2016 New Year's Resolutions - Success!

It is always great at the end of the year to check in on my resolutions to see how I did.  So many people give up on their resolutions early; however, if you plan them correctly they can help you to guide your whole year.

Here we go:

#1 - Present Successfully - I have three presentations lined up for the year, one at the HCTM Conference and two at the ISTE Conference.  I want to plan ahead and do the best job I can for the participants attending.

Well, I didn't have a chance to present at ISTE because of lack of funds, but my HCTM presentation went very well!  So, I will call this one a success!

#2 - Get My First Book Published - In November of 2015, I participated in the National Novel Writing Month - http://nanowrimo.org/.  In this personal contest, you attempt to write a 50,000 word novel in one month.  I was successful and finished the word count three days early; however, now the real work begins.  I need to finish the book, get it edited, and try to get it published.  That is my goal for 2016.

I did it!  The book is published!  And, I learned a lot along the way.  If you are interested, you can buy the book here on Amazon.com - https://www.amazon.com/Faded-Jeans-Army-Greens-Desert/dp/1533631271

#3 - "Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." - Gandhi

I am hoping this is the year that I find balance between work, family, and my personal health.  Without the ability to run or play tennis anymore due to my permanent knee injury, I must continue to try and re-invent who I am physically and mentally.

This one is tough to define success; however, I would say that I am getting closer to the harmony I am looking for.  I have changed my diet and gone six months on it.  The changes are real, my knee is stronger, and swimming as my new activity is going well. I have also learned to better balance my life, spending more time with family and learning how powerful stress can be as a factor in living life.

#4 - Okay, this is a weird one.  I want to either learn to do a cartwheel or be able to dive into a pool.  I don't know how to do either of these and 2016 is when I figure one of them out!

Well, this was didn't go so well.  I tried a few times during the year at the beach at the pool to achieve one or the other, but to no avail.  I guess maybe what they say about "old dogs can't learn new tricks" might be true for me.  Anyway, I want to push this one to 2017, but if you want a good laugh, click on the video below to see my final attempt at a dive before the year ends.