Jackie - How I'm Shaking the Dust

[If you're just tuning in, I posted yesterday with an explanation of why I'm involved with this blog, but forgot to include my goals. You can find the link to the first post on the lower right hand side.]

Let's get to the goals...

I've decided to make this a year of "me" ... in the least egotistical way possible. All I mean is that I don't feel like I'm the person I want to be; I don't get involved with the things I want to most, I don't invest in relationships like I want to, I don't follow dreams. But I do get distracted and waste my time and energies. So, it's a year of me, of redefining me.

I am confident there will be years ahead where I feel I need to do this all over again, but here's to 2010.

Focuses for the next 12 months:

1. Teach. A year and a half a go I decided to sign up for 4 more years of school in hopes of following my dreams. But I made a promise to myself that by the end of 2010, I would be doing something to start following that passion. And I decided to teach. So by the end of the year, my goal is to have at least a couple students I'm working with regularly.
2. Write Songs. It's not the ensemble that's the pinnacle, but I want to have written enough good songs to be able to audition for Songwriting Ensemble in the Fall. This is probably going to be the hardest goal for me to wrangle. I'll explain, but we can wait for another day to get into it.
3. Reconnect. There are a lot of people I need to spend more time with ... that I want to spend more time with. My goal is to connect with one person per month, but I'm hoping to fit in a few more.
4. Engage globally. In some way, somehow, interact globally. I'm not sure how this will look, but I'm beginning to explore possibilities.
5. Take 2 of 4 trips. I have 4 friends who've moved away that I'd like to visit: Joe & Leah in Tennessee, Brett & Sarah in Dallas, Marcus in NYC and Kati in Portland. In this coming year, I'd like to visit at least 2 of those places.
6. Redefine spirituality. My own spirituality has become somewhat of a mystery to myself. I have thoughts and opinions, sure, but more than that questions. At the top of the list: Why? It's not that I don't care or don't think it's important, but why do I care? And why do I think it's important? All these questions have been floating around in my head for several years now, but I want to have some intentional conversations, ask hard questions and reflect. If I'm going to be a spiritual person, I want to do it right.
7. Define Me. I'll keep you updated on how this turns out.
8. Be frugal. I want to pay off all credit card debt and put some money into savings. I don't make very much, so this just might kill me. But, darn it, I'm sick of paying interest! 
9. Clean out my 'box' and keep it clean. We all have a pile for junk. The place where all the stuff goes that we're not sure what to do with. Mine happens to be in the relatively small box that my graduation announcements came in over a year ago. I hate that I have a box. And I hate that every time I open it, it's a reminder of all the things I didn't do. So, I want to be done with said box.
10. Post photos. It's necessary. And it will be hard. But, oh, so good.