STARTING THE YEAR OFF RIGHT

Some quicks thoughts on goals in the new year

          Many people will undoubtedly make a new years resolution and try to better themselves as 2015 begins. While this is admirable, the vast majority will fail quite miserably. The issue most have is by making resolutions that have no end or are too much too overwhelming that they give up. For example, "I will go to the gym more". That is so vague and has no set limit that there is no wonder February comes around and the motivation has worn off and your back on the couch eating bonbons. Maybe something like, "I will go to the gym several times a week for the next two months and access my progress on March 1st. This way you have a deadline as well as something tangible to shoot towards. Having that date, although it may not seems like it, will give you a specified end date and that makes all the difference. 

          Another reason resolutions fail is people are generally impatient and want results as soon as possible so they overdue it in the beginning ensuring they will have no sustainable success. Back to the gym example, "I'm going to go to the gym 6 times a week for a year!" While quite ambitious, it's no solution for long term success. How about, "I will go to the gym 3 times a week and maybe have an at home gym day if I feel up for it." This has so much less pressure and is way more suited for long term success. Here are some of my goals for 2015 to give some personal examples. I'll leave out specific numbers but the idea are there:

Music: 

Analyzation: I am a big believer in analyzing the best music to become more knowledgeable and therefore a better composer/songwriter. I will analyze x amount of songs, scores, and orchestral arrangements per month. 

Piano: My main focus in music besides composition is becoming a better pianist. I will learn x new piano pieces every month. Maybe it's 1, maybe it's 3, but I don't want to overload or I may get overwhelmed and abandon the whole thing!

Financial: 

-Long term investing: I will save x dollars this year and sometime in Fall/Winter of 2015,  I will invest my savings into a stock or stocks of my choosing. I must save x amount of dollars per month to achieve this. 

-Vacation savings: I am planing a vacation in October and December so I will put away x dollars per month to afford them. (Be specific. Give the exact dollar amount)

Personal: 

Reading: I enjoy reading and it is sometimes hard to find time but I will read x times per week. It's not about finishing it, it's about the journey :)

No distraction listening: Music is so ingrained in our daily lives but unfortunately it is usually to aid or in conjunction with something else. So rarely do we just sit and listen. X times per week, right before lights out, I will listen to music undistracted

Fun: The best for last. It is the reason we're here, to have fun. It is sometimes hard to quantify since it's different for everyone so let's take advantage of it. Whenever it feels right, I will get away from work and have fun. Trust in yourself that you now what's best and have good time. :)

Hopefully this helps with making those pesky resolutions a bit longer lasting and better for your overall mental and physical health. Best of luck and always keep bettering yourself.

-Ryan