I know I’m totally butchering the use of the word prospectus, but it sounds cool, so don’t point it out…
Anyway, when I set my 2012 New Year’s resolutions, one of my goals was to set new intentions in March. The month is almost over, and I’ve yet to follow through with the task, so using the power of procrastination… LET’S DO THIS!!!
But first, before I get to my new resolutions, I’m going to take a look back at my old ones to see if I’ve stayed on track the past few months.
New Year’s Resolutions 2012
1. Stop Looking for Approval
I’m still working on this, for sure. It’s difficult to secede the thought of approval from your life! With the way most of us are raised, we’re heavily conditioned to seek acceptance of others. I feel though, that when you can break free from that, it opens up a lot of doors and makes life more fun.
One idea I had to work on reversing the habit was to do affirmations every morning when I wake up. It sounds lame as hell and embarrassing to admit, but I think it could have a positive effect. I would do probably both written and verbal affirmations, as I feel a combo would be most effective.
2. Get My Student Loans Paid Off
My goal was to get them paid off by the end of January… but I didn’t get them paid until the first week of February. FAIL!
… nah, in all seriousness, I’m actually really stoked I was able to get them paid off by the time I intended. I’m now pretty much broke, but debt free! Sorta. More on that later.
3. Keep an Open Mind on New Projects
I’ve gotten both SixPrizes and PkmnCards under cruise control at the moment, with no definite plans to expand or improve either one. I’m pretty happy with how both have developed. I worked super hard the first 8-10 weeks of the new year getting them in peak condition to ride along for a while.
What this means is that I’m basically free to brainstorm new projects and pursue something else. I was offered a role in a potential upstart, but didn’t feel totally confident in it, so I declined. Still, I’m going to stay as receptive as possible for new ideas.
4. Read More
If you count skimming through the occasional article on Grantland reading, then yeah I read more. But what I intended was to read more books, which I haven’t (count: 0), so I still need to work on this. I’ve got a lot more free time as well, so I have no excuse. I waste way too much time watching pointless YouTube videos. Damn you, internet.
Even my friend Lee, who is rumored to have graduated high school without actually reading an entire book, has outdone me this year, which is embarrassing.
5. Make more phone calls
I made some phone calls, and I was able to get in touch with some people… others not. I at least made some effort though, which is good. Still, overall I’ve put forth a pretty weak effort here.
6. Get more serious about tennis
The past few months I haven’t really done much other than keep up my conditioning and get ahold of a couple backup racquets, but I guess that counts as something.
I still need to take more action, which will be one up my upcoming goals…
7. “Every day, do your best. Or at least try to.”
I admittedly forget this sometimes. One thing I was planning to do to remind myself of this saying was to set a photo of my dad working as the background on my laptop. That way I’ll have a daily visual reminder to do my best. My dad was an extremely hard worker, and I feel like for him, there was no alternative other than do to his best, every day.
8. Make new resolutions in March
… I’m going to do that right now!
Quarter 2 Resolutions – 2012
1. Get my business in order
I feel like I’ve finally got all my money-making websites well-organized, but I’ve been slightly negligent about the business side of everything. Specifically, here’s what I need to do:
A. Incorporate to an LLC so that I have liability protection and will be less likely to get fucked over.
B. Get an accountant (and bookkeeper) since I get totally stressed about doing that stuff myself and would rather outsource it so I can have peace of mind.
Obviously it’s going to cost me some coin for those services, and paying off my loans in full has set me back a couple dimes, so I can only move forward with this once I’m sure I can budget it. First though, I need to do this…
2. Pay taxes
Everything from 2011 was entered into TurboTax, I just need to double-check the numbers, print some paperwork, and mail my checks. Also, I need to start paying quarterly taxes, so on April 1st I’ll be able to enter in my revenues thus far in 2012, and get that taken care of.
I’m skating a little thin by addressing my student loans before paying Uncle Sam, but I should be ok. If not, I’ve got savings bonds I can cash, and most likely will because I don’t want to sit around waiting to earn enough money to get stuff done. I want things done right now.
Seriously, after I get these first 2 things taken care of, I’ll feel so freaking good. I’m just trying to get back to a baseline with my finances.
3. Spend money
It sounds kind of silly to be thinking about hemorrhaging away even more money, but I’ve been holding off on buying some things that will grant me fun and freedom because I want to make sure I get my taxes and business straightened away first.
Mainly, I want to soup up my bike a bit since I’ve really grown to enjoy riding, and it’ll probably be my main method of transportation during the summer. Specifically, I need to get lights so that I’m more visible and cars can avoid me, and a lock so that my bike won’t get stolen.
I also want to get a YMCA membership so I can go there and play tennis. I’ve played pretty much exclusively with my friend Josh the past couple years, and I need to find new people to play. I may also get a USTA membership and play tournaments.
… oh and I could use a haircut too. Salons aren’t cheap.
4. Keep a consistent journal
I’ve found it extremely helpful to keep a diary of my thoughts every couple days. It seems to keep me focused and solve mental blocks or issues I might be having. I highly recommend anyone reading this to start keeping a journal yourself.
(That’s pretty much what I’m doing with these resolution posts, and if you noticed, my written goals seem to come to fruition more often than not. It’s like magic.)
I wrote in my journal fairly often to start the year, but haven’t touched it in about a month. I want to at least write in it once a week, if not more frequently.
5. Do better with all my previous goals
I’m not going to type them all out again, but basically any goal I haven’t completely fulfilled so far, I want to keep a priority. Reading and dropping approval are probably the main two I want to focus on.
… and that wraps up my 2012 first quarter prospectus. Hopefully I’m able to knock off most these goals within the next few weeks so I can focus on enjoying the seasonal spring weather to come.
