Making new year’s resolutions feels quintessentially American. After all, we’re the land of “go-getters.” We get a kick out of checking things off lists. It makes us feel good about ourselves.
In 2010, I made a list of 20 goals I wanted to accomplish, which I succeeded with to a certain degree. And while I’m not a big list person, I found the process helpful in motivating me to do more and allowing me to see what I’d accomplished.
I let myself off the hook for 2011, anticipating that it would be a crazy year of big changes–a move to a new city and expecting a baby being just two of the biggest. But this year I’d like to take up the list/goals thing again. Twenty items seems like a good number–enough to keep me busy but not so much that I can’t accomplish it.
So here it goes, my 20 Things for 2012.
1. Have a baby. Heh, yep, I’m throwing myself a soft ball to start this list out. Most blog readers know by now that I’m expecting a baby (and you’re probably sick of hearing about it), and I’m actually due TODAY. But, alas, I’m still pregnant as ever. So having this baby is a very important goal to me. Of course, it should go without saying that once the baby is here–my priorities in terms of my time will certainly change! And since I don’t know exactly what that will look like, I’m holding off an any other baby-related goals.
2. Shoot fewer weddings and more portraits. Yes, in the past most of my business has been oriented towards weddings, which I do love photographing. But long-term, I’d love for there to be a bit more balance between weddings and portraits. Specifically, my goal is to photograph 10 weddings and 20 portraits this year. I’m really excited to see how this works out.
3. Get back into shape by running. Isn’t this every mother’s goal–to get back to her pre-pregnancy body? In order to accomplish this, I’d like to register and train for a 10k or half-marathon in the fall. The specific race is still to be determined…
4. Visit all the Smithsonian museums at least once.
5. Buy a grill and have a cookout for neighbors and friends this summer.
6. Visit the Chesapeake Bay. Ha, do you see a warm weather theme here? I don’t know why, but I really want to visit this body of water. I guess it’s close by and I see so many things about it–I’d like to see what it’s all about.
7. Reserve one day a week to be “internet free.” This means no facebooking, emailing, forum checking, time wasting, etc. This will probably be one of my hardest goals to accomplish, but it’s something that I think will definitely help me be more creative, more happy, and more tuned into the needs of others. Of course, if I need to look something up for an activity (find a restaurant, for example, I’m going to use the internet…but other than that–it’s hands off).
8. Plant and maintain an herb garden. Now that I have a backyard, I’d like to try my hand at a bit of gardening. Hopefully I can avoid killing everything I plant.
9. Photograph some horses. I love horses. In fact, my photography started with my love of horses. But lately, my life has very little to do with horses. And it may sound silly, but I’d really like to get back into photographing horses on the side. So my plan is to visit some local barns and see if I can do some photography there.
10. Read a book a month. This was a goal I had in 2010 and failed to accomplish, but I’d like to try for it again.
11. Find three things that I can improve in my business to make the photography experience even better for my clients.
12. Host a game night for friends. Again, this was a goal in 2010 that I never realized. Sad, huh? I’m going to make it happen this year…even with a new baby.
13. Learn how to cook an Indian dish. I love Indian food. It’s one of my favorite types of food, but I don’t know how to make any authentic dishes. I’d like to learn!
14. Take on two personal photography projects. One of those will hopefully be my horse goal, but I’d like to spend some time photographing something else just for fun that interests me. TBD…
15. Learn how to salsa dance. This isn’t likely going to happen, but one can dream.
16. Set aside specific times for answering emails and editing.
17. Write a short story. This goal sounds ridiculous, but I enjoy writing. If I never give myself a goal to write something, I’ll probably never get around to it. So, no time like the present!
18. Decorate my home for the holidays. I’ve never really decorated my home for any of the holidays. That’s going to change this year.
19. Mop the kitchen floor…more than once. I needed another soft ball goal. This seemed like a nice one.
20. Create photographs that inspire me and my clients. It goes without saying that this is a goal I have every year, but I really want to create more work that I am truly proud of.
So here’s to 2012 and all the possibilities!
by mary