2015, Let's Dance! (A Resolution Post)

I shimmied into 2015 with a "David Bowie New Year," meaning that we played some classic Bowie songs and tricked Zach into letting us paint his face. It was a fantastic time, but not just because of the festivities (cue self-reflection). Mostly, I was quite happy to say goodbye to 2014 and look toward a new year.

2014 wasn't all bad, but it included a lot of unwanted transitional jobs and homes that left me feeling like a vagabond. I took a job with what turned out to be a misogynistic workplace (eek!), had a falling out with a friend (first time I've gone through such a thing), and was left riddled with a lot of anxiety and doubts. While some of the things that happened this year were necessary for change and growth, I'm glad they are done with. Moving forward, I'm now gaining steam at a company I love, thinking big ideas, and learning how to shed that anxiety.

So then, resolutions. I didn't want to make a long resolution list, but I did want to focus on some themes for 2015:

1. Choose to Connect, Rather than Withdraw: Even when things are not going my way, I want to learn to not harness that bad energy into my demeanor. Sometimes when I'm having a rough time, I can sink into myself, put up walls, and close off. The thing I've learned is that even when my day is unfortunate, connecting with other humans always turns my day around. I want to practice putting this into action this year, as it can have a marvelous effect.

2. Live with Compassion for Others: Going further, I don't just want to connect more with people, but I want to shift my focus on being more compassionate. At least once a week, I want to write a letter, make a card, buy lunch, or do ANYTHING nice for someone else...even strangers! This is the pay it forward mentality, and setting it as a "once a week" thing makes it totally doable.

3. Write Down Three Things I'm Grateful For: I'll start out weekly, but hopefully this can become a daily practice...maybe I'll even incorporate some of these things into my posts? I even know a friend that has made a journal exactly for this purpose, guess I should buy it!


As you can see from all my resolutions, I want to work on training my brain to think outside the box and go beyond the negative prison we can so easily put ourselves in. 2014 was transitional, and I'm mighty glad I went through all the growing pains. There is always something to learn from the past, no matter how painful it might be.

But man, 2015, I sure am happy to see you...for God's sake, let's do a little dancing this year, shall we?