Review of 2019 resolutions

I made some New Years resolutions for 2019, time to review how I did!

See a member of my family every month

Done and done! This is also part of my 40 before 40 goals, which I have accomplished every month except September 2017, half of which I spent in a trip abroad.

Walk 10,000 steps per day

This was mostly solid until the weather got cold. Last winter I lived in the burbs and had indoor walking tracks, but now I live in the south loop where there are no indoor walking tracks. So I have struggled. I'm still working out though.

Travel fearlessly

Mostly did well on this - we went to Israel & Jordan and actually drove around, we will be scuba-ing and driving around Panama over Christmas, and we scheduled a trip to Russia in 2020. I didn't have specific objectives on this one, but I think scheduling something for Russia or Turkey was on my mind.

Listen more, ask more questions

Work in progress. I have gotten better with questions but I still interrupt too much.

Lift weights

I did well at lifting and building strength this year, especially this fall. One of my goals in 2020 will be to do a chin-up.

Get reacquainted with my recipe books, try new things

Did well on this one, and even culled some of my recipes and books to make it a more manageable collection.

Move to the city

Did well at getting rid of possessions (probably got rid of half of what we own, including a car), packing, moving, and unpacking. Goal is to keep decorating new home and finish unpacking & putting moving clutter away by end of 2019.

Play flute out more often

Big win on this one - I played at my uncle's wedding in the spring, then also joined a flute choir in the fall and played out in December. We have a few more concerts in 2020. 

This is something I should have done years ago - it's so fun, and it's great to learn new music and practice listening to others as you play. I have also branched out to types of music I wouldn't have otherwise picked.

Played again with my cousin at my family Christmas party last weekend and might even play at the library next week, if they'll let me.

Get below 160 lb. by January 31 and stay there

Big fail. Shifting goal to 2020.

Work outside the home once per week

Could do more - I get cozy in my new apartment. I need to go work at the library and local tea shops more often. But I have felt very transportable with my laptop and backpack.

Move in summertime to south neighborhood of Chicago

Completed in August!

In the new loft in the Franklin Building, Printers Row

Watch all James Bond movies in order

Also completed in August! This was pretty fun, and the movies were a mix of surprisingly enjoyable and shockingly bad.

Make yarn fruit and veggie bowl for summer (complete by March 31)

Completed on time and very happy with it.

Make yarn veggie bowl for fall (complete by September 30)

Realized I don't really want this and changed to yarn bombing something (completed in November) and to making a bowl of lemons by the end of 2020.

You can find this little number on Dearborn between Harrison and Polk!

Read 100 books

I hit this aim in December and even started going beyond it.

I had a blast with this one, although it definitely took a lot of my time. I think next year instead of reading a certain quantity, I'll aim to reduce my Goodreads list to something like 10 or 20 books, either by reading or culling. Some of my books had been on there for 12 years - time to read or chuck.
Submit an article to the Chronicle of Philanthropy

In looking more deeply into this goal, I realized the Chronicle doesn't really fit the type of articles I write (practical development tips), so I changed it to presenting at a professional conference, which was a goal some years ago. I wrote a proposal to the CASE V conference in December and presented on Monday, Dec. 16!

Run the Shamrock Shuffle (March) in under 50 minutes

Fail, unfortunately.

Pass referendum for the library where I serve on the board of trustees

Completed in April! Really proud of this. I'm no longer on the library board since moving to the city, but serving in local government is something I encourage anyone to do.


Take meditation retreat with Dave

Completed in April at a cute little Insight retreat center near Asheville, NC. Was very enjoyable and want to repeat in 2020.

Part of the reason I track resolutions is to remind myself of the progress I have made in the year. For example, failure on two goals (losing weight, running fast) does feel overshadowed when I see my accomplishments elsewhere.

I'll post 2020 resolutions soon. Happy Christmas and holiday season to all!