Time To Be Resolute

I don’t believe in setting New Year’s resolutions. They have a tendency to be discarded along with the decaying stump of the Christmas tree on Twelfth Night. Some don’t even last that long as born-again tee-totallers top up their New Year hangover, or those who vow to have clean lungs for a new calendar promise they’ll quit smoking ‘as soon as I’ve finished this pack’.

Only once have I publically declared a resolution. A few years ago I, a life-long salad-dodging fat bloke, said that I would get of my sofa-filling backside and run a road race in aid of the British Heart Foundation. I found the necessary motivation by committing to do A Good Deed for others.

But this year is different. For once I’m setting some resolutions for me. I need to write – and I need to sell my writing – to pay my bills. So with that in mind I hereby resolve to…

·         Publish at least two books

·         Enter at least five short story competitions

·         Earn a set amount from my writing. I’m not going public with precisely how much that is, but I will let you know later in the year whether I achieve it or not

·         Continue to publish one free short story per month on my www.shaunfinnie.com website.

And while I’m at it, I may as well throw in another, more personal one. I’m still far too fat for fun, so how about if I pledge to lose at the very least two stones in 2012? That’s 28 pounds or almost 13 kilograms if you’re using a different set of scales to mine.

Back when I resolved to run that 10km for charity more than a few people were surprised that I kept my word and kept up a steady jog around the entire course. This time I might even surprise myself.

© Shaun Finnie 2011