2013 Goals? Keep calm and...

Normally I spend the first week of January developing a list of goals and priorities for the year. I focus on a goal or two in each of a few broad categories:

• Positive contributions to the community: This is the goal wherein I plan to donate time or resources to some community service.
• Knowledge and professional development: This category usually encompasses goals for reading, completing certification courses, submitting papers to conferences, etc...
• Focus on family and friends: I have a tendency to let career considerations dictate my social calendar, so I make it a point to plan family visits early and often.
• Travel: My "see a new place every month" or "take a vacation overseas" goals fit snugly into this category.
• Practical matters: This goal includes basic useful skills... things like learning to bake bread, or taking that CPR class I haven't signed up for yet...
• Fitness: Here we have race goals, pace goals, and a variety of other fitness challenges.
• Finances: For years this goal group included tasks like "pay off student loan."

But this year I've got a serious case of goal writer's block.

Looking ahead to 2013, I have many changes in the works not the least of which are moving to a new city and changing jobs.

Perhaps a single, simple goal like "Keep calm and carry on" would suffice for 2013.

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But that would hardly give me a feeling of accomplishment... (Keeping calm and carrying on should be standard operating procedure, even if it requires an extra glass of wine or an extra shot of espresso. Or both. Plus, you can't stop being Type A that easily.)

So, I need "real" goals.

I think the sub-24-minute 5k goal can and should be revived in 2013.
After all, I can run intervals and sign up for a weekend 5k whenever and wherever I am.

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But what about the others? How can I make travel plans, sign up for a class, or set up my distance racing calendar when I don't know exactly when or where I'll be moving? As for finances, "don't go broke while looking for a new job" hardly seems like a lofty target.

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Maybe I should just let 2013 roll out however it will, and jump into races, pursue job leads, and take opportunities wherever they arise?

Maybe my goal this year should be to plan less and to play more?

Or... maybe I should start thinking about the Marine Corps Marathon for 2014... and I should start looking at real estate listings in the DC metro area...

What are your goals for the new year?
What suggestions do you have for mine?