GOODBYE 2014...

HELLO 2015!

 

Gotta love some Calvin and Hobbes. Anywho, I'm sure you all know what this post is going to be about. Each new year is a great reminder that we have a chance to change. Some people are going for the stereotypical changes in lifestyle like eating healthier and working out (I believe those two are probably the most common). Others go for huge life changes be they related to home, family, or career. I made my big "career" change last year and I'm planning on staying strong on that this year (I plan on teaching in Korea for at least another year, perhaps more, but I'll decide that when the time comes) so no changes there.

 

So down to the resolutions. I have a few small ones, a few big ones, but I decided this year I wanted to make changes (even if they are only small ones) in each aspect of my life: physical, mental/intellectual, social, environmental, emotional, and spiritual. 

 

Environmental:

 

In Korea, it's fairly easy to be environmentally friendly. They have strict recylcling laws and seeing as I don't drive a car, but use the subway, I feel like there's not a lot left to do in that area. Now, talking about my everyday environment like my home and my workplace, there are some improvements to be made. My first goal in this area is to keep my home and workplace clean. I'm guilty (as many other singles are) of letting my dishes pile up a little too much, putting off cleaning the bathroom, letting my paperwork pile up, etc. My goal this year is to keep up with cleaning. It's essentially keeping to the rule to put things away when I'm finished using them instead of procrastinating and letting everything pile up. I always feel better with a clean home. The other one kind of related to environment is I want to grow a plant. I haven't decided what kind, but I think a plant will liven up my apartment a bit.

 

Physical:

 

The next one is physical. I'm the kind of person who loves to make goals but hates to put in the effort to fulfill them. So this year, I'm going to try something a little different. Instead of making a goal like lose so many pounds or get a gym membership, I wanted to make the goal a little more fun and a little less daunting. My exercise goal (to start with; it'll progress more as the year goes on) is just to dance everyday. I'm not a trained dancer, but I love to dance. So essentially all I need to do is put on some music and start moving :) My other goal, food-wise, is portion control. I have a terrible habit of just sitting down with a bag of munchies and munching them all up. Before I realize what I've done (okay, that's not always true. Sometimes I'm perfectly aware of what I'm doing), I've consumed the entire thing.

 

Mental/Intellectual:

 

This one was easy to think of, but I know the execution will be very difficult for me since I'm not very good at self-motivation and self-discipline. The first is to study Korean more fully. I've dabbled here and there, but none too seriously. I need to buckle down with this and get to work since I plan on staying in Korea for possibly the next 2-4 years (maybe more depending on what's in the cards for me). I have plenty of resources, I just haven't kept up with it. My next goal is to start writing more regularly. I've decided to do writing prompts three times a week to start with and work my way from there.

 

Spiritual:

 

This doesn't always have to deal with religion, for those of you who aren't religious. But I am religious, so that's what mine will focus on. I admit, I've slacked a lot on my personal scripture study and my personal prayers (most especially my morning prayers which always seem to slip my mind). It works out perfectly because my branch's goal this year has to do with perfecting the saints. Our branch president challenged us all to read the scriptures everyday and to finish the Book of Mormon before the end of the year. I decided to accept the challenge.

 

Emotional:

 

This one will be a little tough because I've discovered a whole new side to myself working with children so much. I used to consider myself a patient person, but now I've discovered I'm not as patient as I thought. My first goal, in regards to emotional health, is to smile more both in and out of class. To go along with that, I will work on getting to know each of my students better and relating to them on a more emotional level rather than just mental and physical. The other thing I want to work on is meditation. All through elementary, middle, high school, and college I would deal with emotional build up by escaping through books. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I want to work on a way to control rather than escape from my emotions.

 

Social:

 

Last but certainly not least. This one, I think, will probably be the most challenging for me. For those of you who know me well, I like my "me time." I get drained by being around people for too long (which sometimes makes me wonder why I chose to teach), so having that alone time is necessary for my sanity. But at the same time, I will often use that as an excuse not to go out with my friends. My first goal is in regards to that issue. I currently live about an hour and a half away from the center of Seoul (which is where most of my hang-out group gathers for activities), which makes it hard to go do anything during the week. I maybe make it up to Seoul (not counting Sundays for church) maybe once or twice a month to hang out with friends. I'm going to up that to two to three times a month even if it's just for a lunch date or some shopping. Second, I want to make more Korean friends (outside of work). This is going to be the most difficult, I feel like, because it's not like I can just walk up to strangers on the street and be like, "Hey, you like an awesome girl/guy. Wanna be friends?" I need to find ways to meet more Korean people my age. There are groups I've heard of that cater to building friendships between Koreans and foreigners. I just need to find some first then commit to going.

 

So there you have it, friends! My new year resolutions. And I'll be very surprised if very many of you made it through reading all of this. If you did, thanks. If not, it's okay, see you for the next post :)

 

P.S. If anyone reading this knows of any awesome Korean peeps who'd want to be my friend, let me know. I feel like I may need some help in that area.

 

"We will open the book.

Its pages are blank.

We are going to put

words on them ourselves.

The book is called opportunity

and its first chapter is New Years Day."

 

-Edith Pierce