2011 Goals and Resolutions
by John Wilson
I love New Years resolutions and new beginnings. I’ve always been the kind of person who gets in a fight with his wife/mom/friend and then wakes up the next day completely over it. I’m not sure if it is the lack of energy for fighting and grudge-holding, a throwback to my athletic/coaching background or a very naive way to get through life. Either way, it works for me.
These are my personal goals for 2011. They don’t include family goals (who doesn’t want their kid to grow up healthy and smart?) and they don’t include work goals (need to nail that tech deep dive presentation). Some of these goals are measurable, many are not (I’m aware of the consequences of non-quantifiable goals). I am putting them in writing to keep track of them, and to hold myself accountable to them.
- Lose 42 pounds. Totally doable and well overdue. Recently inspired by Tim Ferriss’s “4 Hour Body” book. The uneven number is so that I can remember how many. This goal includes some sub-goals:
- Cut out soda, 100% (I did this successfully in 2008)
- Take my lunch to work 80% of the time
- Workout every night I’m in a hotel (I travel a lot)
- Read at least 24 books in 2011 – I got a Kindle for Christmas so I’m going to use to take advantage of all that flight time
- Read 10 Presidential Auto/biographies – and have always wanted to read more about our Presidential history. This is the year to do it. I finished Decision Points and am about through with “His Excellency: George Washington.”
- Read five well-selected professional development books. This has never been an issue for me, but it’s noted regardless.
- Read five fiction books – I ALWAYS enjoy reading fiction and it’s a great escape from work stuff. I still need to finish Atlas Shrugged form last year’s goals.
- Learn more about Venture Capital and the process of starting a “Start Up.”
- Take more photographs – I took A LOT in 2010, I want to take better ones in 2011.
- One post per week on this blog – not an average, but one per week to keep it fresh.
- Spend half the time I do on Facebook – not that it’s that much, anyways, currently.
- Join a Board of Directors.
That’s it for now. I may add a few as the year goes on, but I probably won’t remove any.
If you live in South Carolina, you can’t help but make the choice between the two state football teams, Clemson and Univ. of South Carolina (USC). My closest friends down here are USC fans, so that is the team I adopted. This Saturday, USC is playing in the SEC Championship against the heavily favored Auburn Tigers. I’m looking forward to watching the game, but like most USC fans, I’m not holding my breath. 
