2008 Resolutions In Review

As a visual guy, new year's resolutions have been a fun part of life the last couple of years. How'd things turn out this year? And which ones should be re-upped for 2009?

1. Count negative comments for one month. While I haven't hit this one per se, this month has been successful so far in developing a habit of monitoring any slips into excessive negativity. The little notebook I carry around doing an hourly mood check has kept me more focused throughout the day. Keep for 2009.

2. Average 50 blog posts a month. Counting December, Hidden Blog's hit that mark in 17 of its 18 months so far. Keep it.

3. Determine a way to increase blog searchability. One way is to increase sites that link to your page, which led to the creation of a new Facebook account. As of March Hidden Blog had never ranked higher than 42nd in Google search results... now it's consistently in the top ten, reaching as high as six on several occasions. This one's a no-brainer, our reason for existence. Keep it.

4. Read ten books. In fact it's been 15 so far, as seen in the reading list at the bottom of the site. We're well on our way to meeting the ten-year vision of reading 100 books. Keep it.

5. Back healing. Thanks to a stretching routine prescribed through a few physical therapy visits, I was able to play four different sports this year, as well as some basketball on the side. Hitting two home runs in a game and accounting for six touchdowns in another exceeded my wildest expectations since I could hardly bend over at the start of the year. Oh, it still flares up significantly from time to time, but this one was a success. It's time to think of other physical goals. Drop it.

6. No sugary snacks or drinks. I'm the kind of guy who usually has to quit something cold turkey, and that's what happened here. I had a handful of desserts and sodas throughout the year, but less than 1% of 2007 for sure. By now this qualifies as a lifestyle change that no longer needs monitoring. Drop it.

7. Drink 8 glasses (64 oz.) of water a day. I thought I'd be able to track this one better than I did. I've got other physical goals in mind for next year. Drop it.

8. Run a race 5K or longer. Unless I can convince someone to strap on some boots and sprint through the cold with me, this one ain't gonna happen. Drop it.

In all, that looks like six out of eight to me. Not bad. Still, there's room to improve. "What gets measured, gets done," and I want happiness to keep getting done so we'll keep measuring!