Info
Redefine 2009: Goals
2007 was a good year; 2008 was a great year; 2009 is going to be even better. I’ll be turning 25 this year which is a perfect time to redefine some of my goals, focuses and throw in a few good personal improvements.
2009 is going to be the first year since I started blogging that I won’t have a daily post requirement (however I will likely be trying to set up some daily habits). This is also going be the first year that I’m setting up a 6-month review where I’ll have the opportunity to change my goals if I decide to go in another direction.
So with that being said, let’s get to Redefine 2009:
1. Redefine 2009
Thanks go to Nate for giving me the phrase that will sum up my year. I want to make 2009, the year I turn 25, to be a year that I redefine who I am, to become even better, to unleash Drew 2.0. Each month I’ll focus on a different area to redefine, including things like my personal style, apartment, voice, culinary preferences, and more.
2. 53 Weekly Projects Challenge
Similar to last year, I’ll be doing a new project every week. And just like last year, if I miss a project, I’ll pay the first person to call me on it $100 (I missed one project last year and did pay out $100 to Chris for being the first to leave a comment). One change this year is that projects will start and end on Sundays.
3. Weekly Content Creation Challenge
In addition to doing weekly projects, I’ll also be creating content every week, either in the form of an article (on this blog or another website), or as a video (most likely posted to YouTube). I’ll post a link to the weekly article/video by Sunday at the latest. If I don’t, the first person to leave a comment on the site will receive $100.
4. Establish 4 New Habits
It takes up to 90 days to fully establish a lifelong habit, a habit that will stay with you the rest of your life. 90 days = 3 months, and you are more likely to succeed if you only focus on one habit at a time, so I can theoretically set 4 new habits this year. I’ll determine the habits as the time comes, but the first one will be to not hit snooze.
5. Improve My Taste
If you’ve ever gone out to eat with me, it doesn’t take long for you to realize that I have very simple, almost child-like tastes. My goal is to train my tastebuds to like healthier foods such as fruits and vegetables. To make this quantifiable, I’ll say that I want to identify 6 fruits and 6 vegetables that I consistently eat (that’s a new fruit/vegetable per month).
6. Publish a Book
Last year I published an article and also ended up creating a comedy CD. This year I’d like to publish a book, even if it’s just self-published through Lulu.com. I already have a few book ideas, so I’ll just have to turn (at least) one of them into a reality.
7. Get 100,000 views on YouTube
After the “Not Hitting Snooze” goal, getting 100,000 views was the one I did the worse on last year. The goal returns in 2009, but I’ll modify it slightly to say that I have to reach an accumulated 100,000 views on all of the videos I post in 2009.
8. $10,000 in Supplemental Income
For the past couple of years, I’ve been doing things that have brought in a small, but nice-to-have, supplemental income in addition to my career job. This year I want the additional income to surpass $10,000. It can come in pretty much any form, including the online business, stand-up/improv, writing or elsewhere.
9. Get on a Harold Team
I love improv; it’s what started me in comedy and is cornerstone of my plan for humor that works. The best way to determine how I’m progessing as an improviser is if I’m good enough to perform at UCB on one of their Harold Teams. This may be the most challenging goal on this year’s list considering the competition to get on a team, but it’s worth shooting for nonetheless.
10. Get 1-Rated at Work
One of the things I lost sight of a little bit last year was my corporate job. It still pays the bills, is why I’m in NYC, and is still enjoyable and challenging. However, I dropped a little bit last year as I tried to adjust to the new city and new role. This year, I’d like to get back to that 1-rating.
So there they are, my 10 goals for 2009. It’s always an exciting time to decide what I want to focus on for the year. The focus on redefining myself adds to the excitement that this year should bring; I want people who aren’t aware of my challenge to be able to notice that something is different/better. I also think the 6-month review of goals will allow me to make any tweaks based on what happens in 2009.
RULES & CONDITIONS
Rules of the “53 Weekly Project Challenge” and “Weekly Content Creation Challenge”
- Missing a project or article/video means not posting by 5am on the Sunday “evening” of that week (this really means Monday early morning). This is a change from last year in that all due dates are now on “Sundays”.
- The first person to comment on my blog is the first person to “call me on it” and will therefore receive the $100. To be fair to those of you without Facebook, the comment has to be on drewtarvin.com. If no one manages to post a comment before I make up for the missing project, then I’ll be the winner.
- There are certain circumstances where I may not be able to post an entry right away (such as travel out-of-town or extreme sickness). In these cases I will post a note IN ADVANCED so you are all aware.
- Rules are subject to change at anytime, but they will be announced either as an update to this post, or as a new posting. If I no longer have a passion for writing (very unlikely), then the challenge could end indefinitely. (Any missing entries prior to the announcement of discontinuation WILL be paid).
