At the Cusp of 2008

Welcome 2008. It's hard to believe that I've been writing aimlessly in this blog for one year. 2007 was an eventful year. Many of the things that I set out to accomplish, actually did come to fruition. I quit my job, traveled Asia, traveled to Canada, traveled to Tennessee, moved to Hartford, started law school, and my brother got married. 2007 was a year filled with transitions, new challenges, and hopefully will lead to greater prospectives in 2008. Since this blog started as a new years resolution for 2007, it is only fitting that I try and outline the ten things that I want to accomplish in 2008. As for my resolutions for 2007? Well, number 3 was to do well in law school. So far, that hasn't been fulfilled. I'm still hoping for the best, though. With that said, here are my optimistic new years resolutions (with no particular order in mind), with an ultimate point of setting loftier goals for myself:

1) Stop taking myself so seriously...even in law school.

I spent the bulk of my first semester becoming a shell of my former self. I neglected friends, and stayed away from becoming fully integrated into the law school and Greater Hartford community. In 2008, I want to revert back to some of those things that I have done well in the past - get to know the people, the community, the works. It's obvious that skewing the balance has not benefited my overall academic goals. I'm going to spend the next 2.5 years in law school in Connecticut. Therefore, I can't spend all my waking moments holed up in my tiny shoe box of an apartment. As one of my friend says - work is forever, but law school is only for a few years.
Shit happens - I might as well enjoy the ride while I'm here.

2) Keep the big picture in mind.

Having spent one of the worst months of my life preparing for my first law school finals, I found myself lost in the midst of law academics. Every once in a while, I want to step back, and actually realize the things that I have accomplished, as opposed to the things that I have yet to do. Being the first person in my family (ever) to go to law school is a monumental feat. I should therefore spend less time worrying about the things that I don't have (like perfect grades, for example), and more time building on the things that I do have.

3) Learn to Cook (really)

Last night was one of the first 'grown up' new years eve dinner parties between my friends and me. Of course, it made me realize that I really should broaden my culinary interests beyond the realm of simple stir-fry and ridiculous concoctions on my part. Therefore, I hope to at least spend 2 days/month (ideally, once a week), trying to cook something that may be broadcast on the food network, or found in some Men's Health magazine. By learning to cook, I hope to become a more well-rounded person in general, and maybe one day, I can host my own dinner party (something to look forward to)!

4) Get Involved

Number 4 is kind of parlayed from the first resolution. However, I want to specifically get involved with the community in hopes that I can remove myself from this academic bubble that I've placed myself in for the past semester. By accomplishing this goal, I hope to get much more out of my legal education (as per Berman's comments).

5) Get to know my professors

Perhaps one of the reasons I didn't feel like I got a lot out of my education this semester was because I failed to get to know my professors. In fact, I tended to shy away from them altogether because I was embarrassed that I would not meet their expectations, or that I was too stupid to talk to them. I have to realize that they are career academics, and it is to my best interest to get to know them more on a personal level.

6) Write Better

Admittedly, one of my weakest skills is writing. I'm indifferent to casual writing. But when it comes to writing that requires critique, I'm a mess. Therefore, I hope to concentrate much of my efforts in trying to improve my writing: grammar, vocabulary, and directness. Doing so will hopefully serve to make me a better attorney one day.

7) Get a six-pack

It's time for me to set loftier goals, and I might as well start with the physical ones, since I have been accustomed to lifting for quite some time now. I don't meal to just 'get a six-pack' but rather, take it as a metaphorical sense. I want to eat better, work out more on a regular basis, and just overall push myself a little more in the gym or on the street when I'm running. It's time to get out of that comfort zone. Hopefully, results will soon follow.

8) Make a difference in people's lives

I know this may be a little strange of a new years resolution, particularly after the six-pack one. But since I'm working on becoming an attorney, I want to use my newly-acquired status (or soon to be status) to work for the greater good. Perhaps I can spend my time working as an advocate for prisoners. however, ideally I want to do something substantive in the Asian community, whether that be formally through an internship, or informally, as in a volunteer basis. I have spent the majority of my life following the dollar sign. Hopefully, I can deviate for at least this little while.

9) Have more confidence in myself

I have spent a better part of my life doubting my own abilities. More often than not, I am never satisfied with my accomplishments because I am comparing myself to simply the best. By doing so, I am essentially depriving myself of the sense of gratification that usually comes with being confident with my own abilities. Therefore, I should learn to be more confident in the way that I speak, I write, I interact. I should ultimately spend less time worrying about what other people think of me, and more so what I think of myself. As cliche as this statement may sound, I cannot change the way people perceive me. However, I can at the very least be comfortable with who I am and what I have accomplished. I am who I am.

10) Build my network

This last one builds on my last year's new years resolution with meeting and keeping in touch with people. Since I'm working towards a lofty goal of establishing a decent career trajectory, I should at the very least begin to really meet and stay in touch with the people that could potentially get me there. Therefore, I'm going to revert back to the old school INROADS days, whereby I ultimately want to mail out 100 Christmas cards by the end of the year -- not to friends or family, but to people who can truly make a difference somewhere down the line.

There you go - my new years resolutions for 2008. Of course, I'm also going to build on the ones I made for 2007. I hope nothing but the best this year. Here's to 2008 - and not necessarily to new beginnings, but rather building on becoming a better person overall.