Inspiration to Achieve

Sometimes I wonder what I would achieve if I lived in a little bubble on my own (maybe with just one other person for company, to stop me going mad). I know myself well enough to suspect it would not be a very productive life; thank goodness for having so many people on this planet who inspire me to do something more with my life.

Years ago, I gave up on New Year’s resolutions. I realised that saying I might try to achieve something in the coming year did not equal getting things done. The familiar sense of failure come February, March, April (you get the idea) as I admitted to my miserable self that yet again I was no closer to losing weight, being happy, being tidy, doing more with my life (the list goes on, I won’t bore you) than I was on 31st December. I have been a fair bit happier since I stopped making yearly resolutions to fail at, so at least one of my goals is a step nearer. I do however still feel the need to have something to aim towards, and I’m in a lucky position to have the time available right now to ponder what it is I want from life. A recent flurry of energy and enthusiasm from my twin, coupled with a chance visit to the Day Zero page of a fascinating Fife blogger (their to-do-list spookily resembled my own mental list) got me thinking in earnest about where my energy should be directed in the coming months/years/decades for maximised happiness and zen-like fulfilment. It seems unfair to credit just two people with this call to action, because I know so many other people who have played their part also. Thank you to each and every one of you (check out the links/blogs I follow, a plethora of creative people for you to be inspired by as I have been).

2009 and Beyond: The Path to Contentment

1. Lose 14lbs
2. Find a spiritual path
3. Find a job I love
4. Write for at least 30mins every day
5. Have a piece of writing published
6. Attend a photography course
7. Attend a creative workshop
8. Learn to play (some) piano
9. See/photograph a red squirrels & seals
10. Learn chess
11. Walk regularly
12. Learn Spanish
13. Write a novel
14. Develop and maintain healthy eating habits
15. Walk Fife Coastal Path
16. Go camping at least twice a year
17. Stop shopping at supermarkets
18. Learn to sing
19. Learn to knit
20. Update blog weekly
21. Increase use of fresh/organic foods
22. Recycle, Reduce, Reuse
23. Wear my glasses when reading
24. Volunteer with a conservation group
25. Go horse riding
26. Travel through Grampians/Highlands on a train
27. Spend a week exploring Isle of Lewis & Harris
28. Teach myself to play my guitar
29. Organise and tag my photos
30. Do a painting
31. Develop a yoga habit
32. Develop a meditation habit
33. Meet creative people (and non-creative, they are nice too)
34. Learn metalworking
35. Identify 25 things I like about myself
36. Buy a sketch pad and doodle/draw until it is filled
37. Catch the boat from Anstruther to the Isle of May
38. Use my slow cooker
39. Join/start a book/doodle group
40. Do something creative every day
41. Read the books on my reading list (20 as of 08/10/09)
42. Visit Hawaii
43. Visit California
44. Take a rubbish bag on every trip to the beach
45. File my tax returns before it is January
46. Practice massage regularly
47. Get a library card
48. Learn to identify trees and birds
49. Own a craft/book shop
50. Turn my photos into postcards/cards for sale

There you go, a list of my 50 top priorities for the foreseeable future. Doing all these things won’t fall into place over night, so I invite you to check in regularly to ask me how things are going. One thing I’m certain of, I am going to succeed in achieving the items on this list like no other list that has gone before. It’s going to be a fun journey.