Sigh…there’s nothing quite like writing in a brand new notebook, cracking open page 1 of a delicious new book or wiping your proverbial slate clean for the dawn of a New Year.
“Out with the crappy old and in with the new!”, dozens of Facebook-ers proclaimed in unison on January 1st. Oddly enough, those same people waxed poetic on their daily lives in 2012.
There are two things that turn me on: the truth and goal setting (click for a helpful template). I know I’m late to the party, but here is my honest 2012 year in review.
THE GOOD
- I gave a new boy a chance and let our connection grow slowly overtime. Try as I might to kill our romance through the act of over analyzing (my weapon of choice) we managed to celebrate our 1 year anniversary this weekend at St. Anne’s Spa.
- I lost my surprise birthday party virginity thanks to my best friend, mom and boyfriend.
- I nurtured my travelling spirit in Croatia, Italy and Greece, with travel lessons along the way.
- I got my “screen” on at the Toronto Screenwriting Conference after selling my less relevant World Domination Summit ticket for a loss (this was a tough call).
- I finally invested in this short film writing courseand created 3 short film concepts.
- I won a ticket to the Innoversity Summit on twitter and got my employer to send me to Next Media to learn about the many faces of media.
St. Anne’s Spa: only worth it if you get a last minute deal.
THE MEDIOCRE
- I got stuck on page 60 of my first feature film and mentally beat myself up. In all fairness, I bit off more than I could chew…
- I made half hazard attempts to cook but still spent a gazillion dollars eating out
- I did not redesign this blog as planned. Instead I wrote less about my love life and more about my writing life. To my chagrin, my snarky tone was replaced with a more earnest one and I’m still struggling to find my true voice.
2012 was as bumpy as this beach-side Dominican horseback ride
THE UGLY
- Everything stressed me out including yoga, travel, my boyfriend and friends. I couldn’t let myself enjoy “non productive” tasks and felt like an observer of my life, instead of a present participant
- I didn’t get into a solid, consistent writing routine. I was maniacal about making time to write, which took the fun and inspiration out of it. I did not walk the talk.
- I did not get promoted at work but my motivations were to shut my mom up, keep up with the business school Jones’s and make more money), so…
Screw the ugly! How I felt on Dec 31, 2012…not bad
On Being Zen, Believing and Deciding in 2013
These are the three words that I want 2013 to embody (see Chris Brogan for more on this annual ritual).
- Zen: To indulge in life’s pleasures with less guilt. To keep calm in the face of pressure and stress. To compare myself less to others. To remove senseless noises and distractions. To enjoy the journey.
- Believe: To believe in myself and therefore fear less so that I can write and do. To listen to my inner voice
- Decide: the final step is to make decisions I’ve been toying with, take action and move forward.
I want to actually finish things that I start. To walk the talk and stop feeling like a failure. To define success on my own terms and live a more balanced life. To feel free.
What do you want out of 2013 and how can you set the wheels in motion? Which tools, Apps, Courses, rituals, people and attitudes do you need?
