Yearly goals 2017 (Jan 2017)

Inspired by the pleasant feeling of writing my 2016 Yearly Plan “on paper” (and the brief overview), I shall now move on to my new, 2017 plan. I say inspiring, because words fly, and what is written lasts. And it could be very rewarding to look back and re-evaluate.

• Start my own olive farm

Those who know me, would have probably noticed that I am rather addicted to olives, olive oil, and Mediterranean vegetation in general (figs, bay tree, oleander, etc.). But olives are truly my passion – such a peaceful and literally gracious tree, appreciated from biblical times to our times! After many years of talking about it, I have finally made the move towards taking action – starting my own olive plantation.  

I am currently in the process of purchasing a piece of land in the extreme southwest of Bulgaria, in an area called Pirin Macedonia, known for some of the mildest climates of the country, in the Sandanski area. With near-2700h of sunshine hours per year, the region appears to be most suitable for Mediterranean cultures, and can use it for other purposes. If it succeeds, it will be a first step towards my own dream of becoming not only a consumer of olive products, but also a producer. And, in the end, a dream is there to either act on it, or leave it as a lovely imaginary reality. Well, I have decided to act! :)

I must also underline though that the idea is far from being purely agricultural, or simply about getting money and profit from some trees. It is a multi-faceted project:

1) I love Bulgaria, its sunny climate, food, untouched nature, people, wine.. and the list is long.. It is a unique way to connect to the place that I sadly do not live in anymore.

2) Plant-wise: I am up for something that no one has done before. For Italy and Greece, olives are simply a triviality. For Bulgaria, it is considered ‘exotic’, and the answer of people would mostly be “are you crazy” or “it will never work, it’s not gonna grow here”. This is what makes it unique, and, matched with my endless love for the olive, is even more so a motivational factor.

• concentrate my effort in a career

Alongside my olive hobby, I would like to focus my attention on starting a career and focusing my multidisciplinary background into an area of interest and specialising. To make a profile, in other words. It doesn’t really matter that much what it is – could be an international institution, a PhD, or a legal job. Ultimately, what is important is that I start getting a direction – I am not getting any younger, and I would like to streamline my energy into a concentrated effort. It would also provide for some basic financial safety.

• keep far away from electronic devices
  

What a horrible addiction those screens are! One of my yearly goals is to reduce the amount of screens around me and the distraction of el. Devices. Easily said, but to execute it, I would need more than just words. I am planning to revive my 12-year-old (immortal) Nokia phone. Taking the temptation away is definitely a good start.

• less energy in superficial contacts, focus on deeper connections
  

I notice that I have built such a vast network of friends, keeping up with them in itself would probably take a 3-4 FTE (Full-time employment, jobs). As sad as it may be, it is not realistic to keep up a deep, involving and truly valuable connection with absolutely everyone. It makes one go mad – you wanna answer all your friends always. That means a WhatsApp list of dozens of unread chats. I must focus on my own life, on my own path, develop into what I want to be, and then share it with the world. That’s why one of my focus points for this year will be to concentrate my effort into some deeper connections, instead of trying to constantly be in touch with everyone, all the time. Now, if you are my friend (which you probably are if you are reading this), don’t get offended or shocked – it’s not like I will ignore you or forget you. We probably share a similar challenge here. Just checking the amount of WhatsApp contacts or Facebook friends we have can drive us mad. Now, how would it be to keep a constantly deep and meaningful relationship with absolutely all of them? Unthinkable.

• reading in foreign languages
  

Last year I surpassed my relatively modest reading goal (5 pages per day). This year has started good – in the last month only, I have read approx. 1000 pages (two extremely involving books). The trap is, however, that I keep reading in my mother tongue. I should read in a foreign language (besides English) more and more. Therefore, I am setting a very modest goal – 2 pages per day. It’s a start. Even one paragraph is better than nothing, right?

• Sport

I would like to keep up with my sporting activities. I currently do volleyball and I cycle approx. 150-200km per week. I am keen on doing other sports too, like swimming and yoga, or discovering something new – let’s see where the year will take me.

• Learn two pieces on the piano
  

Another modest goal. Last year I only leaned one piece for the piano. Better than nothing, but still – let’s double that this year :) Already learned one by the way! Playing an instrument can be such a mind-relieving and soothing exercise, at least for me.

• Attention to humans
  

It isn’t that difficult to just pay attention to the humans around you. What I mean: instead of immediately opening up a phone in the train, perhaps try to stay calm and observe others.  Who knows – you might cross looks with them, or a conversation might ensue. In any case, I want to try to be attentive to humans around, sense their mood/energy, be aware of their presence and not see them as a nasty annoyance to my senseless scrolling:)

• Be bored
  

Very much related to the last one – just allow myself to be bored and not indulge into distractions. Simply wait for the bus. Or walk to the train station, without music, news, Facebook, or other one of the endless list of distractions. When was the last time I (allowed myself) to be bored? Can’t even remember.

These are the goals I could gather for now. Even achieving half of them would be a better result than the starting point.

Thanks for your time and I hope it was an enjoyable, and hopefully – an inspiring read.