A few things that I’m aiming for in 2011, and not in any real order:

• Lose 15 pounds (I’d like to go for 20, but 15 would be a good start) How? well, still working on that. I know I need to do 2 things for starters: cut waay back on cheap, processed foods increasingly eating more fresh foods. And exercising a heck of a lot more than I do. I don’t like working out, but I do love riding my bike and there’s a nice bike trail 1/4 mile from my door that I need to be more regular about hitting.
• Complete my Wood Badge training. This is a big one and very important to me.
• Continue to purge possessions, getting closer to owning what I really want and use. I’ve been doing the work and getting rid of stuff during the last year or two but now it’s time to kick the whole thing into high gear. One way for me to be accountable to this goal is through weekly blog posts reporting what I’ve purged.
• Drive my 2000 Ford Explorer for at least 9,000 more miles. At that point the vehicle will have 200,ooo miles on it. If it’s still performing well at that point my wife and I will decide whether I keep driving it or whether it’s time to look for a replacement.
• Cut non-mortgage debt in half, now that’s an ambitious goal. Not impossible by any means, but a challenge.
• Understand what I have for investments. My portfolio is diversified, but so diversified I’ve lost track of what each fund is doing. I’m going to become reacquainted with what I have, what they represent and what else I need to do to properly prepare for retirement.

So, that’s the big stuff I have outlined for 2011. I’ll keep track of what’s going on and make a post at the end of the year comparing what I wanted to happen and what did happen.

Happy New Year! (I know it’s a week late, but I took my time)

But that’s ok, because by stating that I’m changing my life I’m at least taking step one. I don’t know why today seemed like the day to make that statement but I had this overwhelming feeling today that my life was going to change. So, I’m embracing that thought and I’m gonna ride it out to see what happens.

One way I want to change my life is in what I eat. I’d like to begin eating less meat as well as eating more real food. I made a couple steps forward and a couple steps backward in this effort tonight. I purchased a Kashi brand frozen dinner which has an ingredients list that anyone can read and understand. And, since I have a forever love affair with chips, I bought Fritos because they have just 3 (albeit not-so-healthy) ingredients only. Corn, Corn Oil and Salt. So then I took a step backward by, without thinking, grabbing one of my favorite drinks…a flavored Walmart carbonated water. Today I chose peach flavor. Yeah, it’s got an ingredient list full of chemical names. *sigh* I then further stepped backward by consuming a handful of sugary candy that someone brought into work. *double sigh* But I will look on the bright side that I’m at least thinking about what I put in my body.