Beginning

I'm starting a new project.  This project has been undertaken by many, and accomplished by few.  It is the project of not only setting New Years Resolutions, but maintaining them beyond the first week of January.  This is, essentially, a project of not only setting goals, but achieving them.

For many different reasons (which, for the sake of avoiding any excess of melodrama, I will not go into), 2010 kind of sucked.  It had it's high points, certainly, and was rather successful from an exterior point of view...after all, it included obtaining a Bachelors degree, entering graduate school on a full scholarship, and going to Mexico on a trip won from Wheel of Fortune.  But, regardless, my self-esteem has taken a tumble, as has my faith, and with them my overall happiness.  For the past couple months, I've found my cheerful disposition overshadowed by a general apathy, lethargy, and depression that typically causes me to crawl into my apartment and hide from the world.  My friend Kelly calls this "having a hobbit hole."  And, while hobbits like their holes, with their fancy round doors and surprising ability to accommodate 6 ft wizards on occasion, there's a lot more going on outside the hole.  After all, it was after Frodo left the hobbit hole that he had all his adventures and eventually vanquished evil and whatnot.  I'm not expecting to vanquish evil necessarily, but you get the idea.

It is perhaps relevant at this point to note my undying love for the movie "Bridget Jones' Diary."  It's hilarious.  The sequel is horrible and shouldn't be watched by anyone on any occasion, but few chick flicks beat the original, in my opinion.  Much like this blog, the movie opens on New Years Day, when Bridget finds herself once again unhappy with her life and dreading the year lying ahead, and decides to make some changes.  I feel like this quote sums things up nicely:  


"At times like this, continuing with one's life seems impossible... and eating the entire contents of one's fridge seems inevitable. I have two choices: to give up and accept permanent state of spinsterhood and eventually be eaten by alsatians... or not.  And this time I choose not."


And so, tired of sitting around feeling unhappy and sorry for myself, I'm choosing to do something about it.  I'm making some changes.  This blog is, essentially, to track my journey throughout the year.  Don't worry, this isn't going to be a chronicle of precise weight fluctuation and calorie counting, but rather a place for commentary.  Think the narration of Bridget Jones, think the directors' commentary on DVD bonus features, or think about the humorous way I usually tell stories about everyday circumstances, and you'll have the idea.


Is it pathetic to set up a blog entirely centered on New Years Resolutions?  Maybe.


Will this blog be a total failure?  Maybe.


Will I manage to post something spectacular every single day?  Probably not.


In any case, the journey begins here.  Notable stops on the itinerary will (hopefully) include:


Getting Fit (aka not sitting on the couch all day)
Eating Healthier (aka not cooking enough food to feed the whole neighborhood)
Rejuvenating Relationship With God (aka opening the Bible when it's not required for class)
Getting Involved in a Church (aka not making up excuses to not go)
Being a Better Student (aka doing more class reading)
Being a Better Employee (aka making work a priority)
Being More Open (aka not holding grudges or judging people)
Being More Confident (aka not giggling like a moron when conversing with men)
Reading for Fun (aka reading things NOT about theology)
Having Productive Hobbies (aka working on my book)
Exploring Dallas (aka, driving somewhere besides Central Expressway)
Getting Involved In Community (aka volunteering and the like)
Being More Positive (aka not giving up when I have trouble working towards these goals)


Essentially, what you now view on your screen is a portrait of my life in 2011.  Handle with care.


And, Happy New Year.