First off, Happy 2010!!!

I love the sense of excitement and new beginnings that comes with every New Year. Like no other time of year people view even the most stressful aspects of their lives as innocent and temporary. While reality soon sets in that it takes work to change (like every other time of year) it is nice to see even a temporary reprieve from the hopelessness, especially in this economy. However that temporary nature is the reason I don’t really believe in New Years resolutions- why make promises in the bask of the bathing New Years glow that will just leave you disappointed in yourself when the glow fades and you’re left again in the rough reality that is the rest of the year?

That said, I think it is extremely important to take stock of your progress periodically and continually set new goals to stay challenged and happy. The key is to make this a habit year-round, so you have a plan to stick to throughout the ups and downs of the entire year. Now’s a good time to do that. The following is a list of new and continuing goals I have set for myself to help this year see its full potential.

1. Get back in the habit of reading. When I was a kid I was an avid reader. Everywhere I went I had a book in my hand, just waiting for a second of down time to dive back into the pages. I even used to read while walking to school and my mom and sister would tease me that I was going to bump into a pole or walk into traffic. I have built up a pretty good library for myself on topics that interest me. All that knowledge just sitting on my shelves. Time to put it in my head!
2. Dance dance dance! Yep. Every since I stopped dancing hula regularly there has been something seriously missing in my life. I found a really fantastic bellydance teacher and am having a lot of fun with that, but it’s just not scratching the hula itch. I need to find a halau and get back to it as soon as I am financially able.
3. Learn Hawaiian. Samoans speak Samoan. Tongans speak Tongan. Hawaiians speak… English. There’s a huge resurgence of Hawaiian language immersion so kids have started growing up speaking it again, but I need to do my part to perpetuate! And it’s such a beautiful language.
4. Running. *sigh* Not super crazy about this one, but I can’t deny the wonders it has done for my cardio stamina since Chad and I started running regularly.

That’s good for now. No, it’s not a super crazy list, but I just wanted to focus on a few things that will make my quality of life much higher. Also, they might seem pretty general but the most important part of goal-setting is the plan that goes with it, and I have one for each one of these. My next entry is all about business, and my plans and goals for Kulia I Ka Nu‘u, Superfreako Productions, and the brand new Superfreako Designs.

On another note, congratulations to my sister and brother-in-law Megan and Chris Fong on their new baby boy, Noah Loy Fong! He’s perfect.

-Peace-