I know. Many of us make them, but few manage to successfully live up to them. So I thought that maybe it would strengthen my commitment if I shared my good intentions with a few hundreds of people. Then who knows, a few of them might hold me accountable, get back to me in about half a year and ask: “So, how’s the commitment to your goals?”. By ending Happysad, I’ve already made a clear decision to work on changing myself, but now it’s up to me to deliver the goods. That’s why I need to set specific goals for 2013. Let me share them with you.

 
Regain enthusiasm. First and foremost, I want to become enthusiastic again. About anything. Anything that can motivate me again. You may not tell from the cartoons(?), but in reality I’m turning into a cynical, grumpy old man. Nothing really stimulates me, there’s hardly any passion in the things I do. Even drawing cartoons often started to feel more like a chore than a fun hobby. I need to rekindle the fire before it dies out completely.

 
Get energized. Get inspired. In order to reverse the downward spiral of apathy and laziness, I need two things: energy and ideas. Last year, I’ve started to eat more healthily and get more exercise. I picked up running in June and it went very well, until the shitty autumn weather made me stop in October. Stupid, I know. I’ll pick it up again soon, and go for a run at least twice a week. This, I hope, will not only invigorate my body, but also my mind. Because in order to achieve my main goal, I need to get fresh ideas, about what to do and where to go. I know the inspiration is somewhere inside me, I just need to unlock it.

 
Leave my comfort zone. Probably the biggest challenge of all. Merely coming up with fresh ideas, whether they’re related to cartoons or to something completely different, is not enough. I will need to follow through on them, even if (or especially when) they compel me to leave my comfort zone. Too many times I have missed out on opportunities because of this eternally paralyzing “but what if…?”-thinking. I will find the courage to try out new things and to take risks I’ve been avoiding for too long. This includes making an extra effort to try and meet new people, both in my direct surroundings and in other parts of the world I haven’t seen yet.

 
Those are my resolutions. So what are your plans for this year?