Another year ends tonight.
Whoopee! Ok, that said, it’s been
a tumultuous and at times darn right aggravatin’ year. So many details of my life were upended and
changed without my input or voice. Not
having an iota of control over my professional world really upset me these last
few months and I allowed it to steal away my peaceful state of mind. However, I am now going to pat myself on the
back for several New Year Resolution accomplishments from 2012.
This year I expanded my employability endeavors. I began tutoring online and met with success in
this venture. I have more to do in this
field and I am looking forward to the opportunity to excel. Last week another
site asked me for a writing sample.
Tempting…I need to check it out and see if it is better pay or better
hours than I what I am currently doing.
Right before the holiday I finished editing a novella for a young man
from Haiti. It mostly involved
correcting punctuation and other mechanics, but it’s something new to add to a
resume. I also wrote a piece that got
published by someone other than me. I
got paid for it even. How cool is
that? Not too shabby on exploring other
job options.
I’m making tremendous progress on the understanding of
personal finance. I’m watching more
closely where our money goes. We are
learning to live within different parameters so that we can be freer in our
money goals. I’m learning and I’m
spending time analyzing how we can live the lives we want to without money
feeling like a burden. I believe in
being responsible and making informed choices.
I will continue to work toward independence and contentment in this
area.
Another opportunity occurred when I got to visit a city I
have never been to. In September I flew
to Vegas and got to spend a whirlwind weekend learning new dance moves,
watching professionals demonstrate their prowess, and enjoying time with my
fellow belly dancers. While there I saw
an old friend who kindly gave me the shot at getting published (thanks again,
Craig!). I got to experience a bit of
Sin City; enough to realize that the strip is devoted to pleasure and
vice. You want it, they got it. I also concluded that Vegas is not my
city. I am not meant to reside in a
desert, but visiting again would be all right with me.
Along with new resume fodder, money matters and travel, I read a lot. I wanted to read more books and I think I
did. I read everything from ridiculous
sci-fi Douglas Adams style to the classic sci-fi Dune and Stranger in a
Strange Land as well as non-fiction Physics
of the Future by Michio Kaku, Wolf
Gift by Anne Rice, and the Dalai Lama’s latest book Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World. I averaged more than 2 books a month all
year. I love reading! When I don’t get a juicy story to read, I
feel something in my life is missing.
Each year I try to read a few more of the titles on the top 100 must
read list. Eventually I will read them
all.
A while back I
started eating according to a different method.
Since then I have maintained the initial benefits of weight loss and
increased health and energy. I wanted to
make sure in 2012 that I could continue the positive eating and living plan I started. One vital part of any lifestyle change
involves finding something you can keep doing without getting bored or
complacent. Eating from a primal menu
brought me so many benefits that I can’t imagine going back to the way things
were. Honestly, I ate well before this
switch, but I eat even better now. No
lie. I don’t feel deprived or hungry or
like I can’t manage it. It’s simple,
easy, and oh so tasty!
Most importantly I maintained a blog all year! Granted, once the chapter a week of Scott
Cunningham’s work was finished, I slacked off on the postings, but I did find
other topics to keep me writing. By
doing so I worked through some of my core beliefs and emerged even stronger in
conviction. I think my self-assignment
helped me gain perspective, solidify my beliefs, and find a level of comfort in
my own skin. I honestly do believe that
this is who I am and while others may not always understand or accept it, it’s
my life to live, not theirs. I will
continue to live the best possible life I can on my terms. This is one
resolution kept and met. Hopefully I
will get to bring a little joy to others along the way in the coming year.
One unexpected understanding that came to me this year
involves happiness. Finding what makes
you happy is important. Don’t let anyone
tell you otherwise because it is rubbish to deny the importance of happiness in
our lives. So much heartbreak and
devastation occurs in the world.
Realizing and accepting that most of it exists outside my control fills
me with frustration and angst. Finding a
way to make this world a little better, a little happier challenges me. I may not have all the answers to the world’s
problems, but I can find ways to work in my own area to improve conditions
here. I can make donations, sign
petitions, send my representatives letters and emails, and volunteer. I can also find one thing each day that makes
me happy and share that joy with others.
I want more happiness in my life and in my world now that we averted the
Mayan apocalypse. Time to be the change
I want to see in the world.
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