Be SMART in 2011

It's that time of year again when we all resolve to workout 6 days a week, go to church every Sunday, call our parents more and save more money.  We're all guilty of making those resolutions and most of us are guilty of letting them fall by the wayside a few weeks into January.

This year, why not resolve SMARTly -  specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely resolutions.

Last year, these were my resolutions:
1 - Get in shape by going to the rec and doing the Gutz and Butz workouts --> important for looking good in a wedding dress!
2 - Keep my 3.7 GPA in grad school -- study for stats and put in at least 20 hours on my seminar presentation
3 - Maintain close relationships with friends who are no longer in Manhattan -- via Facebook, texts and snail mail (I'm not so great at talking on the phone, sorry).
4 - Continue to work hard to maintain and improve the great relationship Hyatt and I have
5 - Find a house in the Manhattan area and decorate it with both western decor (for me) and outdoor/hunting decor (for the Ninja). Pics will definitely be provided as this process takes place
6 - Move my horses to Manhattan so I can get them in shape and get back to my passion -- rodeoing!
7 - Stay close to family by going home as much as possible

The only ones I achieved and stayed true to were...drumroll............... 2-5.  Which were all pretty easy.  The hard ones (work out, move horses to MHK, find time to go to SEK) resulted in lack of time/effort due to gradschool (and I hate working out).  This year my resolutions have changed - they're now SMART.

1 - Spend 15 minutes every day (including weekends) advocating for agriculture via Twitter (follow me @brandibuzzard), blogging and Facebook.
2 - Have a date night once per week with the Ninja regardless if it's a movie, dinner or a game of Scrabble.
3 - Send an Australia update email to friends and family every two weeks to keep them informed of life down under.
4 - Defend for my Master's degree before school starts in January 2012 - accomplish this by updating manuscripts and my literature review weekly while in Australia.
5 - Cook one new recipe per week (I got tons of cookbooks as shower gifts, thanks to my family for that hint).
6 - Increase my knowledge of agriculture current events through daily reading periodicals, journals, online newsletters and local and world news.

I challenge you to set SMART resolutions that you can stick to this year.  Make sure to steer a few towards agriculture to help you grow as an informed consumer, producer and agvocate.

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~