125 pounds, and I'm a size 2.  I like the way I look, and I don't feel like I need to be any smaller.  Exercising has become purely a recreational thing now.  I do it because it makes me feel better.

5.  I'm learning to live with my mistakes.

6.  All my afghans got crocheted, as did lots of other projects.

7. I learned to cook a lot of new things, and it helped me learn to eat healthier.

8. I learned to take more things on faith, and to be a nicer person.

9. I planted lots of new vegetables in my vegetable garden (this also helped with number 7).

10. I learned that it is good not to overwork yourself, and to be happy with your personal best.

11. I read over 24 books.

I got 13 of 20 goals accomplished.  I'd say that's fantastic.  So it hurts when people tell me that it is stupid and ridiculous to set New Year's Resolutions because everyone does it.  I'm going to do it anyway, because I can see a huge difference in my life from when I set these goals last year.

My goals for 2012:

1. Exercise twice a week.

2. Crochet something for myself, and an afghan for my Grandma Alice.

3. Have a 3.55 GPA by the end of the year.

4. Finish sewing my dress (yes it's on the list again.  I actually hope to accomplish this this summer).

5.  Have all 12 music events checked off my great works list (and this will get accomplished because I have a music class that requires me to see 8 musical performances this semester).

6. Start working on my Honors Thesis.

7. Get an editing job/internship.

8. Have at least two great works papers written (this seems more realistic than what I had last year, and I hope I can accomplish it in my spare time, since I don't have any English classes this semester).

9. Learn to cook one new thing each month.

10. Repack all my things so my parents can move it into their new home when they get it built.

11. Spend less time on the internet.

12. Keep headphones out of my ears two days of every week.

13. Have all 12 art events checked off my great works list (I made a good go at this one, but didn't quite make it, so I'm going to hope it'll get done this year).

14. Be nicer to my family.

15. Budget my money better (I do this pretty well, but I'd like to be able to save at least $50 a month so I can occasionally get myself something nice).

16. Compete in DanceSport.

17. Get my mom's New York scrapbook pages done.

18. Go to the temple once a week.

19. Read a General Conference talk each month, and focus on becoming better about doing what the Church Leaders ask.

20. Find at least one Cherokee ancestor and do her temple work.

21. Read 24 books for fun.

One more goal than last year.  Let's see how good I do. I think I'll post my progress each month again, as that seemed to help me keep my goals.