New Year’s Resolutions 2019

I never believed in resolutions. As a fairly well-motivated person, I’ve never felt the need. However, I have been doing the Goodreads Challenge for the past three years which has spurred me to read more than I usually do, and I usually read quite a lot. I will do it again for 2019 setting a goal of 55 books. I read 92 in 2018, so this is actually a rather modest goal.

I also plan to do the 40 Song Piano Challenge for 2019. I have been reading that students who expose themselves to a lot more music over the course of their studies are much better at sight reading than those who concentrate their practice on a few difficult passages. I definitely spent way too much time last year learning pieces that were over my head for that time in my studies. This year I will play through a lot of easier pieces as well as learn a few more difficult ones. I think a proper balance is necessary. I also will continue to practice scales and do exercises every day.

I've come across a perfect little collection of early English sonatas that will be easy and fun to learn for 2019. I will keep my eye out for other stuff. I think that I will also be able to learn more difficult things faster than before as I improve into the new year. Perhaps it won't take me a month or more to learn a Bach Invention.

In addition, I have been making more of an effort to improve my French and will make that a priority in 2019. I will also read novels in Spanish regularly. After all this time, I can’t believe how much more I have to learn in Spanish.

It never ends.

Usually, resolutions are filled with promises to exercise more, but forget that. I've always been extremely health conscious. I think that I've been doing just about the right amount of exercise. I also have an active life with lots and lots of walking and biking. Could I exercise more? Of course, but most people who exercise more don't do much else. Try reading a book once in a while.