4 Goals for a Happy New Year

I don't like new year's resolutions. No one really does. They're the vapid outer shells of the spirit that should be guiding us to being better versions of ourselves. They're a way of saying look at me! without committing to yourself the changes that you may want.

Part of my issue with resolutions comes from the fact that they are so dependent upon a specific time of the year, the idea that one specific date in the year is responsible for magically turning us into fully realized humans, or at least has put us on that path. It's the same logic that I apply to birthdays and why I mostly downplay my own. When we want to change something about ourselves, it depends on so many factors that the time that we put into accepting changes and acting on it can and ought to happen at any point in the year, and at any point of life. Goals don't wait for the calendar to change, and neither should we.

This is not to say that I don't think using the new year as a means of reflection and refining goals that you've been working on, recently started, or have gotten ready to start is a bad thing—much the contrary. So in that spirit, my early year reflections have laid out a map of the goals that I have been coming into 2015 with, and in my case, they are mostly a refinement of the things I spent my time learning about and putting energy toward in 2014.

1. Work with video making and the site as a consistent project, posting content weekly and mapping out what will be posted.

This goal comes from the shift that I experienced last year both toward my writing on the site as well as to making videos. As I have come to have a clearer understanding of my developed interests (hobbies? pastimes?), I have begun producing things here, on YouTube, and scattered about in plenty of other places that has come to reflect that. Wine, food, traveling around, and learning new things about all of them has been the focus of my energies, so I want to double down and really get into more of the nitty-gritty of all of them. I want to learn more about wine and share my progress and discoveries with anyone who will watch, just as I want to cook more and discover more foods from more places, and share those as well.

On the other side of things, I want to learn to edit my videos more smoothly, refine my audio tuning, and learn how to do more things that I as of yet am not entirely sure how to do. I want to continue to learn how to translate the designs in my head into the designs I am capable of making on my computer and share them with all of you. And, most importantly, I want to do this regularly. By setting the goal of producing some sort of written and video content each week, I can get myself into a routine and get myself working with this goal for more time, more consistently. More hours means more expertise.

2. Upgrade technology in order to do better with goal #1.

This goal is self-explanatory. Whether it is upgraded audio, a new camera, or something else to help get to a better place with my creative endeavors, I aim to upgrade the tech that I'm using in 2015. I don't want to get a new camera or a fancy microphone just for the sake of it, but because as I've gone through the process of making videos and doing other things that involve audio and visual production, I have come to realize that my current equipment is inhibiting me from being able to learn how to do things that are essential to achieving better quality in what I'm working on. A DSLR simply has more manual control than a point and shoot and thus a wider range of possibilities for learning, to say nothing of the quality upgrade. Similar things can be said for everything I would like to get in 2015. Onward.

3. Be more outspoken about relevant issues that matter.

With Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and the digitalization of our news media, it is no longer possible to be ignorant to at least some of what is going on in the world without actively trying. I spend quite a lot of my time reading about current affairs and learning about the context behind them, but considerably less time commenting on them and being an active part in them. That needs to change in 2015.

I am not a social justice warrior, and I probably never will be. Even still, there are plenty of issues that either affect me personally or happen in my surroundings in a way that makes them very relevant and important for me to have an opinion on and express it. Just the same, one of the big lessons that we all should have taken out of 2014 is that social progress is never complete. There is always something more to learn and some other barrier to break down in the name of freedom and justice for all. In order to recognize my understanding of my place in the issues of today, I increasingly believe it is necessary to speak up about injustices, take a constructive stance on issues, and be ready to learn and grow from issues that provide new understanding. I'm not a perfect person, I'm not always right, but I always want to be a better person, and there is no better way to do so than to get a little uncomfortable. For me, that means engaging, whether by tweeting or posting to people or writing on here, the point is that in 2015, I will take part in the conversation.

4. Be more courageous.

Whether it's asking clients for a better rate, hustling for more jobs, or being more communicative with friends and family, I consistently feel that I take a step back because I'm afraid of the adrenaline and uncertainty involved. In 2015, I want to take a step forward and be more proactive, letting go of some of my fears and embracing the head rush and blushed cheeks that come from being more assertive with people.

This goal is less tangible than the others, but it's perhaps the most important of them all. It is so much of what it means to me to be an adult that I almost feel as though the other goals will not be possible without it. Let's see where this year takes me.

My last goal, but not specifically for the new year, is to engage more with everyone who takes part in this big project with me. Whether you're watching my videos or reading this blog, following me on Twitter or chatting with me on WhatsApp, I want to know what you think and I want to hear from you more. What are your goals for 2015?