Make 2008 my best year yet

2008 was an amazing year for many reasons. I worked very hard to make things to come together. It was a life-changing, no-turning-back type of year, that involved a lot of hard work and a true test of strength, love and faith.

The first part involved getting engaged and becoming a newlywed. The second part involved sacrifice, patience, perseverance, uncertainty and upheaval. During the final act, everything seemed to come together like dominoes falling one on top of another. We ended the year as we began – running around trying to make big things happen.

I’m happy that the chapter is now closed. It was breathtaking, tear-jerking, exhausting and thrilling. I have grown enormously and will continue to do so. 2009 will involve planting more seeds, and building foundations for the future. In 2010 I see us really being able to sit back and enjoy the fruits of our labour, but for now lets take one day at a time.

December was really good. First it was Eid Holiday (islamic celebration), then Christmas and finally New Year. All of them were nice, we really did good programs.

I don’t know if this was the best year of my life, but honestly it was good enough. So I will mark it as done.

2008 BYY Goals

• Update Website at least once a week (on my half day).
  Did not do this every week as things went sort of quiet this year and there was not a lot to update
• Proactively contact re updates
  Yes!! And I must continue to do thiscounting this as a success this year in the face of adversity

• Take 30mins exercise every day – can be Qi Gong/ HP walking/ swimming. Plan every morning at FTFthis was a bit hit and miss, and I did not swim as much as I intended – but then getting the Lupus diagnosis and understanding that my body probably can’t do as much now as it used to was a major factor in this – however all the more reasons to keep my muscles strong so this is being carried forward into next year
• Plan all meals so that I eat well and keep hydrated
  did quite well at this although I could look after my diet better
• Plan weekly exercise schedule
  Yes – it got planned but the key thing is to action it not plan it
• Plan daily using FTF

ditto

• Practice regularly and frequently aim for daily at least 30 mins and catch up in the week if not achieved daily – with clear focus
  Hmmm I didn’t really do enough practice if I’m honest
• Determine a practice schedule for each week which is updated after each lesson, diarise it and stick to it
  Good intentions but it didn’t happen – carry this one forward into next year
• Go to at least one concert a month
  Major failure here but I put this down to feeling so crap and not feeling like travelling, it’s the first year in the last 10 or so that I didn’t get to the Proms – oh but I miss it so, maybe some live music will help me feel better
• Practice my orchestra music at least at one session per week so I make a valid contribution
  complete failure here and I am still faking it at concerts – Bad Silvie!!
• Pass Viola Grade 1 or 2 or
• Pass piano Grade 1
  YAY passed Piano Grade 1 and am now working on Grade 2sO success in my piano, but have nit been as active and focussed as I should be

• set up a Blog by 31 Dec 2007 to keep in touch with people. Update at least once a week
  I set this up – but it seemed to be just a tale of woe with my poor health, and a lot of people just never logged in that I abandoned it. A good idea but it didn’t work for me. I need to find a different solution to keeping in touch
• Email regularly – check daily and respond
  I was quite good at this and a lot better than 2007
• Set up a foolproof system to remember and acknowledge birthdays, and prep for Christmas – enter here when need to get presents and send cards.
  yes – success, and Christmas was a breeze this year instead of a millstone
• Be proactive about meeting and contacting – ensure meet at least one friend at least once a month to do something
  did quite well with this one and did quite a bit of social stuffsuccess in this goal on the whole

• Check conferences / dialogues at least every other day and respond immediately. If I am going to be away then post a message to say so
  yes I can safely say I am quite good at this, and I prioritise learner feedback over other work tasks
• Give meaningful and prompt feedback to assignments within 2 weeks of receipt
  Yes have kept within the 2 week turnaround
• Plan in advance and give meaningful tutorials to learners / students, by setting agreed agendas beforehand and giving prompt feedback after the event
  and yes success here too

• Plan for and have at least one new experience every month
  Hmmm – not every month, but there have been a few
• Travel abroad at least 3 times in the year to new places
  Twice, not three times, but for various reasons some plans were cancelled, I’m counting this a success under the circs

• Project manage repairs to home, have a workable plan, monitor and follow through on actions promptly
  Blimmin’ ‘eck, the builders are here again today, I am begining to think they have moved in – all things considered though this has been a ginormous project and a great success
• Keep home accounts up to date by updating at least once a week
  generally yes I have been good at this
• Practice Discardia by actively decluttering one area each Discardia season.
  Hmmm – have done some but not enough. But starting the New Year with determination now
• Back up computer at least once a month
  Yes I have a good backup procedure now that works

• Schedule some time each week to write and see what happens!!
  I started doing this but it fell by the wayside during the year. I think on reflection I’ve tried this now and it is not for me
• Decide by September whether to sign up for A215 – This depends on how my writing goes and how I feel about further study next year
  I did A174, and completed it successfully, but I think it showed me that my heart is not in this enough to pursue it further

• Keep accurate and up to date accounts
  Yes, I feel I have done a good job with this
• Generate new ideas at every meeting
  Yes I have instigated some new ideas for getting more funds
• Give quality Financial Info by being a Spreadsheet Wonk
  I actually managed to get us to break even this year (instead of losing 3k as happened last year before I was in control) and having got some tax refunded looks like we will be into profit next year

Goal 10 – Reserved for new goal emerging during the year

I-Ching Bracelets ‘R’ Us :)

All told a successful year in spite of continuing ill-health but at least now I know what it is, and as I sit here now I feel so much better than I did last year, and hopefully ready to take more on again – Wheel on 2009 I’m ready!!!!

this is the first year in ages that i haven’t entered with a ridiculous (in retrospect) list of resolutions: new me here, new me there. which is great: i just want to carry on as i have been. maybe it’s something i’ve learned from running. slow but steady progress will get you there eventually. i seem to be shedding the all-or-nothing mindset and developing confidence that i will achieve my goals, even if it takes a bit longer than planned. and that’s something to be proud of in itself.

1) run a 10k for amnesty international
yes! on the last day of the year, with a wonderful team and in great conditions. have just calculated that my km pace was only marginally (8 secs) slower for the 10k including hills than it was for the 9k on the flat, which seems to indicate that i’ve progressed in the last 2 months.
i can’t get over how happy i am to have discovered running in the last 15 months or so. and how proud of myself i am. was filing away my finishing certificate this morning—already have a little collection.
and, as a direct result, i have achieved one of my 2007 BYY goals, which was to get my BMI down to 24 or below. and i’ve got muscles—these huge hard things in my thighs that have come from nowhere. (there’s probably something to be learned here about product vs. process goals.)
now just have to do a bit more work on collecting sponsor money!

2) cycle a century
nearly, we did 135km around waren in september. that’s about 84 miles. physically, we could have done the whole century, but we left it too late in the year—it was already dark and starting to rain as we finished the 135km day. i’m really glad we discovered the mecklenburgische seenplatte as an ace place for cycling (oooh, and the hotel was fab!). i’m going to carry this goal over to next year. and definitely plan a cycling holiday for 2009, too!

3) buy a flat!
hmm, i’ve done nothing on this. and i don’t know if i really want to. maybe it’s just something i think i should be doing. then again, it’s surely better to have somewhere you can live when you’re old than to put your money in crappy investment funds and see it disappear (i speak from experience)... i really do need to get my blimming finances sorted.

4) take control of my home
hmmm. i don’t know. i think i’ve made incremental progress, but nothing spectacular to report.

5) become a gardening goddess
same as above, really. alb is definitely the constant gardener around here. but i would like to keep working on it.

6) nurture relationships with friends and family
yes, has gone generally well. i didn’t do any catching up with long losts, but have had lots of great times with friends and family. and that’s the most important thing in life, innit?

7) unleash my creativity
bought a new sewing machine and made a good start, but haven’t done much since. was discussing courses with Deb, should look into that again.

8) make my website somewhere people want to visit again and again
hmm, not really. i seem to have lost interest. i’m just about managing to keep the site updated, but am always reacting and making short-term changes rather than looking at the big picture. a relauch is needed, but i have neither the skills nor the energy. maybe i’ll feel a bit more motivated after our January meeting. need to read some of those books i’ve bought too.

9) knowledge/courses/books/museums goal
ha, this was a good one. have read loads of books, continued going to museums quite frequently, completed the short OU writing course, and am now working on the longer one (actually, i should be working on the longer one at this moment).

so i’d put 2008 down as a great year overall, especially the last day! as i said above, in many respects i’d like to just carry on making steady progress in 2009. at the same time, i’m noticing how important and satisfying it is to have specific goals to work towards that take you to new places and teach you new things (running a 10k!). so i’m going to have a think about my 2009 goals. some will carry on from the above list, but i’d also like to have something new, challenging and exciting. hmmmmm…

Not my most fun year, but probably most important so far. I’m in the middle of a lot of projects: getting through school, adjusting to Florida, reducing my car dependence here, etc. I met my new SO this year too, and it looks like we’ll be getting married next year. So there’s that, too :)

In a way I feel like I don’t have a lot to show for myself, since this was very much a work-in-progress sort of year. But most will come to fruition in 2009, so I have to be patient. Onward!

It would be hard to understand how next year could top this one. I really was able to reset life into a very workable existence that felt like a charmed existence.

I believe it is possible to sustain this and my goal will be to reset this goal for 2009.

I have a milestone birthday upcoming and my 2008 base year of strength has set things for 2009 to really grow and expand – a building year re-establishing a foundation and framework based on a whole new paradigm for my life and the the things I want to have in it.

I could imagine this one year ago and I did. More than imagine, I acted on it…taking steps to create this amazing year. I restored my health, my wealth and my happiness. I brought peace to my life. I faced my fears. I faced my worst challenges. I priced myself for the value I bring and create.

I still have things to tackle – and face. Clients now – who expect performance. I have created and built it all authentically, honestly, and with integrity in my work, to my word, and in baby steps. The combined total of a year’s worth of baby steps is aggregated into climbing a tall mountain. So, here I am, 2009, perched and ready to go…

Now, I will work to imagine what 2009 can bring.

The baby steps I can still take which one year from now will again deliver me to a vastly different place than the place I am in – imagined by me – with the greatest of intent – and bringing to me and those I love – what I want in my life – and removing those things that are not in my best interests and supporting where I want to be.

I have had one negative event here in the last two weeks which I will figure out how to negate and not drag me down. It will be hard because it has dramatically affected my work and performance with my health. I want so much to work to overcome the deficits it brings with it.

As I look out on the snowy day, in my warm, safe home, knowing I have everything I need, I am filled with a joy that comes from a life well lived. Lived on its own terms. Lived with a song in the heart. I am truly happy. Truly content.

2009 will be the year to step up and step into who I was meant to be. It could be the year of Nelson Mandela’s calling in his inaugural address. “Your living small does not serve the world. Who are you, not to be great?”

I must learn to babystep my way into this greatness. To serve my needs – still – in the manner of placing the oxygen mask on me first – in order to help others. Too many years spent gasping for air while I help others first, wondering why I stall and pass out? My steps are for my own strength, health and well being – in order to serve the work of the world next. Without my health, my needs met, or my survivability assured, I cannot be of service to anyone.

What a lesson. This has taken me years and years to learn. This is the 2008 paradigm shift that was made. This is what made 2008 the Best Year Yet. I learned this. I lived this. My life is unfolding as it should.

Aloha. ;-)

I have to be honest, I lost focus on this goal after about January, and my sub-goals shifted about all over the place.

Things that didn’t go so well…

• BMI goal: no progress achieved here. I made intermittent attempts to work on it and I did go to the gym a fair bit but too many holidays and boozy nights with G got in the way. The problem is I like enjoying myself too much to care about my BMI most of the time ;)
• being an armchair activist, daily clicks etc.: got off to a good start but then lapsed halfway through the year.

Things that went ok….

• improving my French: did the BBC online course back in January and enjoyed that, but did nothing for the rest of the year!
• meditation/relaxation: continued to attend meditation group on Mondays and tai chi class on Wednesdays throughout the year.

Things that went well…

• improving my wine knowledge: I did the WSET level 2 exam and got a distinction, and G and I are making excellent progress on the premier cru project.
• friends and family: stayed reasonably in touch with most of the people I wanted to, and had some lovely social occasions and some fantastic holidays – two trips to Burgundy, a trip to Venice with my dear mama, a trip to Southwold with my father, and a major highlight of the year was the Second International Gathering of the Breakfast Martini Gang in Oslo which was brilliant ;)

Unexpected things that happened…

• creative writing: inspired by Zanna I signed up for the OU introductory course which was very good, and then completed Nanowrimo!
• work: I got an unexpected promotion to begin on Monday – I’d resigned myself to chugging away as normal for another year but now I’m getting a lot more responsibility (and a pay rise, hurrah) so that was a big ego-boost.

And finally: guidelines…

• first things first: if there are points for turning up, then I can count this done. Whether I actually did the things on my lists is another matter… _{the bathroom hasn’t actually been cleaned since 2003 ;)}
• being fearless: achieved this precisely once, but it was a big deal for me – for the first time in my life I told someone that I think she’s fabulous, and I’m glad I did that. Even though it didn’t turn out the way I would have liked it to, the world didn’t end.
• being honest with myself: lately I seem to be doing this more and it even spilled into some midwinter madness on 43T with rather more disclosure about certain situations than previously (ahem). Right now I honestly think I’m in a much healthier place emotionally than I was this time last year.

Next year I’m going to be doing something similar to BYY but on my own goal, “Make 2009 as good as it can be”. All the best to everyone doing BYY 2009!

Edit: just realised I forgot to say was it my best year yet? Definitely!

It probably has been my best year yet, but that’s because I’m back home where I want to be. I love waking up and seeing the hills out of my window, and only having to drive 5 minutes to some of the best walks in the UK.

Parts of this year have been challenging, particularly on the job front, but it’s made me a stronger person and shown me that I can steer my own course. I’ve finished 2008 in a job that I am enjoying (long may it last!), and I intend to work really hard for my new employer in order to make our department a real success in 2009.

Other fun bits of 2008 have included making new friends in town, hiking all over the Peak District, learning to drive, visiting Luxembourg, and just having a great time cooking and drinking with A & the cats.

Really looking forward to making 2009 even better!

I became Dr. Asterisk and kept the depression monkey mostly off my back, so 2008 is certainly a good candidate for best year yet. Best year in a long time, that’s for sure.

Though I’ve done more in this year than any other and I’m really excited for what next year will bring, I don’t think 2008 was as good as it could have been.
So it was the best year yet, but 2009 should be even better!