OK, so this post will be a more personal one. I’ve never been one for having New Years resolutions. I thought they were a be presumptuous, a little lie to tell yourself to feel better. I’ve heard it many times. “This year I will work out more”, “this year I will lose weight”, “this year I will spend more time with my family”. Cue 2-3 months later, and the resolutions are nowhere to be found, and the old habits were picked up again. It is getting predictable. I mean, I get that you actually want to do this, but most of the times it just doesn’t happen. So I never liked doing New Years resolutions because I knew that I would not hold on to them.
But for this year, I have set new goals for myself. “But Daan, what is the difference? Why now? Is there any difference between goals and resolutions?” Good questions. Yes, for me there are differences between them:
- Resolutions are things that you really want to do to become a better person, in a sense that is socially acceptable. Goals are for me on a personal level. I do this for myself, not for somebody else. That way, I have more binding with them which motivate me more.
- Resolutions are often stated in a vague matter. “Losing weight”, “work out more”, might seem specific, but it doesn’t state how much, or when. It is not measurable, and looking back it’s difficult to say if you held up to your resolution. With my goals I try to be specific, stating how much or often I want to do something.
- For my goals, I will plan out on how to achieve them. Not only will this increase the chances of actually achieving them, it gives me a better sense of commitment and confidence.
So, without further ado, here are my goals for 2019 in no particular order:
- Get certified for 70-486 (Developing ASP.NET MVC Web Applications) and getting certified in MCSA Web Applications in the process.
- Write at least 10 meaningful blog posts (i.e. on professional level and with considerable substance).
- Update my personal blog/website with more meaningful info (e.g. About page, better integration between blog and website)
- Work out at least once a week.
- Make more time for riding my motorcycle, without crashes this year.
Within a year, I will look back on my goals and see if I achieved them all. Wish me luck!