Goal #1: Publish 500
Squidoo Lenses – Rank 250 Lenses in Top 10 for Their Main Keyword.
Publishing 500 lenses is going to take a lot of work. I was going to try to get them all published by March but it's going a lot slower than I expected. Now I'm going to aim for May. I definitely want them all published before summer so I can spend my summer doing stuff I enjoy such as working on the layout of the lenses and adding graphics. The lenses will get around 10 backlinks each and I'm hoping that's enough to rank them well in Google. I would like to get half of the 500 lenses ranking in the top 10 for their main keywords. I’m estimating that this will bring in around $2,500 a month.
Goal #2: Save $500 in an emergency account
I would like to get this
completed by March. I will need to put $250 into the account at the end of
January and $250 into the account at the end of February.
Goal #3: Get under 200 pounds
I currently weigh 220 pounds so I
will need to lose 20 pounds which should be doable as long as I don’t pig out
and stick to an exercise plan. I only need to lose 2 pounds per month.
Goal #4: Read 12 books
I should be able to manage 1 book
a month. I have already made a list of 24 books I would like to read and I will pick 12 books from that list. If I get done with twelve, the rest that I read will be a bonus. I've already got a good start on The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy (pretty disappointed with it so far) and I expect to finish it this weekend.
Goal #5: Ride my bike 10 miles
My dad always complains that I
never use my bike and I have always wanted to take it to Sakatah trail to ride
it. I would also like to bring my bike camping and ride it on the trails at the
state parks. I should be able to ride it 10 miles this summer.
Goal #6: Pay off 1 student loan
This goal was actually a goal
last year but wasn’t completed. I will be asking for a 6 month deferment in
January but once my Squidoo lenses start earning money, I am planning on making
payments again. My cheapest loan is around $1,500. I should be able to get it
paid off in a year.
Goal #7: Learn to play 5 songs on guitar
I found a list of 10 songs every
guitar player should know how to play. They are classic songs like Tom Petty’s
Free Fallin’ or Bob Dylan’s Knocking on Heaven’s Door. I would like to learn to
play 5 of those 10 songs. I have an acoustic guitar and a guitar instruction
book so I just need to learn the notes, chords and tabs and it should be easy
to learn the songs. I should probably practice for 3-4 hours a day, 3 days a
week.
Goal #8: Learn to make Crème Brulee
I love Crème Brulee and have
always wanted to make it but I always forget to try it. Maybe if I add it to my
list of goals this year, I’ll remember to try to make it. I don’t have the
right equipment to make it. I don’t have the right kind of dishes and I don’t
have a blow torch. I’ll have to go out and purchase that stuff first.
Goal #9: Get health insurance
I need to get some health
insurance. I’m not sure how much it will cost. I’m guessing around $300 a
month. I would like Blue Cross/Blue Shield but I’ll probably just get whatever
is cheapest. I would like something with a small deductible and dental but it will probably be too expensive.
Goal #10: Go to New York City for my 30th birthday
I have always wanted to go to New
York City and my 30th birthday would be the perfect time to do it.
It could get very expensive though so this would only happen if my 500 articles
reach the top 10 for their keywords. I would also like to go on a cruise in January of 2014 which leaves from NYC the weekend after my birthday. All of this will probably cost a couple thousand for hotel, a thousand for air, $500 for admission into attractions, a thousand for the cruise and then whatever for food, souvenirs, gratuities, taxis and ship excursions. All-in-all, I might be able to swing it for $6,000 but I would probably need more than that. I need to come up with a budget so I know how much I need to save. I would also like to take my parents along with me as their 30th anniversary gift but I don't know if I could afford to bring them too (since I can't even afford to go myself). Out of all my resolutions, this one is the hardest yet the one I'm most excited about.
