2014 Goals: or The Things I'll Fail At This Year

Twelve days into 2014 and I'm just now sitting down to think about this years goals and plans. I've updated my Google calendar with things I'm either going to or would like to go to...and boy, if I get my way, the first half of the year is going to be BUSY! I hope I get my way. If I do, life will take me from Michigan to Wisconsin, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Washington. Some of those places maybe even more than once. Good thing I like road trips and sleeping in cars... :) So here it is, my goals and plans for 2014:

 1. Reading...always reading. The last few years I have concentrated on quantity over quality. I've read about 130 books a year and while most of them were good, very few fell into the really good category and far fewer into the category of great. So this year I want to concentrate on reading really good to great books. I want to venture out of my comfort zone of fiction (especially of the YA and sci-fi/fantasy variety) and read things I wouldn't normally pick up. I want to read books off my own bookshelves instead of the libraries. I want to finish the series I started last year so Sherlock, James Bond and the Game of Thrones families aren't going anywhere any time soon. And I want to read the books on these lists I haven't already read...and even reread some of the ones I have read.

Books to Read Before They Hit the Big Screen

and

23 Books You Didn't Read in High School But Actually Should

2. Travel...and lots of it. Like I've already mentioned, if I get to do everything I want to do this year, I'll see a lot of different states. Chicago for several Cons and other various food related activities. Seattle for another Con and to see the bestest bestie ever. Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and New Jersey to attend various renaissance faires. And hopefully that's just the beginning. I haven't even started looking past summer. Maybe NYC in the fall for a long weekend of theater can be added.

3. Speaking of theater...  Last year was the year of music, this year is to be the year of theater. I'm looking into purchasing season tickets to several of my local theaters and possibly getting back into ushering. Either here in Grand Rapids or back in South Bend where I used to usher. Hopefully I can make the ushering work out as it's way more fun to see things for free, but if not, I'm definitely going to be spending this years concert money on theater tickets. I miss the thrill of a good performance. I might add a ballet or two into the mix as well. I've never been to the ballet but have always wanted to.  We'll see.

4. And to fund numbers 2 & 3, I'm going to have to start eating at home. I love my regular food haunts and won't be giving them up (I can't live without my Wealthy St. Station or SpeakEZ), but I'm going to have to make a point to live more on Ramen noodles and less on the kindness of restaurants. 

5. Lastly, savings...Despite all the spending several of my goals will require I'm also going to try participating fully in a savings idea that will require me to put into savings the same dollar equivalent to the week of the year. So week one, $1. Week 10, $10. Week 45, $45. Obviously I've started and Wednesday, I will start a new week. Thus far, I've saved the amazing total of $3. Aww, yeah! I'm rich!!

So there you have it. A list of pretty abstract goals that make it hard for me to fail at any of them. Shall I even say foolproof? Oh who am I kidding...I'll fail at least one of them pretty spectacularly. I always do. Try, try again!