Originally posted on my blog, The Comics Cove, not too long ago...

I'm always of two minds about New Year's resolutions. On the one hand, they're a good way to try to improved and better yourself personally as a new year dawns. On the other hand, they can serve as a stark reminder of how weak-willed we can be. According to some studies, only 23 percent of New Year's resolutions are actually kept by resolution makers. A whopping 35 percent of resolutions are broken by the end of January.

That's right. Not even a month in, and well over a third of the millions of resolutions made putter into the oblivion. Not very encouraging.

Most of the New Year's resolutions I've made in past years have dealt with specific issues: writing (I will commit to writing 500 words per day for the whole year, or 182,500 words for the year); exercise (I will develop an exercise routine for muscle tone, strength and endurance, and I will stick with it the whole year); and sleeping (I will get up earlier in the morning and make use of the extra time I have. I will get by with less sleep than I currently do.). I've failed at these resolutions in the past, and have basically given up on trying to whip myself into shape over them when the new year emerges.

I have found, however, that time and necessity often do for me what arbitrary resolutions have failed at. When I was diagnosed with high cholesterol a few months ago, I changed my eating and exercise habits, because my long-term health was on the line. When I realized I was nearing the limit precipice of my credit cards a few years ago, I committed to paying down all that debt as soon as I possibly could--and, I'm proud to say, I've hacked away the majority of that particular beast. This blog, of which I'm particularly proud, was not part of any resolution I'd planned for the end of the year, but rather the realization that if I ever wanted to be a writer, then I'd better get off my ass and do some serious, consistent writing, each and every day.

None of those changes required, or even were part of, any New Year's resolution. They were due to particular circumstances that had emerged in my life naturally, over time. I am therefore convinced that any meaningful changes I want to make to my life will not be the result of any commitments I make arbitrarily at the end of a year.

So, in light of that realization, why bother with them? Well, because if nothing else, I think I can use the New Year's resolution to commit to some of the less serious, more fun areas of my life. Since I've had a few things in this category that I've never tried to work on, I figure it's about time to do so. And here's the great part: both of the resolutions I've made for myself this year revolve around comic book related goals. Without further ado, my two resolutions for 2012 are as follows:

1. I will attend at least one comics convention that takes place outside of Houston. I'm already planning to attend Comicpalooza this year, which is the fastest-growing and most awesome con that Houston has hosted since its inception some 5 years ago. But it's easy to get to them if you're already living in the city where they're hosted. I want to go to another town and meet comics fans who've come to somewhere other than my current city, even if it's just a few hours away. At this point, likely candidates are Austin (Wizard World Austin) and Chicago, but things could change. We'll see how time, budget, and energy affect where I'll end up this year...
2. I will attempt to construct at least two different costumes for cosplay purposes. I've already got two that I could use at a moment's notice, a Jedi and a Tenth Doctor getup, both I need to become a comic book character. My two marks for this year are black-suit Spider-Man, and Nightwing. Both are characters I've identified with in the past, and still enjoy reading about in the present. You could also argue that I even look a bit like them. Can I pull them off? Probably, but again, I'll need to start looking for costume pieces and start putting them together while I've still got the time.

So, there you have it. My resolutions for this year are more fun, more comic book-oriented, and nothing for me to feel horribly about if I don't accomplish them (though why I wouldn't want to is currently beyond me). If anyone has any advice or can help me reach either one this year, please don't hesitate to speak up. In the mean time, I'll wish luck to anyone who's made New Year's resolutions and still stuck with them at this point. I hope you have as much success with them as I have fun with these resolutions of mine.

See you (hopefully) on the convention scene!