Requisite New Year's Blog and Resolutions version 2011

This year, New Year's Eve falls on a Friday night. I love it when that happens, because the Sabbath is the perfect way to start a new year. While everyone else is out trying to find the best party to attend, I have the perfect excuse to just sit at home with my family and spend some quiet time to reflect. Don't get me wrong, I love a good party, but to me, New Year's Eve is more serious than the other holidays. I like to spend the day cleaning, making sure everything is clean and in order. I've always hated the idea of welcoming the new year with chaos. And then, as midnight approaches, I like to think about the year past and dream about the upcoming year. All this is kinda hard to do when you're in party mode.

2010 has been the snowglobe year for me. Everything in my life was shaken, stirred, and basically went in a direction completely unplanned. I gave up one life plan in exchange for one completely different, and now I really have no idea where this one will take me. It's been a year in which my faith, my patience, and my endurance has been tested. And here I am at the end with no idea if I passed. This sounds kind of negative, but I see the good in it. I've grown a lot this year, but I can see that I still have a lot of growing to do. Most importantly, I've learned a lot about trust and faith. I'm learning what it really means to trust God and to follow Him without an inkling of how it will all work out in the end. It's scary and often times frightening, but it's also exciting. I have no idea what's ahead, but I think I can say now with more certainty than ever that I'm ok with that. Which is a lot, coming from a Type A personality.

Speaking of OCD-type behaviors... The following are my New Year's resolutions in list form.

1. Get certified. I want to take and pass the RNC in the first half of the year. More knowledge, more confidence, and also more money. :)

2. Write the first draft of my novel. I've had this idea stuck in my head for a couple of years now. It's about time it got penned down. I've been terrified because I want it to be perfect right away, but I should know by now that perfection takes time and work. Not to mention actual action.

3. Improve my financial situation. I'm not broke, but I'm not rich either. I definitely could learn to manage my money better.

4. Take care of my body from head to toe. It's the only one I've got. Not only does this mean the usual weight loss goals, but getting enough sleep, managing stress, and eating healthier. Head to toe also means taking care of my hair and my skin. Goodbye to junk food and hello to exercise and frequent visits to the salon, spa, and dermatologist. Not to mention actually finding a general physician.

5. Find a balance between family and personal time. I need to be more aware of my family's needs as well as my own. And if it means I need to go away on more mini-vacations to protect my sanity, so be it.

6. Start a musical group. Been working on this one with a friend. I miss choral singing, and producing good music is a blessing to all involved.

7. Become more involved at church. Not just saying yes to everything and then not following through, but actually contributing in a measurable way.

8. Start a work journal. I was disappointed when I received my evaluation at work to realize that my supervisors had simply given me cut-and-paste comments on my performance at work. If I can make real, measurable contributions to work and journal them, it will make proving that I deserve more than just a generic review much easier.

9. Watch less TV. Seriously, enough is enough. I think it's time to start weeding out some of the shows I've been watching. I can't live a great story if I'm too busy watching the stories of others.

10. Take chances. I don't know how many times I've regretted missed opportunities, questioned what if. I'm turning 26 this year and I'm not getting any younger. If I want things to happen for me, be they in my work life, my social life, or my spiritual life, I need to start moving NOW. Now is not the time to be afraid.

Here's to a great year... 2011, here I come!