Thoughts and goals moving into 2023

Thoughts and goals moving into 2023

Is this a word vomit or is this a list of thoughts and goals moving into 2023? Let's find out:

“You do not rise to the levels of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems [habits].”?-?James Clear (Atomic Habits)

I’ve realized what frustrates me most in a long-term relationship is when someone says they’re going to do something and then never does it. I’ve also realized the reason it frustrates me is because I, myself, do the exact same thing. There have been so many tasks/goals/ideas I’ve 'committed to' that remain undone.

In the wise words of?Tim Mackie, we have 3 levels of belief: What I say I believe (public beliefs), what I think I believe (private beliefs), and what I actually believe (core beliefs). We never deviate from our core beliefs. If you want to see what I actually believe, don’t listen to what I say, look at what I do.

I dearly want my actions and words to line up with each other. I want to avoid being a hypocrite. Each time I say that I’ll do something and don’t, it’s a mark against my self confidence/respect. And every time I say I’ll do something and do it, it’s a vote affirming my self confidence/identity.

Whether or not you think the Bible is true, it’s a fascinating piece of literature. Biblically, the only thing we know about God when it says that man is created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27) is that God creates. I think humans are meant to be creators. Not just creating words or videos or art, but creating relationships and gardens and beautiful moments. To be human is to create, not just to consume. Creating order out of chaos, something out of nothing; that is the human call. One (of the many) reasons I think there is a rise in mental health issues is how easy it is to spend all of our time consuming. It takes less energy to consume than create, and we are programmed as a species to save energy. The problem is that over time, our creative muscles atrophy and it’s difficult to get them back.

“My life is for itself and not for a spectacle. I much prefer that it should be of a lower strain, so it be genuine and equal, than that it should be glittering and unsteady. I wish it to be sound and sweet, and not to need diet and bleeding.”?-?Ralph Waldo Emerson (Self-Reliance)

In 2021, I thought I had built the habit of ‘one who creates’ (with?DSO). I thought the habit would just stick around. 2022 saw a large atrophy of that habit, and now I’m in 2023 trying to rebuild it.

One realization is that I oscillate between periods of wild productivity and incredible sloth. I have trouble deeply resting, and then when I want to ‘make something’ my only mode of operation is one large push. This is where the idea of ‘diet and bleeding’ felt poignant for me.

What I’d like to practice in 2023 is consistently putting in 2-3 hours a day on whatever my ‘goal’ is, and then getting better at switching into healthy and relaxing activities.

I actually would like to watch more movies and TV this year. Mostly on account of a sneaky desire I have to work in that industry, but also because it’s an enjoyable way to spend time (if done in small snippets, that is. Too much TV makes me feel gross).

“Society is a joint-stock company, in which the members agree, for the better securing of his bread to each shareholder, to surrender the liberty and culture of the eater. The virtue in most request is conformity”?-?Ralph Waldo Emerson (Self-Reliance)

“Rule of thumb: The more important a call or action is to our soul's evolution, the more Resistance we will feel toward pursuing it.”?- Steven Pressfied (The War of Art)

“The devil’s primary stratagem to drive the soul and society into ruin is deceptive ideas that play to disordered desires, which are normalized in a sinful society.”?- John Mark Comer (Live No Lies)

“You become like the people you interact with. And if your friends are living boring stories, you probably will too. We teach our children good or bad stories, what is worth living for and what is worth dying for, what is worth pursuing, and the dignity with which a character engages his own narrative."?- Donald Miller (A Million Miles in a Thousand Years)

I don’t know what your dreams or hopes or desires are, but I know society (over time) beats your creativity and your dreams out of you. Maybe not in a malicious way, but every year there are billions of dollars poured out on advertisements and entertainment and cultivating our desire as consumers for increased ease.

I’ve felt more pressure every year I’ve been out of college to conform to what my peers are doing or lower my expectations to a ‘more reasonable’ or ‘traditional’ desire for my life. Again, not by someone explicitly telling me to lower my expectations, but just by living in America on the internet and having friends who have enough money to consistently eat out or buy a home or travel.

This year, I want to surround myself with people who live lives I’m inspired by and respect and who make me think my hopes/dreams are possible. People who are willing to hold me accountable and actually make those dreams happen. Hopefully people who have mutual dreams that we can work towards together. This, I think, is the secret sauce. A group of people who are committed to a vision or idea.

Right now I don’t have a clear vision for what I want to be working towards. I have some wisps of ideas and I know there are some core tenets of what I want to work on. Some related to working with a group of people towards making some type of communal housing project. Some related to writing or creating. Some with performance. Right now I just want to put my head down and keep my habits strong. Then be open to opportunities as they present themselves. Anything good takes time and consistency, and I want to begin to practice that.

So that being said, here are my goals for 2023:

Goals for 2023:

-Perform Improv or Stand-Up 12 times by June.

-Write 6 blog posts by June.

-Hang with Jesus 90% of my mornings.

-Read 80% of my days. (Even if it’s just 1 page)

-Be in a gym 3x a week. (Even if my workouts aren’t great)

-Play in 3 tennis tournaments in 2023.

-Move into a house with people I know & love.

-Run “The Life” (ministry event) 12 times

-Rebuild my supplemental (freelance) income streams to $2k/mo.

-To be able to give someone a quality 2 hour tour of the history of Portland.