2013 Goals

Generally, I like to look back over the past year’s goals and reflect on what I’ve done to achieve those goals. For some reason, I didn’t make any goals (i.e., resolutions) at the beginning of 2012. Maybe that’s why I feel that I’ve been a bit off course this year.

Things don’t always turn out like I planned, but it’s always fun to look over the year’s goals to see the direction my life took during the previous 365 days. I hate that I’m missing out on that bit of excitement this year.

While many of my peers are currently passed out in a ditch or smoking their brains out (okay, some of them are really at home with the kids), I decided I wanted to spend some time in quiet reflection this New Year’s Eve. Partly, this is because I’ve been a little sick from all the crazy weather and unhealthy food over the past week. However, I also want to start setting out some concrete plans for 2013.

Rather than big, lofty goals, I’m mostly going with specific, achievable goals. So, here’s looking forward to 2013.

Health and fitness goals

Health and fitness are the number one priority for me. I enjoy studying nutrition and trying new things. It’s also an ongoing battle that I plan to win, even if it kills me.

New diet

This is already a crazy debate between me and my friends/family, but I’ve decided to go on a completely vegan diet. You won’t see a photo of me in a spinach mankini or anything of the sort posted on my blog. I’m just trying the food. But, folks want to know why I’m taking this direction.

It’s simple.

I like to try new diets to see how they affect my health. Plus, I get to try out all kinds of new foods or combinations of foods.

I’ve tested both Eating-for-Life (Body-for-Life) and Paleo/Primal over the last couple of years. I haven’t been satisfied with either. They’re both better than eating processed junk food, but there have been too many drawbacks for me.

So, I — lover of all things bacon and dairy — will be going vegan. Actually, I’ve been about 95% vegetarian during the past month and am enjoying the extra energy I have.

I’ll see this diet through. If it works for me, I’ll stick with it. If not, I’ll try something new. I’m sure I’ll be posting about this in the future.

High Blood Pressure

One thing I’ve yet to be able to manage with any of my diets is high blood pressure. Most people in my family have problems with this, but I don’t want to take pills for the rest of my life to control it. Granted, it has gotten better over the last couple of years with a change in diet and plenty of weight loss. But, it’s not where it should be.

My stepmother and stepsister (both RNs) are pushing me to get on medication now. Therefore, I’ve got this year to fix the issue dietarily or give in to their demands.

Weight/fat loss

About a year ago, I saw the first possibility that I might have visible abs at some point in the future. But, after 12 months of Paleo/Primal eating, I found myself at the same weight that I’d started. I’ve managed to get that back under control down to roughly 225 lbs.

This year, I hope to slowly and healthfully get under 205 lbs. This is more of a goal for mid-year. I’ll be reevaluating this then.

Pushups

Earlier this year, I switched from weights to calisthenics for my strength training. This has been a bit of a struggle trying to find a good balance between endurance and strength. So, I’ve set my sights on a new pushup goal: do at least a single one-arm pushup with perfect form.

I’ve got a long road ahead of me on this one, but I’m getting closer. I’m currently progressing through uneven pushups.

Running

After trying my hand at running 5Ks, I’ve decided it’s not really my style. I’m just not built for those types of runs. Now, I’m training for shorter distances. With that in mind, I have a goal to run a 6-minute mile this year.

I probably won’t give up on longer runs entirely, but I’m going to shift my focus for a while.

WordPress goals

This is why you’re really reading this post, right? I always have plans for doing cool stuff with WordPress, and these goals are constantly changing and being refined. But, I’ve got some things I want to see through over the next quarter to half year.

Hybrid Core

In 2012, Hybrid Core became a much more robust framework for theme development. It’s great seeing it being used for theme dev in places like DevPress, AlienWP, and elsewhere.

One thing I haven’t done is promote it to others. It’s always been a framework built for, well, me. Now, it’s grown into much more, seeing millions of downloads via the various themes it’s packaged in. This year, I want to see more theme companies adopt it as a foundation for their work. This is part of the reason I moved the code base to a repository on GitHub. It makes it easier for others to get involved and improve.

Plugins

One of my immediate goals is to evaluate all of my WordPress plugins. I’ll be getting rid of a few that are outdated and completely revamping others. Outside of that, I have two plugins I plan to release soonish:

  • CPT Portfolio — An almost-finished portfolio plugin that any theme developer can adopt (plugin name ideas are welcome).
  • Issue Tracker — A bug and issue tracker plugin that's long overdue.

I also have a few ideas on standardization for themes that build in custom post types and taxonomies. I plan to standardize some common items in plugin form so that theme developers can just get back to designing.

Publish an e-book

I’ve had an outline for an e-book sitting on my desk for about a year now. It’s simply time for me to stop being lazy and get to work on this thing. It’s going to cover some of my favorite parts of WordPress and bring them together for some awesomeness.

I can write all day. The problem is getting started. Once I get myself into my writing zone, it’s hard to stop. I need to get the ball rolling, so feel free to bug me about the book until it’s finished.

Personal goals

Outside of health and fitness, I do have some other personal goals.

Read

I’ve been lazily moving through my book collection, averaging only a book each month for the past couple of years. I love reading, but it seems like something is always getting in the way. No more.

This year, the goal is 50 books. Sci-fi. Romance. Mystery. Whatever. Bring it on.

Move

I don’t actually plan to move this year. However, I want to reevaluate where my life and career are heading 365 days from now and make a decision about where I want to go next.

Moving back to Korea is always an option. I have plenty of friends there and enjoy the Korean culture, sometimes more so than the steadily-declining United States. Another option I might consider is studying kung fu in China. I’ve found a few places that have piqued my interest.

This decision is still a lot of life experiences down the road and isn’t something I’ll decide overnight.

For now, Happy New Year!