Last year's New Year's Resolutions and my efforts at keeping them were pretty weak:
- Re-establish weighlifting routine. (First 8 months - Fail. Last 4 months - High Pass.)
- Read more books. (Low Pass)
- Stop eating like a 14 year-old. (Fail)
I'll blame the mixed results on the ambiguous goals, the transition from student to reality, the three weeks spent in Spain, and my Nintendo Wii. Plus - I never really "published" my goals, so there wasn't really any public accountability.
So - this year's resolutions are broadcast to the world and a little more measurable:
Bench press 280 lbs. Most type-A, white, overly-educated, American males in my situation - approaching 30, cognizant of their waning athleticism...and expanding waistline - would opt for a triathalon or marathon as validation of their physical stamina, mental toughness, manhood, etc.
Thanks to a lifetime of basketball, I don't have the knees or ankles for such a pursuit. So, since I can't be a distance runner, I'm instead gunning for the ability to pulverize a distance runner in hand-to-hand combat.
Plus - I'm tired of being the wimp in my family. My brother is enormous and strong as an ox. My future-brother-in-law is also enormous and also strong as an ox. My dad is pushing 53 and can still out-lift me.
I weigh 200 lbs, I have really long arms, and I can barely push ~210 lbs right now - which is (ahem!) more than I've ever lifted. So 280 would be a pretty big win. 300 lbs is the stretch goal.
Read 1 novel per month. This is the "watch less TV, play less Wii" resolution.
Note that Dan Brown, Twilight, Malcolm Gladwell brain candy shite doesn't count. I'm talking about books that I can discuss with Ben Rogerson. Books with depth and sub-text - not just plot.
I finished "The Human Stain" last night - a fantastic read on race and identity. I have two more Philip Roths on my nightstand.
Be Resolute. This one is admittedly fuzzy, but certainly more personal and more meaningful. Details forthcoming in another post at some point. I'm going to play some Wii before going to bed. :)