Goals

I've been thinking about goals lately; I feel a little directionless at the moment. This could be because I'm not fully engaging with my studies... I'm not sure what to do about that. I may have mentioned it here before, but I have three overriding goals/aims for this year: (in no particular order)

1. Be more confident. This may come as a surprise to some who know me, but I don't feel so capable in group situations. I want to be that girl: active participant in tutorials, impressive orator and diva in the karaoke bar. Previously, I would've shied away from those activities. Now I force myself to put my hand up and put myself out there. The inspiration for this originally came from watching Summer (Deschanel) sing karaoke so confidently in (500) days of Summer, and also from the wonderfully witty blog, Not that Kind of Girl - you must check this blog out if you're not already subscribed.

2. Don't work unless it's related to your career. I'm 23. I've done the crappy student job thing: hospitality, retail, promotions, you name it. Here's the thing though: I have a physics degree, a diploma in French and am midway through a teaching diploma. I feel I've done the hard yards and can now move on from casual employment. Thankfully, I came home from France with a bit of savings in my pocket so am trying to support myself on that this year. I'd rather live frugally than be forced into a job that won't get me anywhere and will impact on my study time.

3. Don't drive. I spent pretty much a year overseas getting around on my own steam and with public transport, so why does that have to stop now I have my own car and I'm familiar with the road rules? Sure, sometimes it takes a bit more forward planning and I may have to allow an extra 20 minutes in my travel time, but I view these as minor inconveniences for greater goods. Public transport is joyful reading time, and riding my bike counts as exercise. I'm lucky in that Adelaide generally has great weather (read: drought) so I can get away with cycling most days. The only thing I'm trying to work on here is cutting down on the number of taxis I take, both for financial and environmental reasons. I realise not driving isn't an option for some people (sorry about the double negative!) but I think a lot of people take the car as it's the "easy" option. Despite our mediocre public transport system, I do think it's possible to get by without a car if it's something you really aspire to.


I guess these goals contrast with 2009's resolution: drink more. I'm sorry(?) to say that I don't feel I succeeded with that one.

Do you have anything you want to achieve this year?