Old Year Resolutions

With New Year’s Eve approaching, now is the traditional time to be determining New Year’s resolutions.  However, I am not sure I need a new list of resolutions as I need to do last year’s resolutions better, hence I really need old year resolutions.

So in the middle of December last year (http://www.alohafridays.net/2010/12/resolving-to-find-wellbeing.html) I came up with my five resolutions which can be summarized as:

1.     Write

2.     Get in the Best Shape of My Life

3.     Give Back

4.     Live Aloha

5.     Chase Dreams

Let me look at these five and see how I did and how I can do better.

Write was primarily manifested in this blog, Aloha Fridays.  I had resolved to write an entry on average of once a week.  I started off strong doing that for December of 2010 when I started and into January, but then slowed down only achieving that two other months (April and July) while having a complete drought in the Fall of no entries for October and November.  That is a classic example of simply needing to do better so I am going to put that back on the resolution list again vowing to write once a week or more.

Getting in the best shape of my life will always be a challenge with age not on my side, but last year I did average exercising three times a week with only 4 weeks out of all 52 that I didn’t exercise at least once a week. Highlights included leading another Rock Body Challenge team to a team victory, 2 Half Marathons, 2 Olympic Triathlons, 2 10Ks, my first Stand Up Paddle boarding race, another 14er conquered, and my first Warrior Dash.  It is hard to tell if I am in the best shape of my life, but I am busy having fun trying. As long as I find some new ways to keep me motivated, I should be good for repeating this resolution.

Give Back was one I did pretty well with since I raised over $5000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society as a member of Team in Training for the Lavaman Triathlon and also served as a captain for the Nations Triathlon team.  I have decided to wait until the 2013 Lavaman Triathlon to try this fundraising challenge again, so I will look for some new ways to give back in 2012.

Live Aloha was manifested most obviously with two trips to Hawaii for Christmas and then again for the Lavaman Triathlon in April, but it also goes to a mainland frame of mind.  By trying to be friendly and focused on family, I tried to bring some of these Hawaiian values home with me and I hope to continue this in 2012.

Chase Dreams describes my professional focus on the Dream Chaser space vehicle, a replacement for the Space Shuttle, we are working on for NASA.  2011 was a good year because we received more funding and personally I was recognized as the 2011 Sierra Nevada Corporation Excel Director of the Year.  Hard not to go down from there, but in 2012 we will compete for our next phase of NASA funding as well as complete several other critical milestones on the project.  I, and the team, will have to have just as good as a year in 2012.

So looking back, the five resolutions I had for 2011 will be just as challenging for 2012.  Follow along at www.alohafridays.net to see how I do.