2018 Resolutions (well, half of it) | Q1 + Q2
For the past few years, I’ve been using this 0–10 scale for a list of various skills that I’ve wanted to develop.
- I categorize them by: Work Skills | Music/Art | Languages | Sports
- Then, I list out 3 numbers based off a 0–10 scale: Lifetime Goal (LG) | Current Level | Goal by ___ (date)
Current example entry: Voice (under Music/Art): 8 | 4.5 | 5
I’ve been doing this on and off since 2013 and it’s intriguing for two reasons. First, it shows me how much my priorities have changed over the years. An interesting example would be the highest “lifetime goal” for my “Work Skill” category over the years:
2012: Real Estate
2013: Computer Programming
2014: Organization
2018: (back to) Computer Programming
Second, it’s interesting to see how, as I get older, I self-assess how much I really don’t know or how average I really am. Case in point, my self-assessment of my current level for my voice: 2012: 6 | 2013: 6 | 2014: 5.5 | 2016: 4.5 | 2017: 5 | 2018: 4.5
I used to do this annually, but thinking about doing it biannually now — so without further ado…
Areas of Improvement for the 1st half of this year:
Programming Proficiency from 0.5 → 3 (LG: 8)
This will be where I’m putting in the most time. I’m in my 4th week of a 6 month coding bootcamp called Lambda School. I had a little exposure to programming previously, but hopefully this bootcamp will help me become a novice programmer & net me a job :).
Writing Proficiency from 2 → 2.5 (LG: 5)
My goal isn’t to become published or anything like that. I want to become a good writer because I want to be able to clearly express and share ideas. This one will have a very reachable, concrete goal: 40 posts by the end of June. It’s about 1.5 posts a week. 1 down, 39 to go!
Voice Proficiency from 4.5 → 5 (LG: 8)
Besides my current level of English (lol), Voice is my next highest current skill level. Working on music/art is important to me, because I believe everyone needs an outlet for creativity. Plus, singing is also how I release stress :).
My goal isn’t to become a pro, but I want my voice to be something that I can use confidently anytime I’d like. I do feel like I’ve reached a ceiling, though. Besides a few lessons I took in college, I’ve never really “worked” on my voice. I just sang A LOT.
So, a few things I plan to work on:
- breathing exercises: originally, my metric was going to be how long I could hold my breath, but I decided on using the metric of how long I can breathe out for (current baseline: ~30 seconds!)
- doing vocal exercises, like scales, once a week
- taking care of my instrument: stay hydrated, keep vocal chords warm using hot beverages, and be mindful of over-use
Piano Proficiency from 2 → 2.5 (LG: 5)
I want to get better at piano for similar reasons to why I do voice: creativity & stress. Plus, it’s an instrument that I really enjoy singing with. I already have decent technical proficiency since I played for 10+ years as a kid, so I’ve decided to focus on sight-reading.
It usually takes me a few months of dedicated practice to learn one song, lol. But if I instead take a few months to get better at sight-reading, hopefully I can learn future songs much quicker!
Language Proficiencies in English & Korean from 7 → 7.25 (LG: 9) & 4 → 4.5 (LG: 8)
For about the past 2–3 years, I’ve been using Memrise fairly consistently to work on Korean & English vocabulary. I also implicitly work on my Korean through the Korean dramas & music I consume :). My goal by the end of June will be to get my “words learned” to 2,700!
Exercise Proficiencies in Running from 0.5 → 2.0 (LG: 4)
I started running a little bit a few weeks ago (about 5 times in the past month?). Currently, running at about a 11/12 minute pace. My goal by the end of June will be to get my mile time to 8:30!
Misc goals:
- start doing some Calisthentics
- get more serious about following a Keto Diet
- work on instituting a skin routine for my face
All right then! I’ll update y’all about where I’m at with these goals at the beginning of July :D.
