Last night, I suddenly remembered that I had made resolutions last year for what I was going to get done in 2013. Aside from psyching myself up on January 2nd, I didn’t look at the list all year. I figured I probably would have stumbled through a few of them in natural pursuit of my general desires, but I was pleasantly surprised when I dug up my 10 resolutions for 2013 yesterday evening.

Although I did not 2. sew a dress or 8. start driving clutch again, but most everything else saw progress. I did however

1. get back in touch with a lot of old friends over Facebook and visit with all of my extended family.

3. I drafted six stories and a new play…I’m surprised I did exactly this number in a year’s time without even thinking about it. Do I know me or what?

4. Notating one of my songs is a work in progress. I’ll have “The Crystalline Princess Theme for Piano” done by the end of the year.

5. Off the ground straddling…I can now do this on the aerial silks at the circus gym which is a big step for me.

6. Typing in Dvorak is so-so. I can do it now, but I’m still better at Qwerty.

7. Instead of “reading as many books as I did last year” I nearly doubled the number, reading 26 works, most of them classics such as Hamlet, Richard III, Plato’s Repbulic, the Prince, and everything Kafka I could get my hands on.

9. I actually gained 7 pounds early in the year instead of “losing five,” but since then I’ve lost ten and am still on my way down, so I’ll count that as a victory.

10. As far as “publish more than I did last year” I think publishing my novella Dr. Derosa’s Resurrection and signing an ebook contract for The Crystalline Princess novel definitely trumps the five poems/four flash fictions/1 article I did last year. Not to mention the eight articles I did between Fantasy Factory and as the Miracle Magazine columnist! My Publications Page is starting to look pretty respectable, and I’m delighted that so much of it is free for my readers to explore online.

So I did pretty good for someone who wasn’t paying attention to my resolutions, but I think that’s how good resolutions should work. If you don’t really want what you are resolving to achieve, don’t bother making the resolution. Resolutions can’t just be token items on a list you haven’t mentally internalized.

What about you, though? I’ve often heard the joke “What are New Year Resolutions?” (A to-do list for the first week of January!) but surely they serve a purpose, if we use them right. What kind of things do you make resolutions about? Do you worry about keeping them, or do you feel like nobody’s holding you accountable? I think we need a New Years Resolution support group…a community of people who are all in it together, working on bettering themselves in whatever way they see fit while supporting each other…is it too early to start thinking about my resolutions for 2014? I’m thinking 14 for 2014…anybody with me? 🙂