2012 Goals

Okay, stealing the idea for this post from Shawn Stratton's Blog and his post of the same title, I am posting a list of my major goals for the year (along with some of the minor ones). Like Shawn, I don't really do New Year Resolutions all that often, but I do set goals and swear oaths.

As the below goals get completed, they may be replaced with newer goals. This is especially true of the Health & Fitness and Professional goals.

Outstanding Oaths

Only one, but I'm way behind in getting myself ready to meet it.

• Highland Games

  As per my facebook status on 22 May 2011: I will compete in at least one Highland Games (Heavy Athletics) competition by Yule 2012. I am, as stated above, woefully behind in preparing to follow through with this oath with any dignity. Though as long as some of my Health & Fitness goals are met, I should be fine with this one.

Financial Goals

Numerous small goals, mostly aimed at help us get our new home as quickly and as smoothly as possible

• Car Repairs

  The van needs some work done including the rear breaks and the air conditioning. The breaks come first, and I plan to have the A/C completely replaced (cracked compressor) before the heat of summer comes close.

• Debt Repayment

  Certain family debts will be paid off as part of self-imposed pre-conditions of purchasing our own house. One such debt was paid off last year, and one more remains, and is currently in the process of being paid off, though not as quickly as I would like.

  Commercial debts are still being paid on regularly, though some (also in the above set of self-imposed preconditions) will be paid off this year, right after the family debt pre-conditions are met. Other debts, such as student loans and medical debts from James's birth will continue to be paid at slightly above minimum rates until paid off, or more money is freed up to put towards them (not until after the home purchase).

• Home Purchase Prep

  The main goal of this year is to complete all self-imposed pre-conditions to purchase of a new home. Among these is paying off certain debts (as mentioned above), the purchase of certain items we will need in the new home that can be purchased before hand (such as a TV), and at least the beginnings of saving the substantial down-payment that will be necessary for someone with such a low credit score to purchase a house.

Health & Fitness

I am sick and tired of my body being in its current state. I'm grossly overweight, horribly out of shape, and absolutely do not want to be this way. So, I plan to get in shape this year.

• Weight

  My last weigh-in read 310 lbs, with a 55" waist. By year's end, I plan to be down to at least 250 lbs. I will likely be down further, and while I don't have an overall Goal Weight, 250 lbs is well above where I want to be while still being reachable without killing myself. It's likely too easy, so, we'll see when I hit this one, and maybe revise for lower when I get there.

• Food

  I'm back on a primal/paleo diet/lifestyle after falling off on my vacation last year. Eating right, and continuing to do so, is one of the big things I can control that will help me get in shape.

• Fitness

  I am out of shape (I don't count round). I can't do more than a few reps of any basic exercise without getting winded or being unable to continue. Some basic exercises I am unable to complete even a single repetition, mostly due to lack of strength. So, I plan to get back into shape. To this extent, I have, for now, joined Fitocracy for tracking and motivation (though they, at this time, do not have a number of exercises, such as the Hindu Squat). I plan to join the local CrossFit box after the finances from the new job stabilise. On top of all of this, I need to train to participate in a Highland Games so that I won't make too poor a showing in completing my Oath Though this may sound like a weak goal to some, my goal for 2012 is to be able to do the following (no additional weights required):

  • 1 set of 24 Push-Ups
  • 1 set of 6 Pull-Ups
  • 1 set of 6 Chin-Ups
  • 1 set of 24 Hindu Squats
  • 1 set of 6 Shoulder Press Push-Ups
  • Walk/Run 1mi in 12min

Professional

Though I am focusing on non-professional goals this year, I do have some I wish to set and meet. However, the goals I list below are independent of work, with work-required goals remaining unlisted.

• Website

  After a few years of lapse, I have re-purchased my domain name and am in the state of re-developing my website. After all, a professional web developer without a website is rather sad. My goal is to design, build, and deploy a fully functional personal website demonstrating my abilities as a web developer, and showcasing some of my more fun development hobbies.

• Certification

  I have been a professional PHP developer for several years now, and yet do not have a single certification. My certification goal is to obtain a Zend PHP certification by the end of the year.