It’s Friday, so I am linking up with Courtney at Eat, Pray, Run DC, Cynthia at You Signed Up for What and Mar at Mar on the Run for their weekly linkup. Each Friday, they host a link up — a “Friday Five.” This week, the theme is “Five Favorite Winter Activities.”
One of my fave winter activities is taking stock of the year and setting goals for next year. (Really, it is.) In December of 2013, I read the Editor’s Letter in Women’s Running magazine which suggested before making resolutions, you should take stock of the past year, see what progress you have made and how far you have come. Here is my 2013 post. I liked this exercise so much, I decided to do it again last year! This year was a little different for me than the last two. Warning: This post is not as upbeat as the previous two… if you are not up for it… read the previous years instead (or go look at cute cat pics on Instagram… or whatever you do for fun!)
5 Things I Learned This Year
1. You will sometimes lose your way, but you can find your way back. I hate to admit this, but when I read my lessons learned from last year, I felt like I lost ground this year. There was a lot of politics and frustration at my job and I spent the greater part of the first half of the year embroiled in it… for the worst. I look back at some of the things I said, did or felt and I cringe. I have enough experience to know better than to shoot myself in the foot. I got so wrapped up in being “right” that I lost my way. I feel like this about a few other things this year. I think I may have forgotten Andrea’s rules for avoiding being passive aggressive a few times, too. I am happy to report that I did regain my footing and have set most things right again – as much as I can so far – and I will keep working at it in 2016!
2. Many things are outside of your control. You can control your reaction and actions. This relates to number 1 and to life in general. All that I can control are my actions and reactions. Things happen. You get what you get. How I react/act reflects on me. A goal for 2016 for me is to be proud of my actions and to hold my tongue until I can be more constructive. And to be honest and direct without hurting other people’s feelings.
3. It is OK not to want to “Lean In. This is true for work but also in life. I don’t want to give up every free hour to work more so that I can “get ahead.” I don’t need to be the CEO, a huge blogger, the President of anything. I strive to have a full and balanced life. I want a little of all of life’s buffet. And that is OK for me.
4. Life is short. Always make time for the people who matter. As I age, I see more and more people who lose parents, spouses, friends and colleagues suddenly. I never regret staying up late to chat with a friend on the phone or going to meet a friend when I am traveling. Sometimes, I feel overwhelmed and “too busy.” In these times, I need to remember the joy of connection and how lucky I am to have amazing people in my life.
5. Follow your own advice a/k/a listen to your body a/k/a know your limitations. This one relates to health in general and running in particular. I give great advice to my friends when they have a pain or don’t feel well, but I struggle to take it. I regret that recently I pushed myself on a strained hamstring and likely caused a tear. The good news is that it is already starting to heal (and truth be told, I needed a break). The bad news is that I may have a few DNS’ to start the year. We’ll see what happens, but in 2016, I will pay closer attention to the signals my body sends and hopefully run healthy and happy — and sit out when I need to. This means me, too.
What did you learn in 2015? Where can you do better in 2016?
PS. I did not need to learn that I love to host awesome giveaways, so don’t forget to check out the giveaways, please!