I haven’t always been the best about making my New Year’s Resolutions clear, even to myself. But at the end of this year, as we head into the next, I still have accountability on the brain. So I thought I would make it clear to everyone, just what my goals are for the next 366—because 2016 is a leap year—days.

1. Read. I didn’t read very many books this year compared to other years. Many of those I did read were fabulous (my list of best books I read in 2015 is roughly a third of books I read this year) and I know that I didn’t get around to many amazing books this year. So this year I have a list, and if I read only books from that list, I’ll be doing pretty good. There are some I’m already planning on reviewing, and some new installments in series I love, so I have my fingers crossed that this won’t be much of a challenge.
2. Write. I started two novels this year, and didn’t get far on either of them. I want to get farther on both of them in the coming year. I want to make real, tangible progress. At the same time, I also want to lay in plans for other projects that are still more nebulous. At 27 I’m still figuring out how to “adult” better, and I think that means doing the work even when it’s hard and I don’t really know what I’m doing.
3. Revise. I wrote a novel in 2013, and it’s been sitting on my shelf since I finished it. I think it’s probably time to take a look at it again, and see what can be done with it—and especially fix the things I already know I want to change. I’ve been putting off writing the next book in the series until I fix the first one, so I should do that so I can move forward with the story.
4. Be healthy. It became clear recently that I have little to no upper body or core strength. I’ve already leapt headfirst into some yoga classes that I’ve really enjoyed and I’m looking forward to continuing with those. A friend has roped me into barre classes too, the first of which practically crippled me for several days afterwards. I’m looking forward to the day when that doesn’t happen. In the warmer months of the coming year, I’ll be able to swim in our pool, which is absolutely my favorite form of exercise.
5. Be happy. I’ve been so amazingly happy for most of this past year and 2016 looks like it’s going to be even better, so I don’t think this will be hard. But I do think it’s important to remember that this is always a goal, and to be mindful of it, to always work towards your happiness and the happiness of those closest to you. I hope I can remember that in 2016.

The mantra for today, stolen from a friend, is this: Start as you mean to go on. Which is why I’ll shortly be heading to my first yoga class of the year. And when I get home, I hope to get a start on some writing as well. Make a good start of it, so that I can continue with the forward momentum.

P.S. The corollary to #2 is that I also want to write more in my paper journal. I keep forgetting about my journal, a practice which has gotten me though light and dark times in the past. I love having the physical record of the events of my life, of the thoughts in my head, and all the emotions that I go through. The month-long gaps in that record are a concern to me, so this coming year I’ll try to eliminate those gaps.