2013 - the year of ME!!

Rarely does a book make such an impact on me like "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin.  A writer who wanted to focus on making the most of her time - not letting life pass her by.  How many of us think of that, but never do anything about it?

She created a monthly plan to focus on different areas of her life, creating resolutions and refocusing her priorities.  Her ideas were so simple, yet are things that we overlook when getting caught up with how busy our lives become.  Whether it was going to bed an hour early, not nagging as much, keeping a gratitude journal or not worrying about results, you could see how these simple tasks made her life more rich and meaningful.

As I was driving in Dallas over break, thinking about this book, it hit me.  HARD.  Like a two by four upside my head.....

I'm not living my life.  I'm just getting by, getting through, moving on the next event.  I look at this past couple of years.  I've really put my life on hold - not developing new friendships, not being open to love or relationships, because I've been focused on my job.  My job and the promise of hard work being rewarded.  Giving 150% when others are rewarded for giving much, much less.

So what happens when your hard work isn't rewarded?  You are disillusioned with your job and you look around and realize two years have passed?  I should know better than putting all of my eggs into one basket, but I did it.  And now, I'm holding a basket full of busted eggs.  I realized that I haven't made any good friends here - partly because of what I learned at my previous job, partly because I thought of my time here as a temporary stop on the way to bigger and better.

And it's shame, because I think many have tried to reach out to me, but I've kept myself at arms length, but why?

God, I'm stupid......

So this year is the YEAR OF ME.  I'm going to take the time to stop and smell the roses.  I'm going to make friends, build relationships, and maybe put myself out there for love - note that I said maybe.  My job is going to be a way to finance my living - I am going to work to live rather than live to work.  Now that my parents are well, I want to resume my travelling.

Each month I'm going to focus on different areas of my life - some just like Rubin did in "The Happiness Project," but some will be unique and tailored to my life.  I'll share my progress on here so that I can hold myself accountable and reflect upon what I learn.

I'm not going to live in the past - harboring anger and resentment over what has happened (or didn't happen) in the past.  Instead, I'm going to focus on the promise of the future - what can and will happen if I make ME my priority.

So come along for the ride....  it's probably gonna be a bumpy one.

Happy 2013 to all!!