I’m a little late to the party as per usual, but it’s still January so I’ll consider it the beginning of the year. If I tell strangers my goals for the next twelve months I’m more likely to be successful, right? #science

Anyways, I figured I’d write down the couple of things I want to focus on this year, some serious and some silly.

  1. I wrote in my previous post that I wanted to write more, ideally twice per month. That’s … optimistic, especially considering that this is my first post of the year and there are only two more days left in January. I’m going to update that to an average of twice per month to give myself some leeway and avoid failing right out of the gate.
  2. To post that much without being a total bore, I need to do some more adventuring. I have tentative plans to climb one of the towers (of the famous Torres del Paine) in Patagonia, and to hike around Mont Blanc, and to visit the Grand Canyon as an adult. I’ve actually been there once before, when I was five, but my main memories include the hot tub at the hotel and swimming in a nearby lake. I don’t actually remember the canyon itself, probably because I was annoyed that my parents left me with my grandmother at the top and did the hike to the bottom and back up just with my older brother since I was young and useless. This goal clearly doesn’t have a specific success metric and I think I’m going to keep it that way; I’ll make something up and call it a win at the end of the year. Every list needs some low-hanging fruit, right?
  3. Double-digit pullups. The most I’ve ever been able to do in a row is 9 and that was before I broke my collarbone in 2018. There’s something magical about that tenth one that makes me feel more badass.
  4. Keep a gratitude journal. This is something I’ve done on and off for years but it really does improve my state of mind and remind me how fortunate I am. Even on objectively terrible days there are good things that get pushed to the background. Writing those down has been helpful for me to remember the little joys and also to look back and read about what I appreciated on previous days, especially when I’m feeling far from family and friends.
  5. Five is a good number so I’m trying to think of something else. A stretch goal perhaps? Which reminds me that I really do need to get back into yoga and stretching on a daily basis. I didn’t have as much time for yogi things when I was playing fútbol so it got dropped by the wayside but I’m feeling the creaks and groans of the end of my third decade of life and I’m sure my muscles would appreciate some love.

So that’s the list. I’ll revisit it in December, which is my cheeky way of getting not one but two blog posts out of this single idea. Only 22 left to go for the year!