Tag: learning

• January 12, 2020

  The Birthday Resolutions Take Flight

  

  Earlier this week, on the eve of my thirtieth birthday, I was flipping through a stack of old National Geographic magazines, looking for something to symbolize my goals for the new year. A friend was hosting a vision board party at a bar in Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood. Now, I’m not entirely sure I understand what a vision board is, so I’m sure I was doing it wrong, but as a former elementary school student, I felt pretty confident when I saw the magazines, scissors and glue sticks spread out on the table.

  I didn’t have a plan. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular, just words and images that inspired me. I slowly amassed an admirably random pile of clippings. Grabbing a poster board and a glue stick, I realized there was an unintentional, perhaps subconscious, theme in the images I’d chosen. From an advertisement, I’d lifted a man in a jet pack. An article on the redwoods yielded two scientists scaling a monolithic tree too tall to fit on the page. A feature on birds of prey offered up the image of a screaming hawk, its tawny wings spread wide.

  Liftoff.

  Reaching new heights.

  Flight.

  For most, if not all, of human history, we’ve yearned to emulate birds and soar among the clouds. However, despite our lofty aspirations, but it wasn’t until one hundred years ago that the Wright Brothers built a flying machine that could actually sustain flight. Reaching a difficult goal takes determination, repeated failure, and time. Orville and Wilbur Wright could never have achieved the world’s first powered flight without their fair share of crash landings. I think life is a lot like that.

  Which brings me to my yearly tradition of making birthday resolutions instead of new year’s resolutions. No, I’m not getting my pilot’s license or going skydiving. Last year, I was not able to realize most of my resolutions. It wasn’t for lack of trying, but life took a couple of unexpected turns, as life has a tendency to do. As I set out on this new year, this new decade, and my thirtieth year of life, I’m aware that failure is the best teacher. I’ve learned a lot from what I tried and was unable to accomplish last year, and I have better ideas for how to improve my process in 2020.

  This year, for my birthday resolutions, I have my sights set on taking flight — metaphorically, of course — while also taking to heart the lessons of failure. So, without further ado, here’s what I have my sights set on this year:

  1. Pursue a Healthy Balance

  Last year, I set myself a challenge of running a 5K. It didn’t happen. This year, I’m still focused on taking better care of myself, but I’m not limiting myself to running. I want to go for long walks, hike through the woods, kayak around Puget Sound, break a sweat working on our ongoing remodel and exercise on a regular schedule. If I do some running along the way, that would be excellent. Overall, though, I’m more interested in striking a healthier balance in my life — more physical activity, less laying on the couch — in whatever way works for me.

  2. Write and Publish

  Three years ago, I declared I would complete a draft of a novel by the time I turned thirty. Well, I’m thirty now and the novel isn’t done; however, I am halfway through and the story is starting to take wing. I didn’t make my arbitrary deadline, but that’s okay. I’m not giving up and will continue to chip away at my manuscript until it’s ready for its debut.

  In addition to my novel, I have an itch to write more short fiction, which has taken a back seat recently. I love short stories and flash fiction and I have several ideas burning a hole in my notebook that I can’t wait to get to work on.

  Finally, I’m refocusing on getting more of my work published in 2020. I have an opportunity in the next couple of months to submit to a local publication I really admire, and I hope it’s the start of getting more of my words into print (or pixels) for the world to see.

  3. Indulge My Curiosity

  Last fall, I embarked on a journey I could not have foreseen when I started an online program to earn a certificate in strategic communication and public relations. Going back to school, even in an incredibly limited fashion, reminded me that I don’t miss homework, but I do enjoy learning. The program is short (I’ll be finished in March), but I plan to continue stretching my brain, seeking out books, articles, podcasts, and documentaries to help me widen my worldview and challenge my preconceived ideas. The world is huge and complex and there is so much to know. As I enter my third decade, it’s obvious to me that I’m just scratching the surface.

  Will I spread my wings and take flight this year? Only time will tell, and I’ll be sure to share highlights here on the blog. Thanks for reading!

  — 30 —

  Jonny Eberle is a writer, storyteller, and hawk fledgling nesting in Tacoma, WA. You can follow him on Twitter and join the mailing list to get exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox each month.
• January 6, 2012

  Still a Work in Progress

  

  In your voyages around the blogosphere and the twitterverse, you’ve no doubt noticed that this is the time of year when anyone with an internet connection tells the world about their resolutions for the new year. I promised myself that I wasn’t going to be that guy, but all the cool kids are doing it, so I guess I’ll give in to the waves of peer pressure. So much for not being that guy.

  I’m not a big fan of following the crowd (as photos of me in high school show quite clearly), so instead of making New Year Resolutions, I make Birthday Resolutions. I’ve found that this makes me feel sufficiently clever while simultaneously giving me an extra week to think about/judge/steal everyone else’s resolutions. Without further ado, my list of things to do differently in 2012:

  1) Figure out what I’m doing with my life.

  Daunting, right? Two thousand eleven was a period of radical change for me where almost all of my previous plans and expectations were upended. This year, I need to tie up some loose ends and choose a way forward. In a few short months, I will be the proud owner of a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Journalism and Political Science and the undergraduate work that has defined my life for the last four years will come to a close. So…now what? Do I pursue a master’s and if so, in what discipline? Do I go to film school? Do I jump straight into the workforce? Do I try to get a job in the fields I’ve been studying or stick with the marketing/social media thing that’s been paying the bills recently? Do I stay in Flagstaff for a while or finally scratch that itch to move? Whatever happens in the next 12 months, these burning questions need answers. I just don’t know what they are yet.

  2) Be Kinder to the Earth

  This one is tough. Driving is one of my favorite hobbies (and I should also mention that my car is an SUV); long, hot showers are the bomb; and I admit that even the smell of grilling meat is intoxicating. It occurs to me that my carbon footprint is big and my money is being siphoned out of my community. I need to cut back and make better choices to preserve this world. After all, we’ve only got the one planet and I hate moving, so I’d rather keep this one in good shape. I did alright this Christmas season, buying most of my gifts locally and wrapping everything in recycled paper bags. Now, if I could just bring myself to ride my bike more often…

  3) Slow Down

  I am constantly surrounded by distractions — I have wifi in my house, Netflix streaming to my TV, and Facebook on my phone. It has never been so easy to get nothing done. My life is fast-paced, with school and two part-time jobs heaped on top of the distractions. There are times when I feel completely overwhelmed and that’s when the quality of my work goes down. My homework gets done, but at the last minute and not very well. My writing output slows down to a dribble of words here and there. My sleep is fitful and my days are exhausting. I do not like this feeling. I vow to reduce my stress by 50% this year. To do it, I am starting with better planning and time management. Our wireless world encourages us to live in the moment, but this year I found that kind of lifestyle is destructive to my health.

  The second thing I plan to do is cultivate a sense of inner calm. I’m going to learn meditation (which will also improve my focus and creativity), I might take up yoga, and I will certainly take days of sabbath from the digital world — regularly scheduled times when I will turn off all of my electronics and drop off the grid.

  4) Embrace Incompleteness

  I am an unfinished person and that can be difficult to accept. I want to be perfect, but I can’t do it. I have to be okay with the fact that I’m going to fail sometimes and that I’m still a work-in-progress as a human being. There is something freeing about coming to that realization. It also brings with it a desire for self-improvement. I may be nearly done with my college education, but I’m far from done with my learning. I want to learn new dance moves; improve my writing style, photographic technique, and my filmmaking process; and finally pick up the guitar that has been languishing in a dusty corner and learn how to play.

  I don’t know if I’ll accomplish all of my goals by this time next year, but I’m going to give it my best shot. I have no problem carrying these over into 2013 or 2014 and I suspect that I’ll struggle with these resolutions for the rest of my life. So, there you have it. Sorry for being that guy. If you’re interested in keeping tabs on my progress, keep reading this blog or follow me on Twitter, where those in the know call me @jonnyeberle. As always, I love to hear your questions, comments, and amusing anecdotes.

  — 30 —

  Related Post: The Best Birthday Resolutions Ever