Bye Bye, 2014!

Here it is, the end of another year. And it's been a great one, a prep one, I've been telling people. You know how you feel like you're preparing for something big? Maybe how an athletic team feels in a rebuilding year? That's how I feel about 2014. 

There was a lot of great things that happened this past year. I got engaged for one! How about that? I had never thought about marriage in a real way. Not that I didn't want it, but it was not on my 'things to do.' I thought it would happen or it wouldn't. 

I got to travel to some awesome places I've never been: San Antonio, Nashville, and revisit a few favorites: Chicago, NYC, and the Emerald Coast. There is something to be said about travel, the necessity of it and the fact that the more I travel, the more I want to travel. 

I barely missed my 50/50 Challenge goal, but feel OK about it because it's closer than I've ever gotten before. If you want the truth, this year in movies was kinda crap with a few gold stars. This is how my year ended: 

Movies

#46 - Mockingjay

#47 - The Big Wedding

#48 - Wall Street

#49 - Wild

#50 - The Pelican Brief

#51 - The Gambler

#52 - Big Hero 6

#53 - Unbroken

Books

#40: Mother, Mother - Koren Zalickas

#41: The Myth of Happiness - Sonja Lyubomirsky

#42: Still Alice - Lisa Genova

#43: Swim Back to Me - Ann Packer

#44: Not That Kind of Girl - Lena Duham

#45: Yes Please - Amy Poehler

#46: The Woman I Wanted to Be - DVF

#47: Flawless - Jan Moran

#48: The Happiness of Pursuit - Chris Guillebeau

In the coming year, I will probably be more active on Goodreads as that's an easier way to keep track of progress, but really, there are so many good books out there! I hope more people decide to read in 2015. I'm so happy to be part of a fun book club that makes reading even more exciting. Is that a geeky statement?

As it is now, I'm spending my final hours on a plane from the East Coast (Florida) to the West Coast (California) and thinking about the year ahead and how fantastic it will be. Tomorrow I will meet with my friends as they create vision boards and I create a specific list of goals of all the things I want to achieve in 2015. One of which is to update this blog more often and write more, in general.

So with that, I hope that your NYE is full of everything you want it to be. My personal goal is to stay awake until midnight, but why break tradition?

I write this in the air, after some Pinot Grigio, and a free viewing of "The Social Network." I hope 2015 treats you well. I'll be talking to you soon.

Birthday Resolutions: Act Like You Care

Celebrate with vodka (or your drink of choice)! photo from Flickr

One week from today I celebrate my birthday! You can send all gifts to...just kidding, but cheers to all the fellow Virgos out there! 

For a few years now, I've planned birthday resolutions to kick my "new year" off right. Similar to the popular New Year's resolutions or vision boards, the birthday resolutions are meant to create a change that will last longer than your temporary gym membership. 

What's the point of birthday resolutions, you ask? If you're anything like me, you get stuck in ruts. You have lofty ideas of the kind of life you would like to live and the types of things you would like to do and then you wake up and a year has gone by, two years, a decade, you get the picture. 

When Sally laments about turning 40, I am of the same age to feel the same way. (Go to 1:49 of the clip to hear her exasperation)




Honestly though, I am not that worried about getting older. That "oh shit" feeling has yet to hit me and hopefully it never will. I actively pursue ways to lead the kind of life I want. I don't just say, "Welp, too old to do that. Oh, well." 

Birthday resolutions give you a chance to make changes, big or small, that will bring your more adventure, and ultimately, happiness and sense of accomplishment to your life.

It's not something to set you up for failure, but rather to keep you on track for future goals, so that you don't let them slip away. 

I haven't created my full list, but I know this year I will attempt to once more to finish a novel (or at least a collection of short stories) within 30 days for NaNoMo. 

International travel, exploring new cities, more consistent creative writing (rather than just writing for work) are all also on the list. I have already taken active steps to make sure that these resolutions come to fruition.

Don't act like you have reached a point in your life where this is always how it's going to be. Don't just accept a way of living because you don't want to make an effort to change or improve or take a different path than someone else (including your old self) has set out for you.

Give yourself the proper attention you deserve. Take care of business. Have this year be a little better than last. Celebrate.

Do you make birthday resolutions? Care to share?

Change of (Work) Scenery

SILO in Makers Quarter

Are you one of those people who power through a day with no breaks or do find yourself hitting a wall at oh, about 2 p.m. like me? 

I wake up at 7 a.m. most mornings to begin my day and crank out a good chunk of work before noon. Why? Because I know that once that early afternoon hour crawls around that my productivity level begins to dip. Why is that? Do I need a snack? A nap? Both? 

Am I not that different from a toddler and can only focus on certain activities for a few hours at a time before becoming hangry or overcome with sleepiness? 

I believe that our bodies are just not made to go on auto-pilot. They can; they just don't like it. I would rather break up my day and work extra hours if it means a big ol' break in the middle. 

There are deadlines to meet and projects to complete and that is not always an acceptable answer. I find whenever I hit this wall, a change of scenery is always necessary. Whether that's a stop for a coffee break, a trip the library or a new work space that does not include my home office, whatever it is, it always seems to help. 

There are many downfalls to being a freelancer. I know you're not supposed to say that because we are supposed to be ripe with optimism for those who want follow suit and be self-employed as well. But, the truth is that when you have freedom to essentially do what you want, you better be doing something. 

Otherwise, you find your asleep with Food Network blaring in the background and dreams of Barefoot Contessa baking you homemade brownies. (This may or may not have happened when I was suffering the sweltering heat inside my apartment and reacting to too much Tylenol Cold & Sinus)

Movement of any kind is key. Due to my endless hours on the computer, there are times when I think my legs might become fused into the seated position. That's why I do yoga, pace around my living room like a dog waiting for its owner, and yes, at times, lie down for a power nap. 

If you want to make your life different than what it is, you have to be prepared to move. This goes for both the physical and emotional sense. The fear of being stagnant keeps me constantly changing. 

The to-do list stays the same but the change of scenery makes all the difference. 

#MotivationMonday

When life gets a bit overwhelming or my worries seem too big, I listen to the ocean and I remember how far I've come, the dreams I've made come true. I am brought back to the moment and I am grateful I am here.  

A seagull's perspective