New Years Resolutions

1) Develop my patience.

When I was fresh off the mission I was a very patient guy. In the field, where the very fires of hell seem to come at you in the form of your companion, your patience either becomes a great strength, or you end up killing your companion. I'd hear stories about a kid or see somebody in a zone conference and think "Gosh, I'm glad he's not my companion" and ya know what? A month or so down the road, EVERY SINGLE TIME, I'd be assigned to be companions with that kid.

Oh yeah. My patience grew to biblical proportions.

That was then, though, and this is now. In the years since the mission my patience has dwindled. This year, I'm going to make an extra effort to be a more patient person.

2) Date often. (One date a week, at least)

You can almost hear my mom cheering, can't you? Seriously, though. I need to step it up. I'm no recluse, but I can certainly get out more than I have been in the past few months. And I'll soon be in Provo - a warm little place where the women flock like the salmon of Capistrano, and the beer flows like wine. Oh wait. That's Aspen. Provo, though, really is a good locale for dating, socializing, and the like. It should be fun.

3) Build an Internet Company

Yeah. That entails a few things: a) I build a website and b) I make money from that website. I've had a few really great ideas stewing in my head for the past year or so. It's just a matter of bringing at least one of them to fruition. If things go to plan, you'll hear more about them in the months to follow. I don't plan on selling them to a huge media conglomerate for a billion dollars, but something in the low millions might be nice. ; )

4) Volunteer.

I used to volunteer at an elementary school in Provo to help a teacher in our ward. Basically it was a few hours a week of drawing and answering questions - most of which had to do with my favorite toy or color. What could be better? Recently, I've been watching a lot of "Trama: Life in the ER" and have decided that volunteering in a hospital is something I'd like to do. Who wouldn't want to learn how to use a Sphygnamonometer, anyway?

5) Get Back to the Gym

You just feel so much better when you're healthy, ya know? I get a huge sense of accomplishment, too, after a hard workout. It's a daily thrill that I don't realize I love until I stop working out.

6) Sketch Every Day.

The stem of all creativity and artistic talent lies in sketching. You can ask any professional in any creative field, be it graphic design, animation, painting, and even advertising, and they will tell you that it all comes down to sketching. I've seen drastic improvement in my own talents when I sketch more, so I've decided that it's time I make it a habit. I plan to fill many sketchbooks this year. I'll get a scanner, too, so I can share them with you all. : )

So there they are. Six very keepable resolutions for 2009. If you've made some, I'd love to hear them. Post them in a comment, or post the address of your resolutions! Let's do this!

-Barry