3 Resolutions for 2019
2018 was pretty good for resolutions (got two out of three) so I’m building on that for 2019. Writing these down mostly for my own accountability but perhaps you’ll find some value in them.
Things I’m going to do in 2019
Resolution #1: Build on the rock.
Made it through 2018 doing pushups every day because I had an awesome group of guys who kept me accountable. Another key factor was that I started small (15 pushups a day) and slowly worked my way up (120 or equivalent per day). Finally, part of why I think I was able to pull this off was because the exercise was doable anywhere — at home, in the hotel room, and when necessary on planes, airport lounges/gates, and other public spaces when I was traveling.
The most important outcome was that this helped me create an anchor health habit (“the rock”).
For 2019, I’m going to build on this and extend the daily habit to include more whole body exercises. Do compound exercises that can be done anywhere. Everyday, do at least 50 pushups with row (or 2x if regular pushups) and an increasing number of what I’m calling hallelujah squats (work up to 50/day). This is where you do a regular squat but as you go up, you raise your hands and go to a calf raise (tip toe). Allow up to one rest day / month.
Resolution #2: Build on The Rock.
Something I really need to do is build a habit akin to #1 but for a spiritual discipline. So on the recommendation of a couple of dear friends, I’m going to read New Morning Mercies, a devotional, everyday (got it on my Kindle as well as hardcover so no excuses).
I’ve also been meaning to reread the Bible cover to cover for some time now so I’m going to do it this year. For days when it’s hard to do the daily quota, read at least one chapter. Allow up to one skipped day / month. Going to follow the Bible In One Year Plan in the YouVersion App.
Anyone want to join me in reading the Bible cover to cover?
You don’t have to come from any particular faith tradition. Going to set up a WhatsApp accountability group so if you’re interested and are serious about doing it (daily check-ins required), email or Facebook message me and I’ll add you to the group. We probably won’t have time to do anything other than to note what we read or even just whether we did the daily reading or not; in any case, I could use all the help I can get.
Use this link: https://bible.com/p/10123576/f8528f031ee74a1888e69b054a4ec276
Resolution #3: Teach Mary and Manny.
Every year, I give Christy one of my three resolutions. This year she chose this one: teach Mary and Manny one thing each. We decided I’ll teach them some basic Hebrew. Mary (3.5) already knows her letters so we’re going to do at least: (feminine) numbers to 20, colors, shapes, animals and some basic phrases. As for Manny (almost 2), we’re just going to focus on the alphabet, bonus points if we get to numbers.
We’ll start small since the kids don’t know much yet; accountability will be monthly check-ins with Christy.
Things I’d like to do in 2019
In addition to the three resolutions mentioned above where it’ll be all hands on deck all year, I have some “aspirations” — things I’m going to try to do. Now I know what Master Yoda said about trying but he’s dead and these need to be written down and treated differently since I don’t think it’s realistic to do more than three resolutions a year (just one is a lot of work).
Aspiration 1: Win Mary and Manny back from Youtube.
Find an alternative set of activities to default to instead of giving them over to an iPad or phone.
Aspiration 2: Default to reading.
Build a habit of reading something substantial (RSS feeds don’t count) whenever free instead of checking my phone (chats, email, social media), playing games, or listening to music. I’ve started by changing the home screen on my iPhones and iPad — all the apps that normally distract me (email, chats, etc.) are now on the second or third screen and as usual most notifcations are turned off. I think the other unlock will be figuring out how to read better: time of day, duration, body position, modality, etc.
Aspiration 3: Explore SE Asia.
While we’re here in Vietnam for the next several years, it seems like a waste to not explore the area. Things seem less exotic when you’re so close to them. I suppose places in Indonesia, Cambodia, and Burma (and Vietnam for that matter) would seem like distant adventures to many people out there but because they’re just next door, we probably take them for granted. So the plan is to get over this effect and to do a trip with Christy to a new place in SE Asia on average once a quarter.
Aspiration 4: Learn to read Russian.
Over fifty languages use the Cyrillic alphabet so it seems overdue to finally get comfortable with the script. I figure what better language to start with than Russian. Goal is to be able to read Russian sufficiently fast so I can more comfortably start to learn the language on my own. Work through one year of college-level textbooks and meet with a teacher on average once / month.
Aspiration 5: Master listening.
I’ve been told that I suck at listening. So I’m going to work on this and learn how to listen better — body, mind and heart. Plan is to read four books on how to listen better (say one per quarter) and intentionally put each one into practice.
Aspiration 6: Sleep longer and better.
I really need to sleep more. Goal is to increase my average daily sleep to seven hours a day counting daytime naps. Have a feeling this is going to be a big unlock on productivity if this happens.
Aspiration 7: Eat to outlive Yoda.
Tried to do this as a resolution last year and failed miserably. Going to simplify this year: do a one-day water-only fast, or a two-day liquids-only fast, once a month. Also, replace dinner with a low-calorie shake once/week.
