Kicking Arse and Taking Names - My Hopes and Goals For 2011

The end of the year always seems to make me do two things – become (even more) introspective and a bit optimistic. Introspection seems to ground me and settle my nerves about what I didn’t get around to doing during the past year. My renewed optimism reminds me that the new year brings more time to do what matters and what makes me happy.

But, I must admit, I seem to get quite annoyed with myself if come December 31 and I still have tasks on my to do list that I haven’t even started yet. Like signing up for that swimming class, like planning that trip to Mexico or buying a sofa. I’m not sure yet if I am more unsettled about the pleasure I think I’ve missed out on not doing those things or about my feelings of slight failure not having done what I set out to do.

The last year has been quite a busy one for me. I completed the first year of my MBA, bought an apartment, moved twice and decided to make peace with my past in a major way. There has been a lot of movement in other areas as well and at the end of some days I couldn’t help but ask myself , “Is this it - really?”. I dunno, maybe I don’t have the full benefit of hindsight yet, but 2010 was a tough one. I think I’ve found a way to tap into my spark again – making a list of everything I’d love to try and do in 2011.

I spent the second half of December thinking about my life here in Norway with all of its glory and challenges. With all of its positives + negatives and decided to make a list of all of the things I want to do during 2011. I tried to think of all the things I’d do if money was no object and I had a year free to do whatever I wanted. What would I do? Where would I go? What would matter?

Overall, this past year I missed dreaming, wondering and exploring. I missed being inspired and taking the time to indulge my curiosities as well as enjoying “doing nothing” (for lack of a better expression). I have magazines from October that I still have not read, books sitting around gathering dust and half written articles saved to my hard drive. Days go by so fast, challenges seem so urgent at the time and there are never enough hours in the day. I know I usually don’t get too personal here but allow me for a moment if you will, to share my wish list for 2011 with you. I understand this post comes a bit later than most may have done as most people usually post their wish list in January, but I am all about doing what needs to be done when it feels right. It now feels right. . .so here we go. .

My Hopes and Goals for 2011

(I definitely need one of these)


read more fiction and more for fun in general Reading is fun-damental, right? Not so much over here, I tell you. My reading life lacks fun in a major way. Don’t get me wrong, I do read, and a lot, but mostly for school or work. I miss reading for fun, for fantasy, for flair. Fiction stirs my creativity, inspires me and makes passing time interesting. I’d like to spend more time this year reading more for fun and pure enjoyment.

make time to do nothing I am a task master supreme and love checking things off my to-do list. I tend to be quite fussy about checking things off my list but I realized one day in November (while sloughing through yet another textbook) it had been a long time since I’d been on a walk, for the sake of walking. Not to get anywhere, or do anything once I got there, but just to walk and enjoy the scenery. Just to relax and take it all in. Just ‘cause. I want to make time to do nothing more often in 2011.

travel more I really want to invest more time travelling in 2011. Travelling makes me feel authentic, confident and curious. I spent most of 2009 and 2010 saving for my apartment + paying for school. As such, I missed out on taking any major vacations for almost 2 years. BOO!!!! I miss exploring, relaxing and enjoying doing absolutely nothing – in another city/town/village/country/continent. I love the feeling of not being rushed. Every succulent second of every day.

places I want to travel. . .
Paris I’ve been to Paris once which was back in 2002. I was in Paris for 5 days and loved it. I love how international and multicultural the city is and how much there is to see and do just going for walks in neighborhoods. Random neighborhoods. I love the smell of pain (bread) wafting from bakeries in the morning, the sight of the sun creeping up over wicked looking metro signs and the freedom to take it all in over a café au lait. Paris has been on my mind for about a year now and I think it is about time I indulged myself and had a visit.

go to NYC Ok so obviously a trip to Paris has to be followed up by a trip to NYC. My last trip was there in 2008/2009 and I had a ball. I stayed in Brooklyn with a friend for almost a month and ate Jamaican beef patties almost everyday. It was fantastic. NYC inspires me because in NYC, you can see so many people from all walks of life living in so many different ways. There is art everywhere and the city has a vibe and buzz I’ve never experienced anywhere else. NYC is a place I find very unfussy in a good way and fussy in a bad way. Everyone seems to be going here, there and everywhere but nothing seems out of place. When I think of NYC, I think of . . .

The views

The lights

Bridges and more views. . .

Buildings

Scotland Never been, but any place that is the home of Tunnocks wafer biscuits is a place I want to visit.


Some other things for 2011. . .

re-do my bathroom My bathroom needs to be renovated. Period. It’s old and totally unsexy. I hope I can get this done by May.

find a sofa I’ve been working on finding my dream sofa (well a dream sofa that costs less than 53K Norwegian kroners), but I may buy one that suits more or less and “make it work”. I have been out looking but slacking a bit in the last week. I’m kind of sick of sitting on my dining room chairs all night though so I’ll probably get on the ball more this coming week. Question – when did felt become such a great fabric, for everything? Especially sofas? Stuff sticks to felt, why make a sofa out of it? Just sayin’.

learn to swim !!! I can swim but not that well. I tried to learn to swim 8 years ago but shamefully I haven’t been back in the pool in 7.5 years. Dang. I missed the registration deadline for one round of classes, but another round begins in a month or so.

survive, thrive and actually enjoy my MBA program Don’t get me wrong, I love that I am doing my MBA right now but it’s tough. Real tough, especially since I’m working full-time. The expectations from tutors are high, concepts complex and the bar is always raised for improvements. Juggling school, work and everything makes life very busy – but I am not always sure I “enjoy” it. Life isn’t all about fun, fair enough, but still this does not a fun time make. Interesting at times, but not exactly fun. I’d like to leave my MBA experience this next year feeling like I not only survived it, but thrived as well.

find a sport I enjoy I’ve always enjoyed sports but have found as I get older that I have less and less focus on sports for the camaraderie, social experience and physical activity and more and more on working out to help keep the pounds at bay. So to help work on this, I’d like to. . .

begin running again At uni (aka ‘college’ for us Americans) I went running 3-4 days a week for about an hour each time followed by weights and stretching. While I loved running + working out so often, it seems like a million years ago. I started running in the beginning simply to stay in shape, but kept running because I felt a lot of pride in doing something I’d always been told I wasn’t that good at. Running also made me feel free because I could push myself a bit (or not) and it helped me sleep like a baby. Finding a sport I enjoy and beginning to run again will be key if I want to. . .

lose 15 kgs. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m definitely not 500 pounds but Norway has been (very) good (or bad I guess I should say) to my waistline. At uni we all talked about the freshman 15 (or freshman 40 in some cases) but when I moved to Norway, 5 kgs. jumped on my thighs overnight. I guess I should call that the Foreigner Five? Ha! Yikes! I guess it could be worse, but the scale is not moving in the right direction. I’ve gone up and down in weight quite a bit in the last 4 years but ultimately losing 15 kgs. would put me in the range I’d like to try to stay in.

hike Preikestolen . . .again . . This local hiking attraction is a must do when you have visitors come or first move to Norway from another country. I hiked up to Preikestolen once back in 2006 and haven't been back since. Shame on me. Not that I'd love to hike up there every weekend, but it would be a symbolic way to connect me to my fjord-ian roots.

improve my Norwegian, especially by speaking Norwegian more frequently This is the thing. I speak, read and write Norwegian. And while my Norwegian is okay, it could always be better. Always. This sort of goes without saying though. I like Norwegian and I love understanding Norwegian but I need to force myself to use it more often in all aspects of my life. I lack confidence in my language skills, and this year I’d like to challenge myself here and work on improving that. I’m challenging myself to use some opportunities at work to make some improvements in this area as well as investing in more Norwegian movies, magazines and “fun stuff” to make improving my skills more enjoyable.

go to a day spa Sounds luxurious but definitely something I’d be up for in the coming year. A day of pampering and chilling. Ahhhhhhh. . . .

One thing on the emotional side I’d really like to work on is learning to stop holding a grudge. I’m kind of good bad at this. I have the long term memory of an owl and tend to hold on when I could be letting go + moving on. It is really childish and icky (for lack of a better expression) and totally lame to hold a grudge. I know this. But old habits tend to keep us in old places for too long. Boundries, boundries are good. Grudges are not. Letting go and moving on is freeing and the only way to go from now on. I most certainly want to change this in the coming year.

Most importantly, as this year goes along, I hope to feel very thankful for every day and every opportunity I have at my feet. My life as it is now and as I hope it will continue to be is filled with love and very bright. I would be happy with a few tweaks in key areas, but overall, the sun is shining and the birds are chirping. I hope I can continue to feel a sense of gratitude about it all for a long while and continue to remind myself that no matter what, each day brings new possibilities for growth.


So there you have it - my wish list for 2011. What about you? Anything you’ve planned for 2011? Anything you’d like the challenge yourself with?



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