One man's voice Thoughts, rants and commentary of a simple man

Preparing my 2012

As 2011 comes to a close I've been looking back on it and trying to find those memorable moments that stand out to me the most. There have been a few moments, some good and some bad, that I can immediately associate with the term '2011', and while I could easily get into all of that mess, my preference is to not look back and instead focus on what lies ahead of me. With that, I figured that to bring some reality and tangibility to my goals for 2012, I would write them down, make them public and leave them here for me to come back to when I am feeling like I need a refresher.

I've been thinking for a few months now about what I want my 2012 to be like. In past years I would think in terms of what I don't want, but something I've learned in 2011 is to look at what I do want and pursue that rather than attempt to evade what I don't want. My thought is, if I know clearly what I am pursuing I will have something clear to aim for as opposed to just trying to outrun what I don't want to be a part of. That began to make a lot of sense to me in the last half of 2011 and it is something I plan to continue in 2012.

In keeping with that principle, I am also of the mind that if I speak something enough I have to power to see it come to fruition. As I put my thoughts to work and turn them into words I have a chance to put my words to work and turn them into actions. And, the more action I take, the better the chances of my original thoughts becoming reality. So with that in mind, here are some of the things I will do, achieve, accomplish or complete in 2012 and, where feasible, when.

• January
  • Drink no alcohol
  • Eat no refined sugars
  • Exercise six days a week
  • Don't eat what I can't accurately measure the nutrition on
  • Sign up for Krav Maga with my daughter Rebekah
  • Get started with CrossFit
  • Lose 10 pounds
• February
  • Drink no alcohol
  • Exercise six days a week
  • Don't eat what I can't accurately measure the nutrition on
  • Lose 10 pounds
  • Finish Chalene Johnson's book PUSH
• March
  • Start P90X2
  • Start distance running
  • Exercise six days a week
  • Don't eat what I can't accurately measure the nutrition on
  • Lose 10 pounds
• April
  • Hike Mission Peak at least once
  • Throw Sarah an awesome 16th birthday party
  • Exercise six days a week
  • Don't eat what I can't accurately measure the nutrition on
  • Lose 10 pounds
• May
  • Help the kids give their mom a memorable Mother's Day
  • Hike Mount Diablo at least once
  • Complete P90X2
  • Start Insanity Asylum
  • Exercise six days a week
  • Don't eat what I can't accurately measure the nutrition on
  • Lose 10 pounds
• June
  • Enjoy a family filled Father's Day
  • Complete Insanity Asylum
  • Exercise six days a week
  • Don't eat what I can't accurately measure the nutrition on
  • Get under 200 pounds for the first time since high school
• July
  • Earn my 32" waist
  • Give Alaynah her own birthday party
  • Give Rebekah her own awesome birthday party
• August
  • Take the family to Yosemite
  • Run a Yosemite trail
  • Have all school shopping done
• September
  • Give Adriannah a great birthday party
  • Run Tough Mudder NorCal
• October
  • Run Warrior Dash NorCal
• November
  • Host Thanksgiving
  • Have all my Christmas shopping done
• December
  • Attend a New Years Party outside of my own city
  • Finish the year under 210 pounds
• Some time in 2012
  • Pray daily with my family
  • Find a church and become a member
  • Read at least two self improvement books
  • Own a motorcycle
  • Replace my car
  • Complete a 5K
  • Complete a 10K
  • Run a sub-six minute mile
  • Attend a software developer conference
  • Give a talk at a meetup or conference
  • Go to a concert
  • Go to an NFL game
  • Travel out of state
  • Learn a new programming language

I know it seems like a lot of this is wrapped around health. I'm of the opinion that I need to continually work on my health - physically, emotionally and spiritually - so I can continually improve myself. If there is one thing that I gleaned from 2011 it's that I need to become a better human being. I need to learn to be more patient, more kind, more understanding. I need to improve me. 2012 will be my year for that.

I expect some amazing things this year. And I am determined to see these through completion. My prayer is that I can look back on these things a year from now and be able to say that I've done them all. I'm certain that's possible.