So this year has flown by in terms of time; I mean seriously, where has it gone? I had COVID-19, which was my only time this year. I realised that my habits needed to change in terms of my eating and fitness, and I needed to take action on those. That led to a 60lbs drop in weight. The most active year in my life, averaging 5 miles, walked a day over the last year.
I took a few risks in terms of relationships, and while they didn’t go where I wanted, I made some of the most key realisations in terms of my fundamental wants and needs as a human being. Through that, I know exactly what I want and need in terms of a relationship, and it also helps that I’m getting help via therapy to help this (more on that shortly)
I realised that I’ve gotten so used to being online that my in-person skills need improvement. In fact, you don’t realise that important things in terms of human interaction and the play by play of a conversation can be reduced from just talking in text. Also, the environments online in which I’ve been drawn to over the last 4 years are considerably more combative, and you don’t think people outside these places are more “human” and less toxic to deal with. Throughout all this, I notice things that I used to enjoy, like how sharp and witty I used to be in conversation, and unfortunately I’m like a dull knife at the moment.
I’ve made steps to get out and work, which I hope will bear fruit in the new year. I also took steps to act on a previous post and attend therapy, and after laying out my problems and what I want, I basically got put in with a therapist that gets me and that sees me for who I am. They have been so helpful in terms of teasing out the issues I have, but also understanding why I act in those ways.
So now that I’ve basically listed the big improvements and actions I took this year, time for some of the goals I have next year.
- Be more outgoing/put myself in more situations that trigger my “anxiousness” Basically, when I’m in a situation I’m not used to, I tend to overthink about things I need to combat this problem, instead of relying on bad habits that I formed and relied on to my detriment. This also goes hand in hand with “CBT”, which I’m receiving in therapy.
- I’m going to continue to improve my health in terms of how active I am. I’m considering joining the gym for use of their machines and my eating habits
- I want to travel this year and explore new locations: this is something I’ve been wanting to do for years. I always talked about how I want to go to Italy and visit Da Vinci’s workshop in Florence, and to visit France and visit the Louvre, but I never did well. That changes this year.
- I want to meet more people, make more IRL friends and have a relationship: basically, I know what I want from these things and what I need to work on to get them. I’m also going to try different ways to sharpen that whit again and ive decided to try an improv class, as that accomplishes a few of my goals in one.
Basically, if I can accomplish even two of these things, my life would be improved in a big way, but I’m aiming for everything. I want to wish everyone who reads this a happy Christmas and happy new year. I hope the goals you set are achieved and you find improvement in your lives.
Stay safe and take care
Andrew
The Long Road Ahead 
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