The end of one year has now signaled the beginning of a new year.  I have actually thought long and hard about what I want to do for 2009 and I have decided that my main resolution is to set measurable goals for things that I want to improve on.  I’ve always had very broad and generic resolutions, like ‘lose weight’ or ‘do good in school’, but without measurable goals on which to grade myself, what is considered a success and a failure?  How can I be motivated to achieve a goal in which I have not defined?  The plan is to determine what aspects of myself I want to improve and what measurable goals can I set so that I can motivate myself and review my progress.

So without further ado, here are my “Resolutions” 

1. My health/body/appearance-

Currently I am in the 250 range.  My body fluctuates from mid 240s to mid 250s from week to week.  My weight fluctuating is something that would be difficult for me to control, but I would like my ‘centerpoint’ of these fluctuations to be 230 instead of 250.  I want to achieve this by the end of next year.  To do this, my main goal is to ensure that for every month, I weigh less than the previous month.  With 12 months, I have to assume some of the months I will lose more than one pound, so losing 20 in 12 months is achievable if I lose weight EVERY month.

2.  Getting something DONE-

I want to turn my ideas into more than just an idea, into a portfolio/resume of projects that I have completed.  Most of these ideas are websites/business related, and I feel that if I were to list out all the things I want to do or accomplish, it would be at least 20.  By the end of 2009, I want to have a full year’s worth of work that I have completed and can show off to whomever is interested in my services.  To do this, I need to first set up the framework to easily manage and support my endeavors.  Second, I plan to launch three projects every month.  With this plan, by the end of the year I will have launched 36 projects, which sets the stage for any of those to grow and become successful.  Some of these projects will be the implementation of my ideas, others will be projects for others, and others will be collaborations with an interested partner.

3.  Save money/invest

- Right now, I feel that the majority of Americans are in very dire financial situations, and are about to be forced to make difficult decisions on what to pay for and what not to pay for.  The fact that I am in very little debt at my age and being a recent college graduate is very beneficial for my future.  If I can continue to save money, I am giving myself a great opportunity in the future to be successful.  My goal for 2009 is to transfer at least 1000 dollars per month into my savings/investment accounts.  At this rate, I am saving 12000, with even on my limited salary, I will be saving over 100,000 every ten years.

In conclusion, here are the three measurable goals that I will review to see how successful my resolutions are.

1.  Lose weight every month

2.  Create 3 projects every month

3.  Save 1,000 dollars every month

Hopefully, in 2010, I can look back and give myself an A for my efforts and results.  Happy New Year everyone!