At the beginning of every year, I make a list of goals (or New Year’s resolutions) for the year ahead. 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 I had written for my children for the first six years of their lives into six enormous, beautiful tomes that my kids are still 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, you can 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 few exceptions, I don’t write goals that depend on others’ decisions 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 on our own effort, not on 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 if circumstances change throughout the year.
My 2026 New Year’s Resolutions
PERSONAL FITNESS/ATHLETICS
1. Don’t die.
Recommended by my friend, Charles, many 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 and 2025, though keeping off the 40 pounds was an achievement in itself.
I plan to attempt again to lose at least ten pounds in 2026, bringing me close to my high school weight.
3. Do a targeted push-up workout at least three times per week.
This is a repeated goal from 2025.
For over a decade, I have been doing 200 push-ups three or four times a week—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 building muscle and working different muscle groups.
I did this in 2025, 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 2026, 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 three times per week.
This is a recurring 2025 goal I have pursued for more than a decade.
I still hate doing sit-ups, so this remains on the list. Accountability remains critical.
5. Cycle or ruck for at least five days every week.
I stopped going to the gym during the pandemic and started riding my indoor and outdoor bikes. This turned out to be a silver lining in that difficult time.
I rode 255 times in 2025—at least five times a week when I wasn’t traveling and couldn’t find a gym. I plan to match or exceed that number — via cycling or rucking — but five days per week is a solid goal.
6. Try at least three new vegetables I have never eaten before or do not like.
Elysha suggested this goal in 2025. I failed. All I tried was a gooseberry.
It’s true that I don’t find many vegetables palatable, but I also know that over the years, taste buds die and preferences shift, so trying vegetables for the first time or again after time has passed makes sense.
Children have about 10,000 taste buds. The average adult has between 2,000 and 8,000. Smoking, drinking alcohol, and certain medications can reduce the number of taste buds 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. It’s not that they have gained more wisdom about food. They simply taste less, so the once-unpalatable flavors are now muted by the absence of taste buds.
The food tastes different. Actually, it tastes less. 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 it to be. I’ve also never smoked. Except for a champagne toast, I stopped drinking alcohol more than 30 years ago. I don’t take any medications.
I have done little to harm my already highly effective taste buds.
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.
Nevertheless, I agree with Elysha. I should try some new vegetables this year, and so I shall.
7. Average 2.1 putts per hole by the end of 2026.
I tried to lower my handicap in 2025 and failed. It occurs to me that rather than lowering my handicap, I should focus on the parts of my game that will ultimately lead to improvement.
So 2.1 putts per hole is a good start. Admittedly, I am an excellent putter already, but rather than resting on my laurels, I’ll spend 2026 honing in on my putting to ensure that when I land on the green, I am slightly more than two putts from glory every time.
“Add to your winners,” as investment advisor David Gardner says.
This is a results-based goal — rather than an effort-based goal — which I try to avoid, but I want to play better golf, so I am basing this goal on the actual score.
8. Average 180 years per drive by the end of 2026.
I hit the ball straight, and my chipping and putting are excellent, but my problem in golf is that I simply don’t hit the ball far enough. I hit drives of 180 yards, and even a couple of 200-yard drives, in 2025, but I average around 150 yards per drive, which is ridiculous, and my woods and irons are no better.
Everything is short.
Until I can hit the ball farther, I won’t lower my scores significantly.
So I’ll spend 2026 focused on this goal, through continued lessons and targeted practice.
A 180 drive isn’t something to write home about, but the added 30 yards will make it much easier to land on the green in three and bogey most holes.
This is one of those goals I have pinned to achievement rather than effort. I could set a golfing goal based on how many times I take lessons and how often I practice at the range, but my desire to improve demands a numerical goal tied to performance.
WRITING CAREER
9. Complete my ninth novel.
I plan to write my ninth novel in 2026.
My seventh novel — my first middle grade novel — will be published in early 2027. I’m working on a new adult novel right now, and I need to find an idea and begin my next middle-grade novel, too.
I plan to complete at least one of these books in 2026.
10. Write, edit, and revise my golf memoir.
This is a failed goal from 2025 that I intend to pursue again in 2026.
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 2026, hoping my agent will sell it to a publisher in 2026 or 2027.
11. Write a proposal for my next storytelling book.
I have one of two storytelling books in mind for my next offering. I need to choose, then write a proposal.
Then I’ll need to write the book, which I may also do in 2026.
12. Write a proposal for my Substack memoir about the summer of 2007 that can be pitched to editors.
This proposal might require a partial or complete manuscript, so I may need to revise some or all of the book in 2026, too.
13. Exceed 100 paid subscribers to my Substack.
I want to reach 1,000 paid subscribers, but with just 44, I’ll start with a goal of 100 and take it from there.
This is another results-based goal, but simply writing posts won’t get me the subscribers I want. I’ll need to experiment, strategize, and pivot as needed.
14. Read and process The Heavy Metal Playhouse notebook.
Last year, Bengi gave me a notebook from our days living together from 1989-1992 in a home we affectionately called The Heavy Meetal Playhouse. In an age before cell phones, we used this notebook to leave messages to each other.
It’s fascinating.
It’s a record of my life from 18-22. It’s a version of Homework for Life — two decades before I invented Homework for Life.
I haven’t cracked it open to investigate yet, but I plan to in 2026 and see if it’s useful. I suspect I’ll find memories, stories, and maybe more.
15. Write my “Advice for Kids” book.
This is a failed goal from 2025 that I intend to pursue again in 2026.
Honestly, it’s nearly finished.
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 27 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.
16. Find an idea and begin writing my next middle-grade novel.
My next novel, which will be published in early 2027, will be my first middle-grade novel. My agent informed me that I’m now a middle-grade novelist, too, and asked what my next book idea was.
I had none. I still don’t.
I’ll spend 2026 finding that idea and beginning that book. With luck, I’ll complete that book, too.
17. Revise at least two of the picture books in my pile of unpublished picture books and prepare for submission.
I wrote three new picture books in 2025, but all are still in rough draft. I intend to revise at least two of them (or perhaps another from an earlier year) in 2026 and submit them to my agent for consideration.
18. Write/complete at least three new picture books, including one with a female, non-white protagonist.
I achieved this goal for the last three years by writing three new picture books each year
My goal remains the same in 2026.
I also hope to sell at least one this year.
Also, for the record, all of my picture books are excellent and worthy of publication. Having spent 27 years with the books’ target readers—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.
19. Explore the possibilities for publishing “The Gimme Tree” — my satirical take on “The Giving Tree.”
I wrote this book a few years ago, and tragically, myopically, and foolishly, no one wanted it. It’s one of the favorite things I’ve written, so I’ll explore the possibility of self-publishing — something I’ve never done — or perhaps finding a small press.
I want this book to exist in the world.
20. Write about my childhood in partnership with my sister, Kelli, at least once per month.
Two years ago, 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!”
This became a 2025 goal I failed to complete.
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 2026, 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.
21. 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 wrote my second solo show, “Shovel,” in 2025 and performed it several times.
I hope to perform one or both again.
I plan to write my next show in 2026.
22. Submit at least three Op-Ed pieces to The New York Times for consideration.
This has been my goal for the past seven years. I hope to eventually get something published, but until then, I plan to continue submitting in 2026, including at least one Modern Love submission.
23. Write at least four letters to my father.
This is a repeated goal from 2025.
My father has not responded to my letters for quite a while, but that doesn’t mean I can’t keep writing and sending them; I will do so at least four times in 2026.
24. Write 150 letters.
I wrote 230 letters in 2025 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 unfolded through my communication. I plan to repeat this goal, which has been on my list for five years,
About 12 letters per month.
One slight alteration to the goal:
My intent is always to mail these letters through the post office, but occasionally I can’t find a person’s physical address and only have their email address. In these instances, I will write a physical letter, photograph it, and email the image.
This will be a rare occurrence.
I strongly recommend you establish a similar goal. It’s been a wondrous addition to my life.
25. 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 with helping her fall in love with reading, and she 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, 2024, and 2025. Two of them — Kate DiCamillo and David Sedaris — wrote back! Joy!
My goal is to do this at least six times again in 2026.
STORYTELLING/SPEAKING CAREER
26. Record and publish at least 25 videos on my YouTube channel.
My YouTube channel is growing and making money, primarily thanks to my production manager. I plan on spending more time in 2026 recording content for the channel so we can release at least one video every other week.
27. Record and produce at least one new Storyworthy course.
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 one more course in 2026.
28. Produce a total of six Speak Up storytelling events in 2026.
Since we launched Speak Up in 2013, we have produced 134 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
2025: 8
We plan to produce at least six Speak Up storytelling events in 2026. Two are already on the books!
29. 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 that failed to record, a timer that failed, 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 150,000 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 it 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 2026.
30. 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
2025: 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 record, eight Moth events in 2026 might seem low, but my children are getting more involved in activities I want to support. Thus, I want to strike a balance as I strive to achieve my goals.
31. Win at least one Moth StorySLAM.
Last year, my goal was to win one Moth StorySLAM.
I won two of the four I competed in, for a 50% win percentage.
A solid year of Moth performances, though my name got stuck in the bag far too often.
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 2026.
This goal depends on others’ decisions (which I try to avoid when setting goals), but competing in StorySLAMs isn’t enough.
I need to win.
32. 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.
I won one GrandSLAM in 2025.
Overall, I’ve won 10 GrandSLAMs in 38 attempts for a 26% 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 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.
33. Pitch “You’re a Monster, Matthew Dicks” or “Shovel” or my new show to at least six theaters in 2026.
I performed and recorded “You’re a Monster, Matthew Dicks” three times at Theater Works in Hartford in 2023 and twice in 2024 at New York theaters.
I performed “Shovel” twice at Theater Works in Hartford in 2025.
I plan to write a new show in 2026.
I want to stage any one of those shows in 2026, so I aim to pitch the show to theaters and/or directors in hopes of securing additional venues in 2026 or beyond.
34. Produce at least 24 episodes of our podcast, Speak Up Storytelling.
I’m so excited to finally begin podcasting again in 2026.
I was also excited to begin in 2025, but that didn’t happen.
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 for almost four years now, people have continued to listen and ask for more.
Every week, people wonder when, or 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 quarter of 2026, and I hope to produce at least one new episode every two weeks, thus finishing 2026 with at least 24 new episodes.
35. Perform stand-up at least six times.
I performed stand-up just four times in 2025. A failed goal that I hope to improve upon this year.
Six times isn’t much for stand-up comedy, and I hope the number is higher, but I’ll set a goal of six and see what happens.
36. 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 2026.
HOME
37. Organize the basement.
I completed this goal in 2025, but in 2026, I plan to organize and map all the bins and furniture, so I know where everything is at any time.
38. Replace the floor in my office.
The floor in my tiny office is no good. It needs replacing. I’ll get this done in 2026.
FAMILY/FRIENDS
39. Text or call my brother or sister once per month.
This goal was achieved in 2025, and I plan to repeat it in 2026.
My brother, sister, and I don’t talk enough. I will text or call either one at least once a week.
40. Bring my brother, sister, and me together at least once in 2026.
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.
41. Take at least one photo of my children every day.
A successful goal from 2020 through 2025 that returns in 2026.
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, in 2026.
42. Take at least one photo with Elysha and me each week.
I failed to complete this goal in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025. It returns again in 2026.
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.
43. Plan a reunion of the Heavy Metal Playhouse.
From 1989 to 1992, 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 haven’t seen them in a long time. We have attempted to plan a reunion before, without success.
Since 2016, I’ve tried to organize a reunion but failed. However, the shift to virtual meetings in 2021 made me think a Zoom reunion might be the best option, since some of our friends are spread across the country.
We planned a reunion in 2022, but vacations and illness derailed it. I plan to make it happen again in 2026.
44. 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.
Many think I’m crazy, but the best and most important work we do will undoubtedly be criticized by many.
For this reason, I will repeat this goal in 2026, even though it has now become something I do without much thought.
Perhaps you could, too.
45. Surprise Elysha at least 12 times.
This is a completed goal for the last eight years that I will repeat in 2026.
46. 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 to play 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 isn’t much, so it should be doable.
47. Spend at least six days with my best friend of more than 30 years.
Bengi and I met at a McDonald’s in Milford, MA, 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 away from what each of us 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; I exceeded this goal in 2023 and 2024 but fell short in 2025.
MUSIC
48. Memorize the lyrics to at least five favorite songs.
A completed goal from 2022-2025 that returns in 2026.
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.
49. Practice the flute at least four times per week.
A failed goal that returns in 2026.
I played the flute as a kid, and though I haven’t touched one in decades, I can still remember all the fingerings and read music. So this year, I plan to return to my glory years on the flute before I switch to 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
50. Host at least one dinner party 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 2026, 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.
51. 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.
52. 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 2026 into something I will produce:
A blog, an e-book, a pitch for a traditional publishing contract, a YouTube series, a podcast…. something.
53. Read at least 12 books.
I read 28 books in 2025 – 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 is just four, so the blessed folks reading 100 or more per year (like Clara) are artificially inflating the average.
I’ll shoot for 12—one per month.
54. Read “To the Lighthouse” by Virginia Woolf.
The first book I read at Trinity College — in a feminist literary criticism class — was “To the Lighthouse.”
I didn’t understand a word of it. For a week, I didn’t think I belonged at Trinity.
Thankfully, the rest of the books I read were completely comprehensible, so I put Virginia Woolf behind me.
A quarter century later, I thought I should give it another try.
55. Read “The Skyscraper Doom” by Norman Zierold.
“The Skyscraper Doom” was the first book I borrowed from the public library. I didn’t remember the name, but I remembered the cover color and the story’s plot, so I wrote about it on my blog years ago. Shortly thereafter, a reader figured out the title of the book.
Six months later, another reader sent me a copy of the book, which is out of print.
Since then, it’s been sitting on my shelf, unread. I intend to read it this year.
56. 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.
57. 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 wasn’t 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 2025. I plan on doing so in 2026.
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 high school French class (thanks to the late Lester Maroney).
I like having these poems memorized. It’s fun to recite them whenever I please. About 15 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,” in which the teachers had to perform a talent they didn’t know they had.
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 2025 and plan to do so again in 2026.
59. Explore the possibility of earning the rank of Eagle.
Last year, I completed my Eagle project after a near-fatal car accident and extenuating circumstances prevented me from completing it in 1988. My goal was to simply complete the project and feel less regret for something I failed to achieve as a kid, but after completing the project with the help of my family, friends, students, and strangers, many people suggested (and continue to suggest) that I apply to Scouting officials for the rank of Eagle.
Little did I know that waivers for this kind of thing exist.
Even more astounding, an actual Eagle Scout left his award on my doorstep with a note saying he wanted me to have it.
It’s one of the kindest things anyone has ever done for me.
He refused to take his award back, but if Scouting deems me worthy of the rank of Eagle, I will return his Eagle medal with great thanks for his kindness.
60. Complete at least five Duolingo lessons every day.
I began studying French via Duolingo in 2025 while visiting Canada. Since then, I have not missed a day of lessons. I intend to continue this streak in 2026 and ensure I complete enough lessons each day to accelerate my language development.
61. Post my progress regarding these resolutions on this blog and social media on the first day of every month.
