After skipping on New Year’s Resolutions last year, I think it’s time to go back to what worked: writing them down and making them public. Two years ago I made these 3 resolutions. I stuck to two of them, and cooking / eating healthy ended up becoming a habit.
To keep the same structure I am going to share my two resolutions as a 5-year vision and a 3-month plan.
Resolution 1:
5-Year Vision: Be able to answer questions about India
3-Month Plan: Learn something about Indian culture every week
My trip to India last March made it clear to me how little I knew about the country and my heritage. It’s embarrassing how many times I’ve been asked to confirm something about Indian culture, only to google the answer like everyone else. I have made it a goal to learn something new about Indian culture every week. To keep myself to task, a friend and I have started http://www.culturejoy.com, a mailing list where we share a few facts about Indian culture each week. The mission is simple – help people to understand more about India and then expand to allow everyone to understand their heritage. If you are interested, please subscribe!
Resolution 2:
5-Year Vision: Be equally as likely to pick up a book as to turn on the TV
3-Month Plan: Read 25 pages a day
I have never been a book worm. Reading was always something that school forced me to do. Perhaps it was a combination of books I didn’t like and strict reading requirements, but reading became something to avoid. In high school, since I never expanded my vocabulary by reading, I actually had to memorize the definitions of thousands of words for the SAT.
This needs to change. Reading not only improves creative and critical thinking it is also one of the best ways to learn from the experiences of others. While it’s unlikely I’ll be the person that reads a book a week, I’d like to simply be in a place where reading a book is just as enjoyable as anything else. This will also help me plow through the books I have collected as gifts over the last couple years!
That’s it – I tried to keep it simple. Did you make a resolution this year? I’d love to help you think through a 3-month plan and a 5-year vision.
I wouldn’t be too worried about not being able to answer questions about India! I mean I’ve lived in India for most of my life, and I still get stumped when visitors ask me questions.
For one thing, everything I learnt in 8th grade history is a fleeting memory. To add to that, questions of a cultural nature are difficult to answer because each corner of the country has its own nuances. But it’s great you’re taking that extra step though!
As for New Year’s resolutions, well I personally decided to go with a few themes this year instead of actual resolutions since I always fail miserably at them. This year is about getting healthier, learning more and improving my productivity. Not sure how I’m going to measure any of this though, so any tips you have would be welcome.