New Year Resolutions for 2011 - Part 2

In my previous post , I talked about 4 general directions that I would like to expand in the next year. My general resolutions for the new year include:

1. Taking action,
2. Finding sources of inspiration,
3. Cultivating harmony in my life, and
4. Taking responsibility for everything that happens.

Today, I took the time to organize my more specific goals and think about steps I need to take in order to achieve them. These goals are focused on a few related areas of my life and can be broadly divided into 3 categories: 

1. Personal Development Goals. Here, I have listed qualities that I would like to cultivate in myself. The steps that I’m planning to take to do that are preliminary and are likely to change during the process. I will probably add more qualities as I move along.

1)      Achieve balance between life and work.
 - Follow my passion. Focus on what I love doing, like writing, translation, photography, painting, graphic design, dancing, hiking, and trail running.
Specific steps: write every day for at least 30 minutes, post 2-3 blog posts per week, translate at least one video per day, take at least one picture per day, go to a dancing class at least once per week, learn Photoshop, take a painting/drawing class, go for at least one hike per month, run at least one race per month. 

- Improve my social life. Surround myself with positive like-minded friends. Think about what I can offer them, such as time, advice, experience, support and what we can share.
Specific steps: communicate with people on social networks like YouTube, Facebook, and my blog readers, talk with people I meet every day, and notice what we share in common and what makes each person unique and interesting. 

- Deepen my spiritual practice. Develop compassion and piece within that I can share with everyone I meet.
Specific steps: meditate at least once a day, spend time outside at least 2 times a week (walking or running), pray in the morning and at night, sungaze in the morning or at night, practice yoga at least 2 times a week, declaration my general goal and intentions for each  day, imagine how I feel when the goal is accomplished. 

2)      Learn to love myself fully and unconditionally. This is a big spiritual goal that will bring to anyone to enlightenment and continuous state of happiness and joy. I consider knowing myself and learning to love myself the purpose and the biggest adventure of my life.
      Specific steps: devote one day a week (Sunday) for enjoying myself, reflecting on the past week and preparing for the week ahead, listen to Abraham-Hicks recording, Klaus Joehle meditations, Lilou Mace's videos, and Lincoln Gergar’s videos and practice their teachings.

3)       Develop self-confidence, responsibility, efficiency, and productivity.
      Specific steps: Start every day by identifying the most important intentions/goals for this day and document my progress at the end of the day in a journal that includes both personal and career achievements, use calendar for work-related and other events and deadlines, read Leo Babauta's ZenHabits blog, create incentives to achieve short- and long-term goals (enroll in contests, social games, celebrate successes, share them with friends and blog readers), learn from mistakes instead of feeling bad about them, follow Napoleon Hill's guidelines to develop self-confidence.

4)      Provide meaningful service that benefits others.

Specific steps: establish a non-profit organization, contact orphanages in Ukraine and find local partners (AIESEC) who can help to identify their needs and collect and distribute resources, find donors in U.S. and Ukraine, recruit students who would like to teach English in Ukraine in summer, “run for a cause”, translate at least one spiritual video form English into Russian per day, participate in group mediation, chanting, and dance offerings at least once a week, write.

2. Professional Goals.

                  1). Improve my Economic Forecasting and International Finance courses

Specific steps: including interesting examples and assignments, invite interesting speakers, order evaluation copies of useful books and organize the material, update slides and assignments, use examples from my own research, create discussion groups for students.

2). Encourage students to participate in undergraduate research

Specific steps: collect information about undergraduate research conferences and journals, announce deadlines on Facebook and other websites.

3). Recruit and manage a team of research assistants on different projects.
Specific steps:  prepare assignments, post announcements, apply for grants to pay for their service, meet with each member twice a week to discuss progress and set goals.

4). Identify and prioritize projects to work on and set deadlines.

5). Identify journals and other publications I want to read regularly and publish my work in, subscribe to these journals and read articles published in the last 5 years, write a summary for each article I read for future reference.

6). Update my web-site: include recent papers, updated resume, teaching section, and links.

7). Identify professional organizations and conferences I want to participate in, keep track of conference deadlines, renew memberships, and save online passwords and usernames.

8). Identify University events I would like to participate in the Spring and Summer 2011.

9). Start my new Economics blog that connects academic research and general public interested in economics.

10). Write op-ed articles and contribute to blogs.

11). Improve my writing skills and learn about economic journalism and blogging.
Specific steps: audit an undergraduate course on journalism, write every day for at least 30 minutes, read book that I bought.

12). Receive at least one grant in 2011.

           

3. Fitness/Diet Goals.

1)      Eat healthy and organic/locally grown food.

Specific steps: observe the reaction of my body to different types of food and choose the ones that make me feel good and energized, read the book “The Tao of Healthy Eating”.

2) Exercise regularly.

Specific steps: enroll in a belly dance class, register to participate in a race as a motivation to train regularly, practice yoga at least 2 times a week.

I will report regularly about my progress towards these goals and would appreciate any input from you! Some of these goals will take just a few days and some are long-term projects. I'm excited to start this year and looking forward to see how it unfolds. I can already see that it's going to be very good and eventful!