Happy New Year’s Eve Eve. Yet another year. What’s next?

Let’s take a look at the year in review first... for (what is likely) the first time since starting this writing space, I have a job I don’t hate. In fact, most days I can’t believe I get paid for doing it. Yeah, it’s kinda like that.

I set a goal of reading fifty books this year. I surpassed it by fifteen. Still can’t hardly believe it... that one goal has changed many aspects of my life. Now, I hope to remain an avid reader for the remainder of my days.

I hardly watch television. I’m still relieved to say I don’t watch regular television programming, save for binge watching the latest season of Game of Thrones. The last season, which I’m told won’t even air in this coming year, will likely be the last of my being a slave to the way television USED to be.

While I don’t subscribe to it, I like where TV is headed. Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon have brought us a world where we can watch a television show all at once—on our own schedule. No longer do I have to wait until next week to see who shot Walter White.

Or sit through all of those damned commercials.

Or, if I choose, I can sit on YouTube and seek out the commercials and skip the programming.

Why waste so much time watching video though?

Also, in the past year I have discovered beer. Truly.

It’s a hazard of my job, I suppose, that I would learn which beers I enjoy, including dark beers I never would have tried otherwise. Beer is so much more diverse than I ever imagined, and I will enjoy this ride.

I have returned to the dark side of technology. I purchased a Surface, which I have since discovered is absolutely useless as a tablet—the reason I bought it. Damn these things are big. And it just feels dirty as a Mac user buying a Microsoft product.

Yet, the iPads have always disappointed me. I’ve never understood the draw. We’ll see if I keep this Surface though. It’s barely an inch smaller than my MacBook Air, so, again, it’s useless as a tablet.

Finally, I’m progressing in my journey to the dark side of myself. I have read so many books explaining how toxic it is to live inside one’s head—constantly checking what you do with the ego within. It’s time to apply what I’ve learned. To let my shadow thrive and enjoy myself, life and the ladies.

On that note, it is time to set some goals for the coming year.

Fifty new experiences: It is time for me to slip out of my shell. I’m NOT evolving, which is the one thing I desire. I want more. I want it all. Money. Power. Women.

Broken down, this amounts to doing one thing that makes me uncomfortable each week, for the purpose of growing and evolving. There’s no real reason I shouldn’t do at least one thing that makes me uncomfortable each day... but fifty is a good start. It’s time to practice what I preach. Information alone is NOT enough.

More books: I’ll strive to continue reading. This year’s goal of twenty-five books is easily attainable, yet will not get in the way of the previously mentioned evolution.

No reason to make the excuse, “I’d rather not ‘people’ today, and just go home and finish my book.”

Purge one collection: I’m a chronic collector. I have stacks of records, books, DVDs, CDs—I collect. As the world itself moves to a more agrarian way of delivering information and media, it’s time to let some of that go.

Do I really need to download the new Taylor Swift album if it’s on the cloud service I subscribe to?

Yet, that isn’t really the point. I’ve come to believe the collector mindset is toxic. It’s too scarce. To live an abundant life, I need to accept that anything I really need in my life will be available whenever I need it.

Plus, applying this to the previous resolutions, I need to be willing to ruin it all to learn the lesson. Try the counterintuitive—even if it means losing her. If she goes, there will be another.

Finally, there’s the women: I have a history of blown opportunities in my life. So, I need to meet a new woman every day this year. Let’s call it 300, if only to avoid the demotivator of, “I didn’t leave the house today, so that resolution is shot.”

There are so many women out there. All I need to do is talk to them. There is no reason to ever sleep alone.

To that end, I’ll give any woman a chance to win me over—especially the dazzling ones.

2018 will be an incredible year!