I am resolved...

First post for 2009. I don't really know what to expect for the coming year. But with the start of a new year, I was prompted to think about what I want to achieve in 2009. After a bit of reflection there were a few things that came to mind...

Get to know God better. This, admittedly, wasn’t originally the first thing I wrote, which shows that God isn’t always a priority in my life. I’ve known God since a child, but I still feel as though there is so much more about Him that I am yet to find out. So much more that I am yet to discover. So much of a gap that I wish to close. I know I have to read my Bible more, pray more and hang out more with God more. And that’s what I am going to try to do.

Read more books. In addition to the Bible, there are a lot of books that I really want to read. I haven’t really read much fiction since my childhood, and even back then, I never really read much other than those I had to read for school. The Chronicles of Narnia, novels by Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, classic books like To Kill a Mockingbird and Jane Eyre, are all ones I would like to try read this year. Maybe not all, but a good chunk. I must confess however, that this new found desire to read more fiction has come from watching the movie version of books like Narnia, Pride and Prejudice, and movies about authors like Becoming Jane and Miss Potter. There are heaps of really good non-fiction books on my bookshelf that I haven’t gotten round to reading yet too. So many really good spiritual books that I have acquired, started reading, but never finished. I want to finish them this year, well at least some of them. I really think that through this, I will be able to expand my vocabulary and my view on the issues of life.

Which leads me to my next point. Find more time. I think I watch way too much TV. Waaaaay too much. I mean, I’m a lot better than I used to be – a few years ago, I used to have something on TV EVERY night that I wanted to watch, and I used to just watch one show after another, after another. And I also spend too much time on Facebook and MSN. So this year, it is my intention to cut back on these time-wasters. I’ll keep blogging though hahah!

Work on creativity-based hobbies. I want to become a better guitar player – I watch people like Jack Johnson, Brooke Fraser, Newton Faulkner, and numerous every-day-Joes on Youtube, and just sigh about my own skills which pale in comparison. I also want to pick up piano again. I used to play back when I was a child, but I quit because my piano teacher moved away. She didn’t move far, but she was no longer around the corner, so I gave up (didn’t take much hey). But I think that has always been a bit of a regret for me because nowadays, I just want to be able to play like Alicia Keys. But no. Someday, I want to be able to compose a song. Don’t know if that’s a realistic goal, given the fact that I am already 25, but hey, one can dream can’t she? I’ve always kinda wanted to learn more about photography and painting too. Maybe this year is the year to start!

Get healthier. I need to stop eating so much rubbish and start eating nutritious food. The muffin top has to go (or at least stop growing). So the joggers need to be dusted off and I need to get basketball happening again or my little jogging group. I don’t like doing solo-exercise, I need other people to suffer with me! Hahaha!

Help out at home more. I sincerely hope that my parents don’t see this one, but I do feel as though I need to start doing more around the house. Not just because someday I will have to do this for my own home (and will therefore need to get used to being a slave, I mean, housewife), but also because my parents are getting pretty old now, and they need more help with stuff.

Less Shopping, more saving. Eventually, I want to buy a house someday. But once I am coupled with the burden of a mortgage, I won’t be able to just go shopping whenever I like – so I need to try get into the habit of saving my moolah. I have heaps of clothes, shoes, bags, accessories – some of which I have totally forgotten about, so I am going to TRY find new outfits in what I have already. Am I going crazy?? Only time will tell.

Be more ministry-minded. As you can see, this came to my mind last – which just shows how selfish my thinking is. Or maybe it’s because I am putting the most important last. Maybe not. Either way, I need to start thinking more about others and less about myself. When I talk to people, I need to listen more. Instead of seeing what I can get, I need to see what I can give. I need to be more thrifty with my self and more generous with others.

I think I will leave it there. Eight things I want to do, and 12 months to try to do them. Realistic? Maybe. Everyone seems to say nowadays that they don’t make resolutions because they can’t keep them, but I reckon even if I don’t achieve these goals, at least I have something to aim towards. If I don’t get there come 31 December 2009, at least I would have made some kind of effort!