New Year, New Goals!

In 2015 I set a number of goals and kept every single one. I plan on doing the same for 2016. I want to improve myself and the world around me—one step and one year at a time.

I’ll start with my personal goals, and work my way up to the larger-than-me section.

I wanted to keep losing weight. I didn’t set a specific number last year, because I was unsure what I was capable of. Previously, I went up and down a bunch of times, yo-yoing between 240lbs and 210lbs. By the end of 2015, I was finally under 200—by a lot! I am now in the upper 180s, and have gone down two pants sizes. I lost more than 25lbs last year, and want to keep that up! My goal for this year is to get down into the 150s. That would put me at only slightly overweight for my height. Did I ever mention how short I am? Well, I should be in the 130s. I don’t know if I’ll ever get there, but I’ll keep doing what I can and work towards it.

To aid me in this endeavor, I joined a gym. It is five minutes from my house: very easy to get to. No excuses. You can find me there almost every day of the week, walking on the treadmill, lapping the pool, or attempting to not fall off the elliptical.

I also invested in a twelve-week fitness program, where I’ll learn how to use machines and other equipment to tone and buff. So far, I’ve been using the TRX setup and a ten-pound medicine ball. I hated TRX when I’d tried it before, but it’s nice being able to use your own body and adjust the difficulty of the exercise.

Last year I kicked my diabetes. Because I had gained so much weight, I had diabetes for a while. It was terrible… And the type I had wasn’t even that bad, compared to what other people have to go through. I had a hard time counting carbs and taking the extra meds. The meds restricted some of my eating and alcohol consumption. At the end of August, I was able to come off the meds without too much worry. Three months ago, the nutritionist pronounced my A1C as out of the diabetic range! During my most recent visit last month, I was well within the normal spectrum. Now I have developed a cholesterol problem, but with better exercise, I should be able to get that under control, as well.

Another health-oriented goal of mine was to get off all of my psych meds. I’ve mentioned my OCD before, and because of the way it affects my brain, I had been happily on several medications for the past five years. Then, this past summer I started to wonder if I had learned to control it so much that I could wean back the doses and eventually rid myself of the meds altogether. I was curious, but not sold. When I learned one of the medications could cause diabetes to worsen… Then I was sold. I dropped the last of the three meds in October.

On January 1, 2015 I created this blog, Writing with Red. I vowed to post once a month, featuring book reviews or stories. A few months ago, I kicked it up a notch and began posting weekly. I’ve fallen off the wagon because I was away for much of the holiday season, but now I’m back, and hoping to deliver content every week this new year. My blog is a great way to hone my writing skills while featuring books, authors, and also stories I’ve written.

Every piece of serious writing is the product of someone’s blood, sweat, and tears. Everyone’s story deserves to be told. That’s why I love interacting with other writers and authors, and helping them get their messages out—while helping my readers discover a book that you may have otherwise passed over. If anyone wants a review or is interested in being interviewed here, please don’t hesitate to ask!

With my own work, I can only affect a small number of people in my lifetime, but I want to spread as much knowledge and information as possible. I know a lot of my work is niche, but in a way that’s even better. If there is less information, I can make more of an impact and I’ll be able to relay a larger number of new ideas.

I also want to create as much content as possible to help others who may face similar situations to my own. There are so many things I have tried to research online that I couldn’t find any materials on. I want to change that. I’ve had experiences that may frighten others, and we all deserve to know what lies ahead—To not walk through life uncertain and alone.

Last year, both with my blog and for my personal projects, I swore to write more. This year, I am planning to finish some of said projects. I am challenging myself to finish at least three short stories. That is a substantial number, considering that I don’t even have three started right now.

In the larger world, I want to find ways to help those in need. That’s extremely vague, so I’ll narrow it down by pledging to find more ways to interact with and help my uncle, and that I will find more small-scale adventures to be had and games to play with my Nana—Also to stay over at her house at least three times a month. I’ve also agreed to loan out my time to several other aging family members and friends. I don’t have any time to volunteer for public organizations right now, but I will look more into it in the future. I need to take care of my corner right now.

What are your goals for this brand new, wide-open year? If you’re looking for ideas, check my sidebar poll and be sure to vote!