Resolution for Your Heart [2024 Aspirations]

"Ah, even though it's New Year's, I'm tired of mochi."
"In that case, shall I go buy some Western-style sweets?"
"Sounds good! Do you have any recommendations?"
"Hmm... how about an eclair?"

How about an eclair...?

How about an eclair...?

Ecuad-or...?

Ecuador!! There we go!!

Yes, thank you for humoring my little skit.
I'm Arlon, known for the phrase, "My favorite space pirate is Gokai Blue."

I'm going to set forth my 2024 aspirations, or goals, or rather, things I'm going to work hard toward! (I'll write the main points seriously).

★

1. Earn enough to be independent

First of all, this.

"Wait, isn't that obvious?" you might think. Yes, it is. You are absolutely right.

I currently live at my parents' house, and I am gnawing on all four of their shins for support.
I started web writing last year, but I can't really say I'm "earning a living" from it.
Furthermore, it's a pathetic state of affairs when the part-time job I started as a side hustle pays better.

While there's no point in rushing, I can't stay in this situation forever.
I intend to devote myself even more so that I can live an independent life.

If anything, I suppose this is more of an immediate challenge.

★

2. Attend the Creative Awards ceremony

Next is a fairly concrete one.

The note Creative Awards, which will likely be held again this year.
Attending this ceremony is my goal for this year as a writer.

The reason I said "attend the ceremony" rather than "win an award" is because,

• attending the ceremony as a winner is, in a broad sense, the same thing.

• I saw the Creative Awards 2023 ceremony and wanted to interact with various authors and the editorial staff.

These are the two reasons.

Winning an award itself is, of course, an honor, but I thought it was important not to be satisfied with that and to also strive to build connections.
New encounters might lead to new paths opening up.

Honestly, other contests would be fine too, but since I have set this as one of my major goals, I intend to stick with the Creative Awards for that.

★

3. Join a new community

The last one is a bit lighter.

Last year, I started playing badminton as a working adult and took on a part-time job, so my communities increased somewhat.
However, as long as I work as a freelance professional from home, it is undeniable that my communities are quite limited.

I am not good at socializing and have experienced quitting jobs twice due to stress, so I am quite cautious about joining communities.

Even so, a life spent just cooped up at home is not what I want, so I thought I would like to expand (or deepen) my connections, even if I don't have to be proactive about it.

It's similar to "2. Attend the Creative Awards ceremony."
Despite everything, perhaps I do have a desire to stay connected with people after all.

★

I suppose it's something like this.

I believe a goal is an expression of the desire to change oneself.

I want to change. That is why I set goals and run toward them.

Of course, there will be times when I slack off, and I might even give up along the way.
Even so, it must be far more enjoyable than giving up from the start without doing anything.

Also, writing on note helps organize my thoughts, and (regardless of whether it's effective) making it public means there's no turning back. Perhaps there might even be some eccentric person who reads this article and cheers me on.

I wrote this with that feeling in mind.

Aiming for the day when I achieve everything and shout, "What a fanta-stic development!", my 2024 begins.