2023 Goals — Better Late Than Never

I asked GPT4 to create a DallE prompt for this blogpost. This a way to go before this is usable. Here is the prompt — Create an illustration that represents a person’s journey towards achieving their 2023 goals, including elements of physical fitness, personal growth, and creativity. The image should feature a person running a race, having a date night, enjoying family trips, organizing their home, and engaging in creative activities like reading and crafting. Include a calendar in the background with the year “2023” displayed prominently, symbolizing the passage of time and the pursuit of these goals throughout the year.

I know, I know. This post is late. It’s basically April. In my defense, I outlined this post in December. When I went to flesh it out, the work of AI started moving very fast, and I got caught up in surge.

Physical

• Achieve normal cholesterol and vitamin D levels: I thought my 40’s were the new 30’s, but my cholesterol level begs to differ. My doctor informed me that I’m getting older, and with my family history, I have to get my numbers back in line.
• Reduce meat consumption to 1x day: Part of the cholesterol issue is that I eat too much meat. I’m accustomed to having multiple meat meals a day or simply choosing the meat option when eating out. Reducing my meat consumption is something I’ve wanted to do, and recent diagnoses provide a strong motivation for change.
• Improve knee pain: I’ve experienced knee pain for decades. Last year, I tried physical therapy. This year, I’m considering exploring other interventions.
• Run 4 races: I enjoy races. I don’t participate as frequently as I used to, but one per quarter seems doable.

Personal Goals

• Date nights once every two weeks: Cat and I lost the habit of regular date nights after having kids. Then, COVID hit, and we got busy with work. Years have slipped by. We’ve recently found a regular babysitter, and we can do twice a month.
• Two family trips: Cat will travel for book events. My sister is going to have a new baby for us to visit. The kids are now old enough to take longer vacations. Let’s take some family time off.
• Create a usable attic: The kids are older, and we’ve made significant progress cleaning out some of their stuff. It’s time to transform the attic into a functional space.
• Declutter and organize clothing: A few years ago, I cleaned out my closet. I set limits on clothing items, stored sentimental pieces, and declared “sock bankruptcy.” A simplified wardrobe really helped with decision-making, and everything seemed just right. Over the years, my clothing collection and my waistline have expanded. It’s time for another overhaul.
• Teach Pravin to ride a pedal bike: He’s five. I think it’s time. We’ve been going out on his bike recently, and after a few more sessions, I believe he’ll be able to bike independently.

Creative Goals

• Complete the photo wall: I updated the photo wall last year, but I haven’t printed the last few photos and placed them on the wall. I plan to do that this year, hopefully soon.
• Craft a custom solution: Design and create a bespoke object that addresses a personal need or enhances my daily routine.
• Create beauty for beauty’s sake: Challenge myself to make something solely for its aesthetic value or to express my emotions and inner self.
• Read 26 books: Maintain my annual goal of reading 26 books, with a focus on reducing audiobook consumption and reading at least 10 physical books.