Today is the first day of 2017 and I turned a year older just yesterday. I woke up this morning after a very very brief but much needed sleep with one thought in mind. How do I organize myself for 2017? I know that I make resolutions at the beginning of the year and then loose sight of them as the year progressed. So, in 2017 I've decided to have my resolutions printed, framed and hung up on the wall in constant eye view.I've put together some questions that will guide the areas of my existence that I want to operate with purpose this year.1. How do I want my everyday life to be?I'm mapping out routines for work, home, meals, exercise, reading and other areas of my life so that every thing I do is done with a sense of direction.2. What habits do I want to imbibe or let go of?I want to imbibe the habit of reading, again. I've already started with a pdf of The Brain, The story of You by David Eagleman. Growing up I inculcated the habit of reading from watching my dad pore over tons of engineering books. He built us a library of fabulous books and I buried myself in them, reading stories after stories. I grew with it and lost my head in stories; practically forgot there was a world existing outside books. I read and it was comforting to read. Then I got interested in quotes and I started to find ‘book moments’ and write them out when I read. I’ve used a lot of ‘book moments’ on MSW as quotes and there are some that aren’t my culled ‘book moments’ which I’ve used too. For a couple of years now I’ve not really read a book from start to finish. I wanted to get out of my head a bit and experience the world. What an experience that has been! Especially since an online encounter in 2015. A catastrophe. Story for the gods! No reference to Olamide. Anyways, I got into movies a bit too and began to pick ‘movie moments’ and it’s been enjoyable. But, books do it for me better. I want to let go of the habit of being too forgiving and too kind. Note that I didn't say: Nice. I'm not Nice. 3. Which personal quality do I want to improve on?Positivity. It has kept me going healthily. Helped me be content with life and be happy. To be able to see the good in every situation, without being blind to the bad, of course. I derailed a bit much last year, but 2017 will be all about positive vibes and positive energy.4. What kind of people do I want to Spend Time around?People who are a valid support system. Who are true to you in your face and behind. Who do not express themselves passive-aggressively, but share whom they are positively and without apology. People who aspire to something and a respectful of everyone's struggles. People who don't pretend to help you but are deliberately sabotaging all your efforts. People who are true and as real as possible. 5. What I want to Explore in 2017?Travel. I've always wanted to explore West Africa; to see how the culture is similar and where it differs from mine as a Nigerian. There was a time I was prepared to do that in 2015, but suddenly it seemed everybody hopped on board and it was a vicious competition and I kept asking everyone who had traveled to show me photos and share their experiences; I was curious and I'd wanted to share in, but all I ever got was photos of the individuals posing in front of buildings and how they bickered with one another. Yea, companionship is good and time spent with loved ones is immeasurable, but I didn't see the the art, the culture, the life in the places they had been. And they brought me a handbag, another handbag. As much as I appreciate the 'souvenirs' I'd have preferred something I will need to travel to the country to get. So, now that everybody has been. I can take my time to explore, probably alone, to breathe in the air and be able to tell you how it differs from the air in Nigeria.
Have you made New Year Resolutions?
How do you ensure you keep them?
