2010 goals…

Xin nian kuai le or happy new year!

2009 was an interesting year and I think I gained some perspective. I think this came having different experiences like traveling to China, learning Mandarin, jumping on the bicycle again, having a different job, and spending time with friends and family. All of these things have given me a chance to look forward to 2010 and to set current and future goals. Some of the goals are a continuation from 2009 while others are not.

I’ve decided to focus on a core set of 6 goals for 2010 including:

1. Pay off remaining student loans.

This was one of my 2009 goals as well. I do have to report success. In 2009, I paid off 3 Wellsfargo student loans and turned my attention to my federal loans. 2010 will finally be the year I will be entirely debt free.

I received great news regarding the rest of the loans. Yesterday, I was notified that due to the settlement of a lawsuit with my lender, I will be entitled to the monthly interest credit that was suspended in February 2008. I’m not sure of the exact dollar amount and won’t know until April. Oddly enough, I project by April 2010, I will have the entire loan paid off. Starting in April or May, I will be able to comfortably set aside $ every month for longer term travel.

2. Make smarter purchases.

I’ve already decided that I will be buying a new bicycle, laptop, and some camping gear in 2010. For each of these items, I have a specific use in mind. While these items may have some significant cost, I am spending time researching gear, computers, and bikes to find the items that will last a long time even if it will cost a little more upfront. I’m willing to spend more for quality if I know the purchase is going to last along time.

3. Complete at least 1 endurance event.

From 2006 – 2008, I completed 1 marathon and 3 half marathons. In 2009, I proved I still could run the half marathon and completed my 4th half. After completing the 4th half, I took some time off from training. I bought a new Trek 7.5fx and biked about 1,000 miles before it was too cold. Even though I loved biking and it was a great way to give my knees a break, I realized that I could not burn as many calories when I biked versus running. I’ve taken several corrective actions which I can already tell are starting to work including:

- consuming less beer and alcohol
- signing up for strength training classes
- kick starting my running again

I was never of a major fan of weight lifting because I was so focused on cardio exercise. After only 2.5 weeks of strength training classes, I am starting to see the importance of lifting and how it can improve my endurance. I still have a major goal of completing a triathlon by the age of 35 with the renewed focus on running (and adding in a bike ride every so often) and strength training, 2010 could be the year I double down and start preparing for a triathlon.

One of the things that I am most willing to spend time and money on is my fitness. There are so many benefits and so little drawbacks. I want to be able to push myself and have the endurance to experience some of the best places on the planet. It’s hard to do that when a person is not fit.

4. Travel to new places both internationally and within the United States.

I don’t even know if this should be defined as a goal as it’s going to be really easy for me to completed. In February, I will travel to Taiwan to experience Chinese New Years’ and to practice speaking Mandarin. My trip to China in September was amazing and I continue to be fascinated with the cultures of Asia. I figured Taiwan would be another great place to visit in order to practice speaking Chinese.

I think the biggest change for me will be what I have planned for a summer trip – hiking, biking, and camping in the Black Hills! I have seen pictures of the Blacks Hills and Badlands National Park and was amazed at the photos. I decided this would also be a good way to re-discover camping and to experience one of the beautiful places located within my own background.

At this point, I don’t have any other destinations set in stone, but I do have 5 weeks of vacation in 2010 and plan on using it.

5. Become active in 1 club.

I think it’d be great to become active in a running or biking club in the Twin Cities plus a great way to meet new people. There’s so many people who are active and it would be nice to not always run by myself. It might even make running a little more enjoyable.

6. Discover my passion.

I already know I like traveling, pushing myself physically, being outdoors, running numbers and scheming for rewards points, and challenging myself with new goals, but I am currently in a job that allows me to save for travel and pay off my loans. I don’t dislike my job, but I would not consider myself passionate either. I am going to use 2010 as a year to look for opportunities and understand what I could be doing. Someday soon I know there will be an opportunity to take risks and pursue the things I want to do.

In the mean time, I am continuing to look for opportunities to develop professionally through certifications and leading projects and personally through clubs, fitness, and learning Chinese.

Closing Thoughts…
These are not the only goals I have, but they do represent my major agenda items for 2010. Some of these goals will be easy to measure, track, and succeed. Other goals seem somewhat subjective.

My call to action for you is to determine your own goals and ruthlessly pursue and succeed at them.

Dream. Pursue. Succeed.

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Tags: goals, perspective, Travel

This entry was posted on Friday, January 1st, 2010 at 5:18 pm and is filed under Fitness, Travel, regular. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.