2012:Year of Lyndsy

Some (okay, all) of you are probably laughing at the title of this post. I know, I know. I ALWAYS think it's the Year of Lyndsy. But if you'll remember my last post, 2011 clearly has NOT been my year.

As bad as 2011 was, I will not let it ruin 2012 for me. What happened in 2011 is going to stay in 2011. More so now than any year I can remember, I want to take this new year opportunity to shed that which doesn't move me forward anymore. 2012 is going to be about progress, no matter how small that progress is.

I'm going to set some goals for this year. Some are specific, some are not. I don't know if the specificity or lack thereof will make them more attainable. I've made goal lists before, but I've never gone back to see which I accomplished and which I didn't. I'm going to print this list off and attach it to the back of my apartment door, so I have to look at it every day. As I get things done, I'll cross them off.

I am going to give myself credit for progress I make on things, particularly if they're longer term goals. Progress IS an accomplishment, in and of itself. A lot of us have a tendency to focus just on achieving the ultimate goal. If we approached life like that, we'd only be satisfied at our death. Who wants to live life just to die?

Without further ado, here's the list for the Year of Lyndsy.

1. Edit my 2011 NaNoWriMo novel.
2. Finish 2 novels (one I've already started, one I'll do during NaNoWriMo 2012)
3. Keep in touch with people better (by email, phone, or handmade card)
4. Stop eating shit food and get back on track with my fitness progress
5. Stop swearing
6. Laugh at #5
7. Stop making fake goals
8. Blog with more regularity (I found someone else's blog with questions, so that should help)
9. Take more photos (I bought myself a new camera, should probably use it...)
10. Get out more with old friends and continue making new friends
11. Get impregnated by a member of a roving dance troupe
12. Learn some discipline in the maintenance of my space (old crap has to go)
13. Remind myself to quit making fake goals
14. Pay off a credit card
15. Begin a serious Zen practice
16. Approach every day with a positive attitude
17. Bake more (I'll need volunteers to eat the stuff)
18. Attend a live concert
19. Return my library books on time (I'm sick of paying late fees)
20. Make efforts every day to return the blessings in my life to my friends and family

21. Work on looking my best - the outer reflects the inner

Some of these things shouldn't be on a goal list - I should already be doing them. I know you all think I'm perfect, but I have to grudgingly admit that I'm not. I'm hoping that by writing them down I'll remember my commitment and actually do them.

If any of these interest you and you'd like to have some part of it, let me know. I'm happy to ship baked goods (making no guarantees on their quality when they reach you), I'd love someone to go Zen with me, and I'd like to see those of you I haven't seen in a while. I've spent a lot of time holed up in my apartment by myself and it's time to break out of that. I don't want to feel rushed to get things done, but I want my life to feel full. When this time rolls around next year, I want to look back on 2012 and be proud of what I've done.

I may be calling 2012 the Year of Lyndsy, but it's not my year at the expense of anyone else. If you've got goals for 2012 and I can help you achieve them, let me know. We can all grow together.

To 2012!

The New Year

How it got to be mid-December I have no idea. But when this time of year rolls around, I can't help but think about New Year's Eve. Normally I don't celebrate New Year's Eve. I hole up and try not to think about it. I usually see the new year as nothing more than an extension of the past year with nothing to be excited about.

Last night I was at a Meetup event and the group is planning a New Year's Eve celebration. I mentioned my general hatred for New Year's and one of the members offered a different perspective. He blathered on for a minute, but the point of his rambling was to note that if nothing else, you can acknowledge the passage of time.

I rarely occasionally respect what he has to say, so I gave it some thought. I've decided that I will celebrate this year, for two reasons.

First, in a lot of ways, 2011 really sucked. And I don't mean a little. It sucked like a whore on Valentine's Day. I hit the trifecta of awful - abusive relationship, back surgery, and stress at work.

But, I made it through all of that. I learned a lot about myself and relationships, I'm much healthier than I was last year, and I've taken a leap and left my job without actually having one lined up. It was a year of scary lows, but also great highs.

Second, next year is going to be very different than this year. As I mentioned above, I gave notice at my current job. I've been interviewing with a company for a while, with a final interview next week. The job would challenge me and help me grow professionally. In a lot of ways, I think it's like my dream job.

If I don't get an offer, I'll be packing up and heading back to Florida. While I don't love the idea of living in Florida (and the oppressive heat and humidity, not to mention the creepy crawlies), being closer to my family will be mostly nice (I hope). Three of my cousins are getting married in May and June and I'd like to make those weddings without spending 48 hours and $1500 on plane trips to do it. No matter which way things go, I see it as a win/win for me. Win/win situations are rare, but they're nice.

So, in celebration of surviving some awful shit and moving on to new things, on December 31st, I'll be partying like it's 1999. (And yes, I realize this is 2011, but we all know I'm not cool enough to celebrate anything newer than 1999.)

May the best of your todays be the worst of your tomorrows.