2013: A Second Look

When I wrote my list of New Year's Resolutions, I was pretty negative about last year. The majority of the focus was on the fact that I didn't accomplish as much as I had hoped. However, after some further reflection, I did actually learn and do quite a lot, it just wasn't what I had expected at the beginning of the year.

So, here's a more positive overview of last year:

• Nailed a smoky eye look.
• Taken A LOT more pictures and A LOT better pictures. It's free to take them so why not take a whole bunch of absolutely everything and just delete the crappy ones. And I've taught myself about lighting, contrast, and viewpoint so my pictures are more clear and more focused.
• Failed incredibly hard at something and survived. From someone who is an incredible perfectionist who doesn't even try things unless there's no possibility of failure, this is a big step. 
• Developed a better sense of personal style.
• Survived my first lay-offs (not that I was lay-offed, but at my company).
• Dropped some weight (and promptly put it back on over Christmas). Point being, I've finally learned how to do it, which is really the tough part, right?
• Carry less of the stress. Whether it be not letting the stress get to me or letting Dan worry about the tiny things that usually only bug my brain, less all-around stress.
• Took better care of those around me. Whether it be the baby cats, or Turtle, or even Dan, they've gotten more love from me.
• Become more of a force at work. After almost three years, I'm finally starting to feel like part of the team and carve a pretty nice niche out for myself. 
• Learned to embrace the things I love. All the nerdiest and geekiest parts of my soul are up front.
• Learned to embrace myself. Brief story. Back in 2007, I worked a summer internship in Michigan. Me and the other dozen people from my program were all housed in a dorm together. I remember vividly one of my roommates midway through the summer telling me she's glad I warmed up and got along with everyone so well because she was concerned about me at the beginning. I knew I was anti-social, but I never knew I was cold. Over the year since, I've tried very hard to open up to people better and the biggest strides have come in the past year. Maybe it's just part of getting older, but I'm just going to do me and I really don't care what someone else, especially someone new, thinks. The need to impress everyone is starting to fade.

The results were not as concrete as the potential outcome of my actual resolutions, but it was still a pretty good year.