Mission 2023

A year ago, I set forth on a quest, a journey, a mission: that for which I am destined. I supposed I conquered a few things last year, like the back yard. In 2023, I’m on a different quest.

It’s been tricky to narrow down what missions I want to make public. So this year, there are a few public goals, a few more secret goals, and some other odds and ends like a word for the year.

On to this year’s mission!

Move More Sit Less

I sit all day for work, then I stand and make dinner. Then I sit to eat dinner and I sit to read books. And sometimes I putter around my yard and call it gardening, but most of the time I sit.

This year I will move more and sit less. I got myself a FitBit Charge 5 and -to keep myself motivated – I signed up for three different Conqueror Virtual Challenges on a total whim. If I’m going to complete all 175 miles of these challenges by the end of the year, I’d better get moving!

All Things Writing

Last year I managed to finish the first draft of a novel. This year I want to finish the second draft. I also enjoyed posting twice a month here, so let’s see if I can meet or exceed that one in 2023.

Finish All The Projects

If you’ve owned a home, you know that the list of projects never end. And to be honest, I don’t think I’ll finish ALL of the projects. But this year, I’d like to knock a few of those things that I’ve been thinking about for a long time right off the list.

This mission has things like paint the bathroom, take the cardboard boxes in the garage to the recycling center, garage, work on Wallace genealogy, replace the shade in the kitchen window, and more.

Where I’ll find the time to finish the projects between working full time and writing a second draft and walking 175 miles and doing these secret things, I don’t know. But I sure would like to finish some of these projects.

Secret Things

There are a handful of other things I’m hoping will happen. I mean, one of them is definitely going to happen in April, but the others – I’m not too sure. So for right now, these stay secret.

Year In Books

I have enjoyed doing the Good Reads Reading Challenges, but this year, I just want to take it easy and report to you all what I’m reading. More on this in another post later this month.

Word of the Year

Action is the word of the year. I want to accomplish, do, go, make things happen. At least I want to do those things here on December 31, 2022. We’ll see how I feel in a few months on all that action.

Guiding Thought

As I went through the process of thinking about my mission for the year, the one thing that I kept returning to was: what was life like before the internet? Do more of that!

I remember life before the internet. It was so very, very different, and more simple. But with AI coming on full force (have you heard about the capabilities of ChatGPT?) it seems like the time to be less on a computer and more, well, away from the computer.

Of course, I’m also the person who will be writing the second draft of a novel this year, working in a tech job, and using apps to track walking 175 miles…

Quote of the Year

The important thing is to tell yourself a life story in which you, the hero, are primarily a problem solver rather than a helpless victim. This is well within your power, whatever fate might have dealt you.”

Martha Beck

Have You Hear of The 20 Things 23 Times Challenge?

I only just learned about this “challenge” today – January 1, 2023. I’m adding it here to remind myself that there are other ways to do yearly missions. Here’s how this works:

• Make a list of 20 things you want to do.
• Do those things 23 times.
• Think of things like make 23 new recipes, visit 23 new places in my city, write 23 poems, listen to 23 new podcasts, read 23 novels, try 23 new things, write 23 letters, bake 23 loaves of bread, play the piano 23 times, contact 23 genealogy DNA matches, eat at 23 new restaurants, say one kind thing to 23 strangers, 23 new drawings, and so on.
• Next year make it 20 things 24 times.
• And carry on through the years: 20 things 25 times, 20 things 26 times, 20 things 27 times.

Can’t say I’ll be doing 20 things 23 time times this year, but I love the idea and wanted to share.

Your Turn

What’s on your mission list this year?