loveisgreaterthan[dot]com

taking a break from the moving stuff today. i hope you don’t mind, friend. i promise i’ll put up some pictures later today.

well, i hate to subscribe to the idea of “everyone else is doing it, so i should, too.” but this does seem to be a good time of the year to make lists. resolutions, goals, to-do’s… whatever. maybe i’m feeling all grown-up now that i am a homeowner, but this year i finally feel like it’s time to make a detailed list of things i want to accomplish. not just over the course of 2008 (although, that’s a great starting point), but life in general. although, the list will ebb and flow as life goes on, so maybe saying “this is my 2008 to-do list” is just what i need.

• make a baby - don’t necessarily need to have a baby this year, just want to make one. practice makes perfect… practice often.
• be a better husband - more patient and loving to a wife that puts up with me being a pretty bad husband, sometimes.
• do my job better - spend more time learning ways to do my job better this year.
• do my job smarter - optimize time. find ways to become more efficient in every aspect of my job. that way, i can…
• do my job less - if i were being completely honest, looking back on 2007 i would say it was the year of overworking. i probably averaged somewhere in the vicinity of 55-60 hours a week at my main job, and a good 2-4 hours a work in freelance over the course of the year. it’s not fair to my wife and family to devote such a large chunk of my time to work.
• take more pictures - care less about being the “weird guy always with a camera.”
• listen more - talk (or wait to talk) less. really pay more attention to people and their lives.
• watch less t.v. - shouldn’t be too hard if the writers stay on strike. you hate reality television (so long as it doesn’t have to do with food or people losing weight)
• read fifteen books - you know this is good for you… now do it.
• lose seventy-five pounds - you know this is good for you… now do it.
• appreciate - spend more time appreciating those people, places, and things around you. even the small things.
• don’t worry so much - you’re going to be ok, i promise.
• care less - care less about what others think of you. be yourself. authentic. otherwise, sooner or later everyone will see that you’re full of it. might as well let them know up front.
• write more - type less. ironic, considering i’m typing this right now. to be fair, i did write this list in my moleskine first.
• blog, like… a lot - write at least 365 blog entries this year. at least 30% of them should be something worthwhile.
• learn how to play guitar hero with the blue button - really, who are you impressing always playing on easy? not even yourself…
• level to 70 - get at least one character in world of warcraft to level 70, then stop playing so much.
• embrace your inner handy-man - you own a house now, it’s time to learn the difference between a philips and a flat-head.
• do not be afraid to create a good photograph - not everything needs to be pictured in it’s natural state.
• become a better leader - you have much to learn from those around you that you may not necessarily like. take advantage of the wealth of experience and knowledge of those you work with.
• use your moleskine more - even if it’s just to write a thought a day. journal more of your journey through the word.
• don’t let others tell you how to grow spiritually - find what works for you… blaze your own path if you must. commit to it, and do it.
• try not to be so spiritually lazy - you own five bibles… read one. right now, do it. where you work is not an excuse.
• grow. create. love. - this is your three word mantra for 2008. repeat it, often.