I really tried to write the 2009: Recap post yesterday, but couldn’t get the fingers actually typing to write the post. I’ll give it a break to write my resolutions for 2010 (a prompt given by Mama K’s Losin’ It) and get my goals for 2K10 out of my head and published so I actually commit to them, versus forget about them and continue on with my life.
I have a funny thing about New Year’s resolutions. I often make my big goals on my birthday (July 2nd) to ring in a new age on a positive note. On New Year’s, I like to make an assessment of where I am on those goals and edit the list as needed. My 25th birthday goals were:
- Take the partying down a notch. Yes, I’m serious
Well, I did take the partying down about 20 notches, to the point where friends were posting on my Facebook wall “Are you alive?” I’ve always been a bit of an extremist, so maybe my 2010 resolution should be finding balance? I digress… - Learn a new language. Preferably Hindi.
I was serious about this one, to the point that I even purchased the full Rosetta Stone language course for Hindi. Have I opened it yet? No. Am I considering returning it for a new language? Yes…but more on that later. - Hit Premier Executive status on United.
For a girl that travels as much as me, this was imperative. Premier Execs get way more perks than plain old Premiers (upgrades, drink coupons, etc) and I had been 5K shy of hitting this status the previous year. You will be happy to know that I accomplished this goal, and have a new one set for 2010. - REALLY figure out what I want from my life: re-assess the career, graduate school, location, etc.
I had just started a new job, was in the middle of my accounting class at Villanova, and was thoroughly confused. And while that’s acceptable at the beginning of a new change, I vowed to get it together and define where I wanted to be by the time I turned 26. Luckily, I got the tentative plan completed by my half birthday.
Which brings me to my 2010 goals. It’s very convenient that my half-birthday falls on January 2nd, so after the NYE hangover and sleep deprivation (or in my case, jet lag and a cold) subside, I can think clearly and make my goals. Here they are:
- Socialize a bit more.
I’m not talking about crazy nights, dancing at all hours of the night and stumbling into a diner for cheese fries afterwards (though I’m not ready to say good-bye to those yet either). I realized how much I missed my friends and that sitting in bed on Friday nights catching up to my DVR wasn’t going to change that. It’s important to continue the amazing friendships I’ve made, even if it means hitting up a Dunkin Donuts for coffee before hitting the road and meeting for dinners, sporting events, birthday parties, movies, and the like. - Learn Tamil.
After spending New Year’s with my boyfriend’s family, and being desperately in need of subtitles while his family switched from English to Tamil, I switched my language choice from Hindi to Tamil. Hopefully Amazon will exchange my Hindi course for Tamil…
- Kick some tail-end in my master’s program
Deciding that a business-focused masters was probably not right for me, I decided to focus on getting the PMP certification. Trouble was that you needed 2 years of project management experience for the certification, and I had a measly three months. I stumbled across Boston University’s distance-learning masters’ in project management, saw that it was accredited by the PMI, and immediately applied. And got in :) I start next week, and am very excited to begin my master’s degree and no longer be the only Palepu cousin with her bachelors. - Hit 1K on United. And travel more.
This shouldn’t be a problem, with 6 India trips in the pipeline. My domestic trips planned for the year are pretty extensive: Florida, Las Vegas, Colorado, Seattle, Chicago are all planned. I’m sure California will find itself on that list as well, and my New York and Boston trips are too frequent to even count. On the international side, I’ll be heading to Paris (and hopefully wine country as well), London, and potentially Thailand.
- Take better care of myself
You know those nights when you’re too tired to wash your face. Flossing for a week and then forgetting and never doing it again? Misplacing your vitamins jar and never bothering to find it? Skipping a workout just because you don’t feel like it? Eating one Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup…and then eating 5 more. Yeah, all that has to subside…baby steps here.
I would say I’ll try not to watch so much bad reality TV…but we all know that’s never going to happen.
So there was my mid-year status check on my birthday goals and new goals for the New Year. I clearly have my work cut out for me. Happy 2010!
