End of the Year Ramblings

If you start going to the gym before January 1st, it doesn't technically count as a New Year's Resolution, right? And therefore I am more liable to keep up the habit, right? Right. Good. Although the screaming protests of my muscles indicate "good" is not the opinion they possess of this new endeavor. They can shut up and get back to doing their normal jobs, such as raising my arms high enough to be able to wash my hair and walking down a couple flights of stairs. 

The first actual snowfall of the year has finally shown up and Sawyer couldn't be happier! This dog loves snow in way that is illegal in 13 states. Because my dog's happiness is so important to me (and not because I'm trying to win back his good graces after leaving him with Engineer Boyfriend for Thanksgiving, who proceeded to spoil him rotten) I will be putting on far too many layers of clothing, braving the single digit temperatures and taking him to the dog park. There will be pictures, assuming the camera doesn't freeze up. I need time to work up to that level of masochism however, so I'll continue to hibernate in my spiffy fleece PJ pants with a hot cuppa. That's tea, for you non-Doctor Who/BBC/UK folks. It's fortifying.

There won't be a lot of pictures in this post because Blogger is not letting me access my files and I'm stealing very slow internet, so I can't just load everything to Flickr and link from there.

Being that this is the last day of 2010, the only cool thing to do is post some sort of reflective  "Looking Back at 2010". And I'm all about being cool.

Srsly.

I can't believe I typed that with a straight face.

"Stetsons are cool."

Yes, Doctor Who (Matt Smith), yes they are. 

Anyway...for me, 2010 was a rollercoaster year. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."

 This is what some of the worst times felt like.

 Swiped from the amazingly talented Allie Brosh over at Hyberbole and a Half.  

Please go read her blog so she doesn't send an Alot after me. 

Basically, it was like a normal year, though I have to say the latter half has by far surpassed the former. I won't regale you all, the faithful few, with the recountings of my deeds, both mis- and regular and not just because I don't want an archived copy of them floating around. Really. I will, however, pass on a few hard-won lessons.

 - Take chances.
Sometimes chances should be named "Hiroshima", because the fall out from the antecedent explosion will continue to have insidious effects for far longer than reasonably expected.  Sometimes they will pan out into the most awesome thing you could have ever hoped for. Sometimes chances are frightening, but you should do one thing every day that frightens you. It builds character. Go to (safe) places by yourself and strike up conversations, you never know who you're going to meet! The upward business trend I'm experiencing right now can be directly traced back to a giant networking social event a few months back I went to on my own. The butterflies in my stomach nearly choked me as I walked through the doors and encountered a mass of strangers. Armed with liquid courage (aka Jack n' Coke) and my bottle of Pure Instinct pheromones, I set out to make new connections and that's exactly what I did. I've met some of the best people in Denver stemming from that event.

If nothing else, at least try to learn something from the experience, even if it's just "Never do this again."

- Listen more, talk less.
What other people have to say can tell you a lot about who they are as a person. In business, listening more will help you better address various needs, wants and potential opportunities and you won't have to talk as much to get what you're after. At the very least, less talking on your part means other people have less to twist and throw back in your face at a later date. This is something I wish I had learned years ago, but I paid too much attention in kindergarten when they told me "sharing is good!" Damn you, public education, you have failed me again!

-First impressions aren't always correct.
I've met some great people lately that came across as "standoffish" or "snobby" at first, which is not the case at all. Shyness is very easy to misinterpret. Some people are just having a bad day.Be nice to everyone you meet, you may be the only bright spot in their day.  The converse is true as well; there are those who make great first impressions and that's all they have going for them.

Just don't be invisible.

-Fake it 'till you make it.

Except with orgasms.

If you're having a bad day and have to go be around a large group of people, pretend you're having a great day. Plaster that smile on with super glue, if necessary. Chances are, you'll end up in a better mood sooner than you thought! Of course, there are always those days where nothing and nobody is going to make it better, in which case, I recommend Netflix and pajama pants. And a dog. And a bottle of something requiring you to be at least 21 years old to imbibe.

-"Don't let the bastards get you down!" 
Fact.

Double fact.

Regardless of who you are and what you do, you will have detractors. You will have critics. You will have to deal with people who are mean simply because they can and therefore think they should. Besides:

‎"You wouldn't worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

This is a good thing, I promise. 

-Do fun stuff!
Don't wait "until" or "when". "I can't do _______ until I have ________." "When I have _______, then I can finally  ________." Have that mindset and "when until" will never happen. If it's a reasonable endeavor (I'm sorry, you can't own a hot air balloon working for $10/hr) then find a way to make it happen.

You want to go learn how to knit, even though you're 17 and everyone is saying knitting is for old people? Go do it! To a six year old, you are old already. Go do the things you've always wanted to do and don't listen to those who tell you it's a waste of time or other such nay-sayings. Never pass up the opportunity to learn something new, to experience something new and to discover something about yourself.  

-The Law of Attraction/Surround yourself with good people.
Whether it's those who are successful in business or life in general, seek out those who are doing what you want to be doing and learn from them.

Ok, have I hit the "pompous windbag" stage yet? I'll end here either way.

-Everyone screws up.
Everyone. Fail your way to success, or at least find new and interesting ways to make mistakes. Making the same old mistake more than once is boring. Don't be boring. If you're going to FUBAR something, make sure to do it in such a way it'll be a good story for the grandkids. 


Happy New Year! May 2011 contain double the awesome of 2010, with none of the headaches and only a fraction of the guilt.