I Lied...

I am very sorry to tell everyone that I lied to all of you.  I said I wasn't going to write any New Years' resolutions.  Today, I wrote down 10 of them.  I had a fifth grade class come in and their teacher wanted them to write 10 resolutions for the year and explain how they are going to achieve them.  Naturally, they all moaned and groaned.  This teacher often does really cool projects like this.  Most of the time, I sit at my computer and do the same activity that she has her class doing.  Today was no different.  I had a hard time coming up with 10 different resolutions.  I told the class that I started all of mine with "I will ... by..."  I hoped that would help them because she wanted them to say something like "I will be a better student by studying each subject five minutes each night."  A lot of students struggled with explaining how they would meet their resolution.  Now that I have it on paper and you will see them below, I have no excuses.  As I said on the 31st, I know one person that will call me out every time I don't make good on a resolution since this dude or dudette has a photographic memory.  Below are the 10 that I wrote today.

New Years’ Resolutions:

-I will publish book #3 by continuing to work on it more often than I did last year.

-I will get a teaching job by applying, applying, applying, and more applying.

-I will eat smaller portions at dinner and fewer desserts at night by exercising serious will power and having less junk in the house.

-I will be more productive at night after work by reading and writing more instead of sitting at the computer and/or watching TV.

-I will go to the gym more than two times a week.  No more excuses!

-I will be more positive about my future and stop saying, “I’ll have a teaching job 10 years from now” sarcastically.

-I will go on all three vacations I have in mind and not worry about how much they will cost.  I will worry about how much fun they will be!

-I will put X dollars into my retirement fund by budgeting the money I make. ( I know what the X amount is.  I just don't want to reveal that amount in public).

-I will find a publisher to take my book(s) by continuing to send out query letters.

-I will pay it forward to less fortunate people instead of buying myself something I do not need.

 Now I need to stay motivated so I can accomplish all 10 of them this year! Wish me luck!