The ball has dropped, the fireworks are spent and the champagne glasses are empty – it’s New Years Day again! Looking ahead to the fresh start that the new year brings, it would be a shame to not take a moment to recognize that 2017 was a big year around here. It was a year that brought a lot of firsts and, to me, represented a lot of new ways in which I have stretched myself and grown over the last 12 months. So before we talk 2018 goals, let’s take a moment to give 2017 its due. This year I:
- Actually achieved and maintained the weight loss goal that had been with me for more years than I care to remember. In the end, that meant right about 50 pounds down in total. Wow.
- Ran a 5K race for the very first time … and finished … and didn’t collapse or break an ankle or anything. Actually, I ran two 5K races this year. Wonders never cease. This one is the product of actually consistently pulling on the running shoes 5 days a week for pretty much all year. That’s a miracle in and of itself.
- Did a photo shoot. Now that sounds a little silly, I know. But I had developed a genuine phobia of having photos taken, much less spending half a day in front of a camera, and even worse having to look at the photos afterwards. So it was a stretch for me, and it felt good to cross that self-imposed boundary.
- Took a trip or two. Vacation and I had some sort of misunderstanding years ago, and we frankly just hadn’t seen much of each other since. Last year though, I not only saw the beach but got in a fantastic trip to Oregon wine country with a dear friend and my husband and I finally made New York City at Christmas time happen.
The business side of life came with its own challenges and successes in 2017, ultimately leading to our little company adding a third member – a huge step for us – and boosting our business even further. So all in all, I call it a good year. What’s on the docket for 2018 then? I hope to:
- Focus on health. One thing that I learned in my very long and long-time-coming weight loss journey was that losing weight and getting healthy, while complementary, are not one and the same. On the up side, exercise and intentionally being active have really become a part of my normal routine, and I plan to continue that into 2018 and beyond. On the down side, there came a time – probably once exercise had burned up a lot of the reserves I was carrying around – when I realized that in my noble quest I had cut calories to an unsustainable level. Adding those back provoked a surprising amount of fear that I would start to regain weight. I quickly realized that I didn’t really know a whole lot about nutrition and living healthy in the long term. So learning and practicing more on that front will be a focus for me in 2018.
- Read 18 books. Reading has always been a big part of my life. I have to admit though, over the last few years time pressures (whether real or in my head) have started to cut down on the books. Reading is great stress relief for me, and it helps me stay focused and to think more deeply, both about what I’m reading and in other parts of my life. So I’m making a concerted effort to ramp it up again in 2018.
- Write more. Writing has also been a big part of my life since I was in school. In no small part, I’ve made my career on it. And yet I’ve scrupulously avoided writing my personal stories and thoughts. That kind of self-expression has always been hard for me to see in print, maybe because there were so many things that I was almost trying to hide from myself or at least avoid dealing with. On the occasion that I did write something personal, it was hidden. Or anonymous. So this year, I want to work on just writing it, and not being afraid to own it.
2018 – let’s make it happen!
