At the beginning of every year, I establish a list of goals (or New Year’s resolutions) for the coming calendar year. I post this list on my blog and social media to hold myself accountable.
I recommend this to everyone. I’ve been engaged in this process since 2010, and I’m convinced it’s helped me be more productive and successful, even though my average goal completion rate over the past 14 years is 57.6%.
I’ve learned that setting exceptionally high goals and accepting inevitable failure is critical to achievement.
I’ve also legitimately changed my life as a result of this process. Previous goals have led me to daily meditation, learning to cook, flossing without missing a day in more than a decade, and exercising regularly. Many goals that once appeared on my list are now simply things that I do regularly without thought or effort.
An unexpected side benefit has been the occasional assistance from readers in completing some of my goals through advice, recommendations, and sometimes even direct intervention. Five years ago, the amazing Kathryn Gonnerman turned the blog that I had written to my children for the first six years of their existence into six enormous, beautiful tomes that my kids are constantly reading today. They are some of the most precious things we own.
She knocked one of my goals right off my list.
People are exceptionally kind, and I never turn down an offer of assistance.
The interest in these posts on my yearly goals and monthly updates has been equally unexpected. I often feel like updating my progress each month is the least interesting thing I write, done only for me, but apparently, readers disagree.
They are some of my most-read posts. Tens of thousands of people read these posts monthly.
Many people appreciate my willingness to share my failures openly. It’s easy to look at someone and think they do everything well, but when you look under the hood, it’s easy to see that not everything is firing on all cylinders.
I’m simply lifting the hood and allowing people to see my imperfection and outright failure.
So here are this year’s goals. As always, I choose goals focused on process over product. With a couple of exceptions, I don’t write goals that depend upon the decisions of others to complete. So instead of writing:
“I will publish a novel.”
… my goal would be:
“I will write a novel.”
I have control over the quality and quantity of my writing. But I have no control over whether or not an editor will deem it worthy of purchase and publication. Many great authors remain undiscovered until well after their death, but thank goodness they continue to write in the face of rejection.
Process over product. When setting goals, we must make them dependent upon our own effort and not the whims and predilections of others.
They must also be specific and measurable. “Lose weight” is a terrible goal. “Lose 10 pounds” is much better.
I always reserve the right to add to or edit a goal on the list when and if conditions change throughout the year.
My 2025 New Year’s Resolutions
PERSONAL FITNESS/ATHLETICS
1. Don’t die.
Recommended by my friend, Charles, years ago, and still worthy of the first position on the list.
As always, I plan on living forever or die trying.
2. Lose 10 pounds.
I lost nearly 40 pounds in 2023 — twice as much as planned or expected. As a result, I was within striking distance of my high school weight when competing in the district championships as a pole vaulter.
Years ago, my doctor suggested that my high school weight would be ideal for me. I told my doctor that she was ridiculous to think I would ever return to that weight.
I thought she was crazy.
Sadly, she’s no longer my doctor, so she’ll never see my progress, but at least she can’t say, “I told you so,” at this year’s physical.
I failed to lose weight in 2024, though keeping off the 40 pounds was an achievement in itself.
I plan to attempt again to lose at least ten pounds in 2025, bringing me close to my high school weight.
3. Do a targeted push-up workout at least four times per week.
This is a repeated goal from 2024.
For over a decade, I have been doing 200 push-ups daily—typically four sets of 50 or five sets of 40. However, after some research, I’ve learned that doing a variety of push-ups is far better for me in terms of building muscle and exercising different muscle groups.
I did this in 2024, and the results were good. At a recent appointment, my doctor said, “Strength certainly isn’t a problem for you.”
Positive feedback always feels good.
So, in 2025, I will repeat this goal, doing a targeted push-up workout every four days, varying the type and number of push-ups based on the guidance of an expert.
Push-ups with one foot raised in the air
Push-ups from various inclined positions
Push-ups from multiple hand positions
Push-ups with weight on my back
Push-ups with elastic bands for resistance
4. Complete 100 sit-ups four times per week.
This is a repeated goal from 2024 that I have been doing for more than a decade.
I still hate doing sit-ups, so this remains on the list. Accountability remains critical.
5. Complete three one-minute planks four times a week.
This is a goal from previous years that I am continuing in 2025.
I also hate these things.
6. Cycle for at least five days every week.
I stopped going to the gym and started riding my indoor and outdoor bikes. This turned out to be a silver lining in that difficult time.
I went on 345 rides in 2024 and hope to meet or exceed that number, but five days per week is a solid goal.
7. Try at least three new vegetables I have never eaten before or do not like.
Elysha suggested this goal.
It’s true that I don’t find many vegetables palatable, but I also know that over the years, tastebuds die and preferences shift, so trying vegetables for the first time or trying vegetables again after time has passed makes sense.
Children have about 10,000 tastebuds. The average adult has between 2,000-8,000. Smoking, drinking alcohol, and certain medications can reduce the number of tastebuds substantially. As a result, the way food tastes will change over time.
This is why people expand their palates as they age. They are not becoming more sophisticated or daring. They simply taste less effectively, so the once unpalatable flavors are now muted by the absence of taste buds.
The food tastes different. Therefore, they can now enjoy it.
Unfortunately, I am a supertaster—verified via an actual test—meaning I taste flavors that most people cannot. This explains why my palate is not as expansive as I’d like.
Let’s be clear: I would love to eat a wider variety of foods. I just can’t stand how they taste, which is likely very different from how they taste to you.
Not only am I a supertaster, but I have also never smoked, haven’t consumed any alcohol except for the occasional champagne toast in almost 30 years, and have never taken any regular medications. I have done little to harm my already highly effective tastebuds.
Nevertheless, I agree with Elysha. I should try some new vegetables this year, and so I shall.
8. Get a DEXA Scan and VO2 Max test at least once in 2025.
A DEXA Scan provides an in-depth analysis of your fat tissue, lean mass, and bone density. A VO2 Max calculates the amount of oxygen a person can use while exercising and is used to determine a person’s cardiovascular fitness and aerobic endurance.
9. Lower my handicap to 19.9.
My current handicap is 25. I plan to get it below 20 this year.
In 2024, I aimed to achieve the USGA’s average golfing handicap for men of 14.2. But after doing some research, I came to understand that this is the average handicap for men who track their handicaps, which means most are members of a club, play often, take the game seriously, and, worst of all, manage their handicaps.
The average recreational player — someone playing 2-3 times per week at most — is 20-25. I am at the top of that leverage and hope to drop it under 20.
I will need to hit the ball farther to accomplish this goal. My putting is better than average. My short game is solid. I can escape bunkers with relative ease. I hit the ball straight. But I do not hit a tee shot long enough to reach greens in regulation, and my mid-irons and woods don’t travel far enough to make up for that gap.
I need to clobber the ball better.
This is one of those rare goals I have pinned to achievement rather than effort. I could set a golfing goal based on the number of times I take lessons, practice at the range, and play the game, but my desire to improve demands that I set a numerical goal predicated on performance.
WRITING CAREER
10. Complete my eighth novel.
I’ve actually written nine novels, but only eight have sold. I have one “in the drawer” that nobody wanted, but for the purposes of this goal, I plan to write a brand new novel in 2025 and finish it before the end of the year.
11. Write, edit, and revise my golf memoir.
I wrote a memoir about ten years ago based on a summer golfing with friends. It was a good book back then, so I intend to approach it with fresh eyes and make it even better in 2025, hoping that my agent will sell the book to a publisher in 2025 or 2026.
12. Write my “Advice for Kids” book.
This represents a continuation of an incomplete goal from 2024.
For most of my teaching career, I have offered my students “life lessons”—moments of learning that are often direct, amusing, helpful, and almost always associated with a story.
In 2021, while I was offering one of these life lessons to my class, a student named Alexis asked that I begin writing them down. Unlike any student before, she became a scholar of my advice, treating each lesson like gold.
Rightfully so!
And so I did. Thus, I have an extensive collection of meaningful lessons told via amusing anecdotes and stories. My agent thinks that my amusing, sarcastic, and direct nature might appeal to kids, and my 25 years as an award-winning teacher might appeal to parents, so I plan to assemble, expand, and craft these lessons into a book by the end of the year.
13. Write/complete at least three new picture books, including one with a female, non-white protagonist.
I achieved this goal in 2024 by writing three new picture books.
I hope to sell at least one this year.
My goal remains the same in 2025.
Also, for the record, all of my picture books are excellent and worthy of publication. Having spent 25 years with the targeted readers for these books—children—I know what I’m talking about, so if you know a brilliant, savvy children’s book editor, please send them my way.
If you happen to be a brilliant, savvy picture book editor, call my agent.
14. Write about my childhood in partnership with my sister, Kelli, at least once per month.
Last year, my sister, Kelli, texted me:
“We should work together again to preserve the stories of our childhood before I get too old and start to forget. I am 50 now!”
Kelli has one of the best memories of anyone I’ve ever met. People are surprised at what I remember from childhood, but compared to her, I remember nothing. She is a steel trap.
Years ago, we began writing about our childhood on a blog entitled “107 Federal Street.” That writing still exists. In 2025, I’d like to find a way to return to writing with my sister, hoping to recover even more childhood memories and produce something valuable in the process.
15. Write a new solo show.
I wrote my first solo show, “You’re a Monster, Matthew Dicks,” in 2023 and performed it several times.
I love the result. I hope to perform it again.
I plan to write my next show in 2025.
16. Submit at least three Op-Ed pieces to The New York Times for consideration.
This has been my goal for the past six years. I hope to eventually get something published, but until then, I plan to continue submitting in 2025, including at least one Modern Love submission.
17. Write at least four letters to my father.
This is a repeated goal from 2025.
My father has not responded to my letters in quite a while, but that doesn’t mean I can’t continue to write and send them, which I will do at least four times in 2025.
18. Write 150 letters.
I wrote 224 letters in 2024 to a wide variety of people, including students, former students, friends, former teachers, family members, neighbors, authors, politicians, podcast hosts, business owners, restaurant servers, and many more.
So many beautiful, unexpected, unforgettable interactions took place as a result of my communication. I plan to repeat this goal, which has been on my list for years,
About 12 letters per month.
I strongly recommend you establish a similar goal. It’s been a wondrous addition to my life.
19. Write to at least six authors about a book I love.
On New Year’s Eve of 2021, I received an email from a woman who read my first novel in middle school and has followed my work ever since. She credited me for helping her fall in love with reading and has just finished writing her first novel. It was a joyous way to end the year.
It was a joyous way to end the year. I decided to do the same for authors whose books I adore.
I wrote six letters to authors in 2022, 2023, and 2024. Two of them — Kate DiCamillo and David Sedaris — wrote back! Joy!
My goal is to do this at least six times again in 2025.
STORYTELLING/SPEAKING CAREER
20. Launch a new Homework for Life app.
I have a new partner on this project — a digital wizard and business genius — and together, we are building a Homework for Life app. People have asked me about it for years, but it wasn’t until I met my partner that I decided to move forward. I wanted someone who wasn’t just looking to turn my idea into a digital product but was also a fan of storytelling, too.
Happily, I found that person. We plan to launch in 2025.
21. Record and publish at least 25 videos to my YouTube channel.
I sent my production manager to a YouTube production class so we could begin building my YouTube presence. This will drive website traffic and likely boost sales of my courses and other products.
22. Perform a new solo show.
In 2023, I performed “You’re a Monster, Matthew Dicks” three times to sold-out audiences at Theater Works in Hartford.
I later performed it at two additional theaters in New York.
It was the thrill of a lifetime.
I plan to repeat the thrill in 2025, beginning at TheaterWorks in Hartford in April.
23. Revise my free Storyworthy Academy.
“Storyworthy for Business” — the huge 2024 project is now complete and available for purchase.
Find it and much more at storyworthy.com.
I want to produce a much-improved version of my free Storyworthy Academy as soon as possible. It’s designed to be a perfect introduction to storytelling, and the new videos and plan we have created will do exactly that.
24. Record and produce at least three new Storyworthy courses.
I currently have four courses available online:
- Finding Stories
- Anatomy of a Story
- Humor: Volume #1
- Storyworthy for Business
I also have several smaller webinar-like products for sale.
I plan to produce at least two more courses in 2025.
25. Produce a total of six Speak Up storytelling events in 2023
Since we launched Speak Up back in 2013, we have produced a total of 118 shows.
2013: 3
2014: 8
2015: 12
2016: 17
2017: 17
2018: 13
2019: 17
2020: 12
2021: 8
2022: 6
2023: 5
2024: 8
We plan to produce at least six Speak Up storytelling events in 2025. Two are already on the books!
26. Submit pitches to at least three upcoming TEDx events, hoping to be accepted by one.
I’ve spoken at 12 different TEDx conferences. While some have been failures due to technology—a broken clicker, a camera failing to record, a failed timer, and one TEDx team disappearing without uploading the talk to the internet—a few have been critical hits for me.
Homework for Life, which has more than 130,000 views.
Live Life Like You Are 100 Years Old and Say Yes became critical components of my book “Someday Is Today.”
Speak Less, Expect More is often viewed by teachers and brings me to their schools to speak.
You Are Your Best Audience and What is a Story have helped me share my storytelling philosophy with the general public.
But I have at least two new talks in me:
One on critical feedback and another on time management. They are better than they sound.
I plan to pitch one of these new talks to at least three upcoming TEDx conferences in 2025.
27. Attend at least eight Moth events with the intention of telling a story.
My Moth attendance ever since attending my first Moth StorySLAM in 2011 has been:
2011: 4
2012: 9
2013: 19
2014: 19
2015: 31
2016: 31
2017: 20
2018: 15
2019: 22
2020: 15
2021: 12
2022: 18
2023: 19
2024: 15
Note that this represents the number of times I attended a Moth event, including StorySLAMs, GrandSLAMs, Main Stage performances, The Moth Ball, and more. It does not represent the number of times I’ve performed.
Sadly, my name does not always get drawn from the hat.
As opportunities to speak and perform at other venues for various organizations have increased, I’ve had to devote less time to Moth events, even though they remain my favorite shows in the world.
Give me a Moth StorySLAM any day.
Given my previous record, attending eight Moth events in 2025 is a low number, but my children are getting more involved in activities that I want to ensure I attend. Thus, I want to ensure balance while striving to achieve goals.
28. Win at least one Moth StorySLAM.
Last year, my goal was to win one Moth StorySLAM.
I won three of the five I competed in for a win percentage of 60%.
A solid year of Moth performances.
Since 2011, I’ve won 55% of the Moth StorySLAMs in which I’ve competed for a total of 61 victories,
Though I’m hoping for more than one victory, that is the goal I’m setting again for 2025.
This goal depends upon the decisions of others (which I try to avoid when setting goals), but competing in StorySLAMs isn’t enough to justify the goal.
I need to win.
29. Win a Moth GrandSLAM.
I won one GrandSLAM in 2014.
I won two GrandSLAMs in 2015.
I won one GrandSLAM in 2016.
I failed to win a GrandSLAM in 2017.
I won two GrandSLAMs in 2018.
I failed to win a GrandSLAM in 2019 and 2020.
I won one GrandSLAM in 2021.
I won two GrandSLAMs in 2022.
I failed to win a GrandSLAM in 2023 and 2024.
Zero wins in two opportunities. Two second-place finishes.
Overall, I’ve won 9 GrandSLAMs in 37 attempts for a 24% win rate. Not bad given that 10 people tell stories, and it’s much harder to win a GrandSLAM with all of those annoyingly excellent storytellers, not to mention the four times I was defeated by stories that I helped to find and craft.
Arming my competition. A terrible strategy.
This goal also depends upon the decisions of others (including how quickly my turn in a GrandSLAM comes up), but competing in a Moth GrandSLAM just isn’t enough to justify the goal.
Once again, I need to win.
30. Pitch “You’re a Monster, Matthew Dicks” or my new show to six theaters in 2025.
I performed and recorded “You’re a Monster, Matthew Dicks” three times at Theater Works in Hartford in 2023 and two times in 2024 in New York theaters.
I’ll perform my new show in April if things remain on schedule.
I want to perform one or both shows again in 2025, so I aim to pitch the show to theaters and/or directors in hopes of landing additional venues for the show in 2025 or beyond.
31. Produce at least 24 episodes of our podcast Speak Up Storytelling.
I’m so excited to finally begin podcasting again in 2025. Elysha and I had tens of thousands of listeners before the pandemic sent us to virtual instruction and brought our podcast to an abrupt end. Elysha’s degree program followed, further preventing us from recording, but throughout the last almost three years, people have continued to listen and ask for more.
Every week, people wonder when and if Elysha and I will record again. Some have listened to the show’s more than 100 episodes more than once.
We plan to begin recording and producing new episodes in the first weeks of 2024, and I hope to produce at least one new episode every two weeks, thus finishing 2025 with at least 24 new episodes.
32. Perform stand-up at least six times.
I performed stand-up just four times in 2024. A failed goal that I hope to improve upon this year.
Six times is not a lot in terms of stand-up comedy, and I hope the number is higher, but I’ll set a goal for six and see what happens.
33. Pitch three stories to This American Life.
I had a story on This American Life in May of 2014. Since then, I’ve pitched stories to someone I know who works for the show, and since 2022, I’ve pitched stories through more formal channels.
I plan to pitch the show at least three more times in 2025.
34. Submit at least three pitches to Marc Maron’s WTF podcast.
When I list possible publicity opportunities for my publicist, Marc Maron’s WTF has always been at the top of my list. I’ve been listening since his first episode and would love to talk with him. I’ve pitched myself to him before, including three times a year for the past five years, and I’ll do it again, at least three times, in 2025.
35. Send a newsletter to readers at least 50 times.
Given how my business operates, sending one newsletter per week should be easy, but I still want to connect meaningfully through my newsletter in 2025. An average of once per week is a good number.
HOME
36. Organize the basement.
I completed about 60% of this goal in 2024. I plan to finish it in 2025.
36. Clear the garage of unwanted items.
The garage is organized and clean, but items need to be removed in 2025. Once the weather makes the garage more palatable, this goal should be fairly easy to accomplish.
37. Replace our backyard shed.
We tore down the old shed because it would fall on its own soon, but we have yet to replace it, meaning all of our shed stuff is stored in the garage.
We need a shed.
38. Get the hardwood floors refinished.
Our floors are a struggle because our cats are impossible to board. We will need to keep them off the floors while they dry, so I need to find a company that can come early enough to begin the work so that when the cats eventually emerge from the basement, where they will hide while the work is being done, they won’t ruin the floors.
I essentially need a company that works quickly and with lots of TLC.
If you have any suggestions, please let me know. I’ll spend 2025 trying to find a way to make this happen.
FAMILY/FRIENDS
39. Travel to Europe.
I’ve never been to Europe, and neither have the kids, so this summer, we plan a trip across the Atlantic to the UK and France. Admittedly, Elysha will do much of this planning, but I will support her in every way.
I may also travel to Australia this year on a speaking tour for work.
This one is strictly for fun, though if The Globe would like me to perform my solo show while I’m there, I would not object.
I should pitch them!
40. Text or call my brother or sister once per month.
This was a goal achieved in 2024 that I plan to repeat in 2025.
My brother, sister, and I don’t talk enough. I will text or call either one at least once a week.
41. Bring my brother, sister, and me together at least twice in 2025.
Phone calls and texting are good, but we should really spend time together. We are separated by four hours and three states, so getting together would not be too hard if we made an effort.
42. Take at least one photo of my children every day.
A successful goal from 2020 through 2024 that returns in 2025.
As I scanned through my photos on a plane ride to Indiana in 2019, I noticed a decline in pictures of the kids over the years. This is only natural. When a child is born, photos are taken every nine seconds, but this burst of photography subsides a bit as time passes.
Once again, the goal is to take one photo per day, every day when I see the kids, by 2025.
43. Take at least one photo with Elysha and me each week.
A goal I failed to complete in 2022, 2023, and 2024 returns again in 2025.
Even worse than the decline in photos of the kids is the rarity of pictures of just Elysha and me. We need to rectify this, so I will take a photograph of just the two of us at least once a week.
44. Plan a reunion of the Heavy Metal Playhouse.
From 1989 to 1993, my friend Bengi and I lived in a home known as the Heavy Metal Playhouse. It was four of the best years of my life. Enormous parties, the closest of friendships, and the wildness of youth left an indelible mark on me. While I stay in touch with many of my friends from those days, I have not seen many of them in a long time. We have attempted to plan a reunion in the past without success.
Starting in 2016, I’ve tried to organize a reunion but have failed. However, the shift to virtual meetings in 2021 convinced me that a virtual reunion via Zoom might be the best option, given that some of our friends are spread out around the country.
We planned a reunion in 2022, but vacations and illness derailed it. I plan to make it happen again in 2024.
45. I will not comment positively or negatively on the physical appearance of anyone except my wife and children to reduce the focus on physical appearance in our culture overall.
In 2016, I decided to avoid all negative comments about a person’s physical appearance.
In 2017, I added positive comments (save my wife, children, and in-laws) to reduce our culture’s overall focus on physical appearance.
For the past eight years, I have achieved this goal. I have also convinced many others to adopt the policy by writing about it.
Others think I’m crazy, indicating that my mission is good and just. The best and most important work we do will undoubtedly be criticized by many.
For this reason, I will repeat this goal in 2025, even though it has now become something I do.
Perhaps you could, too.
46. Surprise Elysha at least 12 times.
This is a completed goal from the last seven years that I will repeat in 2025.
47. Play poker at least six times.
I love poker. I paid for our honeymoon with profits from poker. I made a mortgage payment in 2012 with poker profits when it was still legal online. I am an excellent poker player who stopped playing regularly in 2015 as I shifted my time to writing and storytelling, and online poker became illegal.
But over the past few years, I’ve been making a more concerted effort to play.
Now that Charlie plays, it’s become easier to play. Six times is not a lot, so it should be doable.
48. Spend at least six days with my best friend of more than 30 years.
Bengi and I met in a Milford, MA, McDonald’s back in 1987, and we have been friends ever since. We once lived together (in the aforementioned Heavy Metal Playhouse) and started our DJ business in 1996. We have been through a great deal together, but in the last few years, we have seen less of each other even though we live 15 minutes apart. Our interests have shifted from what each likes to do, and our families are demanding more of our time, but that’s no excuse for not getting together more often.
Six days is reasonable, and I exceeded this goal in 2023 and 2024.
MUSIC
49. Memorize the lyrics to at least five favorite songs.
A completed goal from 2022-2024 that returns in 2024.
You know those songs you’ve listened to all your life but never found the time to learn the lyrics?
I will rectify this by learning the lyrics to a few of my favorites in this category.
50. Practice the flute at least four times per week.
A failed goal that returns in 2025.
I’ve spent the last two years trying to learn to play the piano independently without much progress. This year, my musical goal is shifting to the flute.
I played the flute as a kid, and though I haven’t touched a flute in decades, I can still remember all of the fingerings and can still read music, so this year, I plan to return to my flute playing glory years before I switch to playing the bassoon and the drums.
I’ve already purchased a flute and am excited to get started. Rather than practicing alone, I will find a course, YouTube channel, or teacher to help me.
MISCELLANEOUS PROJECTS
51. Host at least three dinner parties where I cook.
I learned how to cook during the pandemic. I am not an excellent chef by any means, but I understand enough about cooking to produce reasonably tasty dishes. I want to use those skills to host at least three dinner parties in 2025, bringing together folks who don’t know each other well to create new connections, strengthen existing bonds, and have a fun evening of food and conversation.
52. Develop a course on self-confidence.
The request I receive most from my clients — by a wide margin — is a workshop on building confidence.
Essentially, they say: “I want to have as much confidence as you. Can you teach that?” This request comes from all walks of life:
CEOs, storytellers, attorneys, entrepreneurs, keynote speakers, and more.
For the longest time, my answer was, “No. I can’t.”
But maybe I can. I’ll spend the year researching, thinking, planning, and outlining a course on developing self-confidence. I’m not sure if it will be viable or effective, but I will at least give it a try.
53. Develop a list of strategies to help people deal with loneliness and produce it in some form.
I’ve been interviewed by a researcher on loneliness who found me to be one of the more connected people she knows:
Lots of friends, lots of acquaintances, and a generally connected person.
Given that the US Surgeon General has identified an epidemic of loneliness in our country, I may have a few things to say on the subject. During the interview, I outlined strategies for staying connected to friends, and others revealed themselves to me through her questions.
I plan to organize and codify them in 2025 into something I will produce:
A blog, an e-book, a pitch for a traditional publishing contract, a YouTube series, a podcast…. something.
54. Read at least 12 books.
I read 28 books in 2024 – well above my goal of an even dozen.
I recently noticed that podcasts are crowding out books, but Stephen King rightfully said, “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”
Americans read an average of 12 books per year, but the median number of books read per year is just four, meaning that the blessed folks reading 100 books or more per year (like Clara) are artificially boosting the average.
I’ll shoot for 12—one per month.
55. Finish reading TIME’s 100 Best Children’s Books of All Time.
I failed to complete this goal last year. I’ve read 45 books on the list thus far. Just 55 to go.
56. Edit our wedding footage into a movie of the day.
In 2023, I finally extracted the footage from our wedding day from a 20-year-old Apple computer. The movie I made of our wedding day was not retrievable, however, so I need to recreate a movie of our wedding day so that I’m not stuck watching raw footage.
I failed to complete this goal in 2024. I plan on doing so in 2025.
57. Digitize a pile of DVDs that contain dance recitals, plays, and other assorted moments from the past.
While cleaning the basement, I found a bin of DVDs I need to digitize. A service exists that will do this work, so I just need to make it happen.
58. Memorize three new poems.
Back in college, I was required to memorize and recite one poem every week for a poetry class, and many of those poems are still locked in my brain today.
I also have several French poems still memorized from French class in high school (thanks to the late Lester Maroney).
I like having these poems memorized. It’s fun to be able to recite them whenever I please. About ten years ago, on a rainy day at Camp Jewell, we conducted Theater Olympics for our 100 or so fifth graders. One of the events was the “Unknown Talent Show,” where the teachers had to perform a talent that no one knew they possessed.
I recited French poetry to my principal, who stood on a chair with a mop over his head.
Memorization is also an excellent way to preserve long-term brain health.
I completed this goal in 2024 and plan to do so again in 2025.
59. Post my progress regarding these resolutions on this blog and social media on the first day of every month.
