I’ll admit it – I’m not a huge fan of New Year’s resolutions. Probably because I feel they’re a bit overdone, and they tend to be the same year after year. Plus, I don’t want to just say something for the sake of sounding like I actually have resolutions when I don’t intend on following through.
However, I do have a couple of smaller personal aspects I wanted to work on more this year. I’m not going to force myself to follow through (because I find that I work better when I don’t have to), but I do want to make an honest effort in at least trying.
The first one is actually a mid-year check-in. You may remember my post back in June about being more mindful of other people’s feelings and reaching out to others more. How have I done since then?
I think realistically, I’ve certainly made a good effort this past semester. I’ve definitely become more aware of how my actions or words may affect others, and I’m also more aware of how others may perceive me. Thinking about it some more, this is definitely a vast improvement compared to as recently as a year or two ago, when I was more in my own world most of the time, at least in terms of my thoughts or actions. So that’s an encouraging thing to see.
But I still think I can improve on being more intentional in reaching out to my friends. Most people who know me probably know that I’m pretty cut off in communicating with people when I don’t see them face-to-face (out of sight, out of mind). I’m also extremely reactive (and spontaneous) when it comes to being invited to join other people’s plans, but I’m terrible at taking an active approach to hanging out with others. I can’t say that I’ve done a better job this past semester, but I can definitely see myself continue to work on this aspect.
My second resolution is to start seriously budgeting my expenses for this coming semester. I’ll be out of school and in the workforce soon, so I think it’s a great time to start thinking more about my finances – from daily budgeting to investments and savings. I’m planning to finally start using Mint.com to help with my budgeting.
That’s pretty much it! Again, no promises on how I’ll do, but I will make an honest effort, and writing these resolutions down here keeps me more accountable. To all – have a wonderful New Year’s Eve, and best wishes for an amazing year ahead. Here’s to 2013!
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Resolutions and stuff at randomtidbitsofthought.wordpress.com.
