Every time the end of the year rolls around, I have a difficult time trying to sum up the year or come up with a lengthy list of profound moments. Life is, for the most part, a series of boring events punctuated by moments of imagined importance. Sure every once in awhile something huge happens, like a wedding, a birth, or a death. But those are few and far between.
Nevertheless, 2007 was a pretty good year. I rediscovered enthusiasm in a job I wasn’t sure I liked. New friendships were made, existing friendships were reinvigorated. Perhaps more importantly, I also realized that I can’t be friends with everyone, and that it’s actually okay to stay home more often than not. A huge highlight this year was our friends (WoW guildmates) from Hawaii coming to visit us in San Francisco, and us traveling to Hawaii to visit them as well. I think that more than anything has cemented my belief that real relationships can be made anywhere, even within the virtual walls of Ironforge.
So what will 2008 bring? In short, I’m cautiously optimistic. I have a sneaky feeling that I’ll get a lot more responsibility heaped on my shoulders, perhaps more so than I can handle. Not just career-wise, but socially as well. I really need to learn to be a lot more organized with my time, and currently, that’s not going so hot. No matter how much I try, I can’t rein in this whole time management thing. And that starts off the 2008 resolutions list:
1) Finally READ GTD. And perhaps implement some of it via OmniFocus or some such.
2) Read more books. I’m pretty bad with this. Hoping that V’s S&L book club thing will help, though I’m pretty bad about discussing topics. I generally just like to gush about scenes and characters. “OMG, that scene where he discovered the secret of that old man? SO GOOD.” Me, English major? Yeah, sad, huh?
3) Get more active and perhaps lose weight in the process. I think the idea of weight loss being a goal is the thing that’s holding me back, because it seems like such an unachievable goal. I tend to be pretty impatient, so if I don’t see results immediately, I get frustrated. I got into running late last year, but a knee injury kept me from going back. Maybe a combination of pilates and running will help somehow.
4) Save more money. I kinda blew this in 2007, but I really got back on track late in the year, with my credit score finally getting to a comfortable level. I owe this to three things: 1) Signing up for myFico.com, a credit service that alerts you to any changes in your score 2) Signing up for ING Direct, an FDIC insured bank that lets you earn interest with your checking account, and 3) Mint.com. I know, Mint.com makes a lot of people nervous, but I honestly think it’s not as bad as people think. I’ve gained a lot of insight into my entire financial portfolio, in a single interface. Not a lot of programs can do that. Plus, it updates everything in real time. I trust them so far. So much so, I believe I can be debt-free before the end of the year.
5) Relax more. This means I need to not stress out over the little things. Worry less. Let things go. Ohmmm. Maybe I’ll actually use more of my vacation time as well.
And finally, I hope to maintain my existing friendships and perhaps satisfy my readership to some degree as well. I love you guys. Happy new year everyone!