Me, me, me ...

It's generally held in writing that the more occurrences of "I" in an article the worse it will be. I've been proud to uphold that principle in the writing of this post.
 
Over two weeks into 2010 and what have I achieved? Chuff all! That only leaves me 50 weeks to get on with activities, so it's time to work out what needs doing ... and in particular you get a clarity of purpose when given an immovable deadline such as a little person arriving in your life.

Gretchen Rubin's Happiness Project has been an inspiring read over the last year or so, and while I may not agree with everything that's been written, there's no doubting it has provided considerable food for thought and a way to modify my outlook on life for the better. I'm also quite liking the DayZero plan (link courtesy of Ceri) with the specific goal of marking out 101 things to achieve in the next 1001 days. Generating items and pushing to complete them is a great way to show progress but with hand on heart I couldn't sit here and write that list right now.




Professional
My job's alright, and I'm certainly more than competent and a reasonably clever chap (modest too) but there's always something more that can be done or improved upon to take it up a step.

• Define my career. Pretty bold and exceptionally sweeping statement, but am I happy with what I'm doing right now and if not what do I want to do? Where do I want (and need) to be five years from now to make me a happy man?
  
• Qualification. Following on from the above, how do I get there and would I benefit from accreditation in any form or another to help me and my employer. Is it worth pursing in my own time and what difference can it make?

Personal
I've opted to lump all my goals into general categories and see how that works out for me. In addition, some of my jobs will be dull as the proverbial dishwater and really don't think you need to know I'm planning on sanding my window frames this year. Oh piss, now you do know ...

• TV. I rarely touch the television as a source of entertainment, but it would be nice to catch up on a couple of TV series that have come out over the past few years. Having thoroughly enjoyed watching Battlestar Galactica through to the end of season four, I'll now be attempting to work my way through Chuck, Entourage, Eureka, Middleman, Stargate Atlantis and The Wire. Probably the only post you'll see this year where someone promises to watch more television!
• Whine less. I'm a nightmare for having a good grumble, and even with my modified attitude last year where instead of simply moaning about it, I now look for a positive action to counter it ... there are occasions where mooing less about something would probably be quite nice.
  
• Painting. I'll cover the ins and outs in more detail on Figmentia but suffice to say I won't have much money to buy more toys with a wee person incoming during the summer and want to make the most of what I've hoarded over the years.
  
• House. Ah yes, all those little DIY jobs you threaten to do and never seem to get around to. Well that's going to change this year and they're getting done whether they like it or not. Need to set aside space for a nursery too ...
• Gaming. Like most men of my age with a strong interest in computer games, I'm traditionally a nightmare for buying games and not squeezing every last delicious morsel out of them ... but instead moving on to the next shiny thing. I want this to change and get more for my money from purchases.
• Health & Fitness. This went pretty well during 2009, but my wrist injury has set me back considerably and it's apparent that without regular hammerings at the gym my natural shape is a rotund one. Losing the gut (again) is this year's goal. It would also be nice if I stopped breaking and snapping things too, as it's getting a little old hat now.
• Documenting. Being a avid fan of the written word, I strive for improvement in my own writing and there's no easier way of doing this than maintaining records of events
  
• Finance. Hand in hand with the item above, with a view to getting our mortgage down as far as possible while we're able to. I don't like borrowing money at the best of times, so owing six-figures to clowns who pay themselves exorbitant bonuses for putting the economy into financial ruin, offends my sensibilities. Budgets will be defined for the coming year too so there's still flexibility to attend events that appeal to me.
  
• Drinking. Less of this drinking and nights out on the beers this year. My intake has been rather limited over the last month due to injury and it really hasn't crimped my style one jot, so I'll be making an active attempt to continue this. Plus it's a money saver and better for the waistline, which is a double-winner.
• Sports. More sporting events! Dragged my sorry arse to a couple of football games and a fantastic rugby match but would definitely like to achieve more. No danger of me actually participating in anything, as I'm bad enough with injuries without actively seeking them out.
  
• Concerts. Had a blast attending a four amazing shows last year (Eddie Izzard, Fever Ray, Flaming Lips and Spinal Tap) and look forward to cherry picking a few more artists I'd love to see live in the coming year. Tickets for Mastodon and Peter Gabriel already booked in, which is a nice way to start things off.
  
• Baby. Ah yes, the small arrival for the year. No idea what goes under this category yet, but hey ... that's half the fun of having one isn't it? It'll be an interesting ride no matter what happens.
  

Some of these are items I've touched on previously, but that's okay. I'm happy to reaffirm my committment to making these happen because it's a reminder they still need working on and shouldn't slip out of focus.