digitalBush

Happy new year everyone!  It's once again time to do the yearly song and dance of reflection and goal setting.  I've decided that it's better if I make these types of things public.  It's good to have support and accountability.  So, here's what I plan to do in 2008:

1. Finish up my 2007 Resolution of losing 50 pounds.  It did a really crappy job, and I intend to remedy that.  I've managed to mostly heal my injuries and I'm ready to go again.  I'll be trying to produce a 500 calorie/day deficit so that I can slowly lose weight.  I'm also wanting to buy a treadmill so that I don't have to run in the dark when it's cold.
2. Read more.  Ashley got me 4 books for Christmas that I had been wanting.  I know "more" isn't a definitive goal, but since I don't read books, anything is an improvement.  If I read all 4 of those books, then I will consider this one accomplished.
3. Create another open source project.  I have a few things in the back of my head, so I'll try to get at least one out and in the public eye.
4. Get my existing jQuery plugins into better shape.  This includes getting them all into source control with build scripts for packing as well as making some changes that people have suggested thus far.
5. Grow this blog more.  2007 was really a building year for me with this site.  I'm learning how to express myself publicly and really trying to find a voice.  In 2007 I posted 69 blog posts and had about 35,000 visits.  I currently have about 38 feed subscribers. So, to create totally random goals, I'd like to post at least 100 blog entries and I would like to see 100,000+ visits with 100+ feed subscribers.

That should do it.  I want to make 2008 a year for me.  I want to improve my quality of life and establish myself more in the development e-community.  Here's to 2008!

This year has been up and down for me. If you'll recall, I made a 2007 resolution to lose 50 pounds. So, the big question is, did I do it? Nope, I didn't do it. The good news is that I have made quite a few changes in my lifestyle and I did manage to lose 10 pounds. It's not a lot and it's not my goal, but it's something and that is better than nothing at all. In a normal year i would've gained about 5 pounds.

What did I do wrong?

• I started the year with a very high calorie reduction diet. It was too ambitious and was very hard to do. I managed to shed weight quickly, but I couldn't sustain the diet.
• I injured myself. Once I had enough of the low calories, I decided to up my intake a bit and start a running program. I injured my foot by running on worn out shoes.
• I stopped trying at times. Once I jacked my foot, I got really bummed out and stopped even trying.
• When I exercise I'm not watching my diet and when I'm watching my diet I'm not exercising.
• The holidays kicked my ass. Ashley made candy to give out as gifts. I helped eat the candy that was remaining.

What did I do right?

• I keep trying. There is something to be said for will and determination. I've managed to make this a focal point in my life despite some temporary lapses in judgment.
• I've made lifestyle changes to my diet. It's now where it should be yet, but I've managed to virtually eliminate certain things from my diet. I no longer drink sugared drinks. I rarely eat deep fried foods. I'm eating smaller portions.

I'm making progress, just not at the rates I wanted to. At this point I understand what I need to do and what it's going to take. I'm going to make this a priority again in the coming year because this is such a problem for me. See you in 2008!