Good evening ladies and gentlemen, Majd here, and it’s time for some new years resolutions. Hope you didn’t end up here looking for creativity and surprise.
I recently wrote a retrospective on the last 12 months, and included some high-level goals. I want to expand on those goals and add some more ones along with some context on why I chose these goals.
Spending Money Where It Counts
You know how you sometimes watch a video on the internet and it plants an idea in your head that you can’t shake? I recently had this experience. The video acted as a spark. I’ve had a ideal form and build up over time and this video gave me the little push I needed to go over the edge.
Here’s another instance where the same idea came up:
participants who were in the experiential condition said that they were more likely to consider their money well-spent at that time but also that currently that their purchase was still making them happier, and it made others happier. And that was because they had an increased sense of vitality, an increased sense of vigor. And they also had a sense of being connected with their social world.
I’ve previously discussed my philosophy on seeking life experiences that otherwise wouldn’t be afforded to a person like me. Who you are is a happy accident of who your parents were and where your great-great-grandparents decided to move to. Your religion, identity, personality, and locality are decided on your behalf, and that’s something I’m not comfortable with.
So, my resolution for 2013 is to spend money where it counts: On experiences, and on others. I’m not sure what form that will take. Will I set up a budget to travel on a monthly basis? Where will I go? Who will I go with? For how long? I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.
It Never Gets Easier, You Just Go Faster
Cycling is the next one. I want to take cycling more seriously this year. The past season was my first foray into consistent, frequent bike rides. I’ve met so many people I never would’ve otherwise met, ate like an animal and still lost weight, visited places I never would’ve been to before, and had a lot of fun doing it.
The big ride this year is going to be the AIDS Lifecycle. It’s a 7-day bicycle journey from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Can’t wait. But beyond distance and endurance cycling, I want to achieve a respectable average speed solo. That means a training plan, a structured exercise regiment that will measure not just my ability to perform on the saddle, but also my ability to adhere and maintain a training schedule. We’ll see how it goes. I already know I’ll be signing up for as many organized group rides and centuries as I can.
It’s Easier to ask for Forgiveness than to ask for Permission
I’m not quite sure what form this’ll take. It’s something I learned in the first year of my career and it’s something that’s helped me a lot last year. Another way to phrase this is, if I want something, and nobody’s giving it to me, I’ll take it by my own damn self. This has obvious applications to my job, but I think it also extends to social and emotional situations. It’s something that I’ve had to struggle with a bit traditionally, and I think it’s a skill worth improving. I’ll keep you posted on this one as it fleshes itself out in my head.
Onward.
Majd Taby 