Well friends, 2011 was pretty good. For me, it looked like beaches and glaciers, and lots of weddings, engagements, and babies. It also looked a lot like late nights, closing down the office—I want 2012 to have even more beaches and sparkly things, and less late nights at work. What do you want the new year to look like?
I have a friend who, rather than making resolutions, makes themes for each year. Like happiness, or sexiness. I like that. I mean, what’s greater than resolving to be totally sexy all year? Instead of rolling to work with unwashed hair and feeling off all day, you could shower… or you could toss around that disheveled do, throw on some red lipstick, and work it. And, as you make the decision to eat a second corndog, you can ask yourself “does this make me feel sexy?” If it does, then hell yeah, eat that delicious corndog girlfriend, and look great doing it! Or not. Either way, if you resolve to be sexy all year, you’ll be more confident, and you’ll own it.
My theme is to not waste time. I mean, it’s not as, well, sexy, as the sexy-theme, but after 3 straight months of 50+ hour workweeks last year, I decided I need to make better use of my time. I’m a bit of an over achiever, so it’s no one’s fault but my own—I didn’t create boundaries, or have a healthy work-life balance. It was either all or nothing—trips every weekend, followed by being the last one in the office every weeknight—and I majorly burned out.
I mean, I like my job, but I missed out on some important things…like not taking extra time off for my best friend’s wedding, or not training as much as I should have for runs. Don't get me wrong, I did go on some amazing vacations. I was so stressed out though, that I spent half of my vacation time unwinding before I could relax. I cried a lot. I ate too many frozen pizzas. I bailed on a crazy amount of happy hours and get-togethers, and now a lot of my friends—the ones I bailed on—are moving away. I don’t want to miss out on the important things anymore. The little things that make life great.
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| A wedding in Cancun one weekend, a wedding in Seattle the next! |
So, in 2012, I’m going to reflect on what makes me happy, and I’m going to value my time more. I’m going to go on vacations without feeling guilty about it. I’m also going to make more time for running. I want to shave at least 10 minutes off my half-marathon time.
I’m going to leave the office at a reasonable hour each day, and not pass up opportunities to spend time with my friends. I’m going to figure out what I really, really enjoy about my job—the things that make it a valuable use of my time (and not just the company’s time)—and I’m going to make those things happen.
I’m also going to cook lots and lots of delicious food, definitely going to make time for that. Here's to the time well spent in 2012! Happy New Year!
