2013 - Get It Together

しっかりする (shikkari suru) - To get it together, to do thoroughly

Twelve months ago, I laid out a plan to live a better life. I've done a decent job of following through on it - at the least, I've improved in pretty much every aspect listed. But, though I would agree my life is better off for it, I still wouldn't really say I'm happy.

As I thought more and more on why that might be, I kept coming back to one point: I'm simply not satisfied with who I am as a person. I've always been hard on myself, sometimes maybe unfairly s., But no matter how i look at it, I can't honestly say I am the person I want to be.

So I started making a list. It isn't in any particular order, items were just added over time as I noticed things I felt ought to change. Some are bad habits that can be easily addressed, others get deeper at who I really am as a person. I'm not going to say that this is all it takes, but it seems like a step in the right direction. The list has gotten a bit lengthy by now, but it goes something like this:

-Swear less
-Stay on top of classes
-Don't procrastinate so much
-Less ums and uhs
-Stay in touch with people
-Care about what I cook
-Become a better conversationalist
-Talk less shit about people
-Stay positive
-Better posture
-Learn how to network
-Make fewer excuses
-Find confidence - and not just after a few drinks!
-Don't sell myself short all the time
-Make the effort to dress well
-Be more decisive
-Exercise better self control
-Be more curious
-Read more and expand my perspective
-Don't underperform simply from lack of effort

The sad truth is that even though much of this list has existed for a couple of months now, I can't say I've made a lot of progress. I guess it's one thing to put it on paper, another to put it into action. I know that these changes won't all happen overnight and that many of them can't even be accomplished given a whole year, but I want to start making a dent in it. So, to keep myself accountable, I'm putting this list where everyone can see. Feel free to yell at me if you think I'm not doing a good job at these.

 Not wanting to neglect the changes I target last year, I'm setting off tomorrow on an 18 day adventure through Central America, during which I promise to take a ridiculous number of pictures. I've also decided that I'm going to take another stab at the 52 Week Project this year, so look forward to something interesting every week!