2015 report card and 2016 resolutions

In 2015, I resolved to:

1.) Stop working so much.

I think I did okay in this area. I still put in many hours and got ridiculously stressed by work at times. But looking back, I think the bigger intent of the resolution was to not let my job take over my life and to start looking for meaning and goals outside of my career. This year I certainly took some strides in that direction, mainly through the move to Denver, which was entirely a lifestyle-driven decision and one that involved me resigning from ThoughtWorks at one point - luckily, we were able to work things out and I'm still with the company (and very happy to still be a ThoughtWorker). In 2015 I also took on new types of challenging work both for my clients and internally within the company, so I feel good about that and I want to continue pushing myself out of my comfort zone. B.

2.) Find and promote females who are doing awesome things, including reading 8 books by female authors this year.

I read 6 books authored by women last year. They were:

The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (JK Rowling's pen name)
Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling
The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism by Naomi Klein

Reflecting back, choosing to read books written by women seemed like a good idea in theory but was a strange and to some degree, uncomfortable resolution in practice. I felt more restricted by it than like I was learning or hearing more about women. I think that a better way to go about this is to pick some genres and to read books about women or women's issues, of which only Lean In and The Invention of Wings focused on (and to some degree, Mindy Kaling's book). I suspect most of those would be authored by women as well, and would yield more meaningful results.

In terms of supporting women elsewhere, in 2015 I joined an organization called Chicago Books to Women in Prison where I volunteered a few times a month on weekends. As the name describes, the group sends used or donated books to incarcerated women. I encountered upon the organization after reading The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander and finding myself desperately wanting to do something to help out those who are incarcerated. I had a wonderful time volunteering with CBWP and organized a book drive in our ThoughtWorks Chicago office. I miss the group of volunteers there - I need to find something like that to get involved in here in Denver! See this year's resolutions. B.

3.) Run a marathon.

I did this! And without injury or being completely turned off from running (though I did take a nice two-month break from running afterwards). A+.

In 2016, I resolve to:

Read and write more. In 2015 I read and blogged less than I ever have before, especially in the latter half of the year. I grew to view both activities as chores rather than hobbies. Much easier to turn on Netflix and veg out to an episode of Dexter. I also feel like as I am growing older, the range of what I blog about is very much narrowing into just the realm of accomplishments and vacations - I used to blog more about recipes, movies and books, restaurants, or just whatever the hell was on my mind. I miss the pleasure of reading for fun and writing or showcasing goofy things in this blog. I resolve to read 12 books this year and to blog at least 3 times a month in 2016.

Make friends & get involved in the Denver area. Okay, let me just say that making friends in your late 20's is weird and difficult. Without some consistent activity or classes to bring you together, it can be really hard to summon the time and energy to form a meaningful relationship with someone you barely know. While we have gotten plenty of social interaction from friends coming in town, I don't want to rely on out-of-state friends as an excuse not to make new ones here in Denver. This year, I definitely want to get more plugged in to my new home town - joining a run club, or finding another volunteer position, or even making myself a regular at the neighborhood bar - and to make some local connections.

Just two resolutions this time, and approximately a million others floating around in my head that I'd probably like to get done but don't necessarily want to commit to. 2015 was an awesome year for me and I think 2016 will be even better. Life is good!

2014: over and out

Last year, I resolved to:

1. Think and act more positively.

In retrospect, I'm not sure this was a great resolution because it is difficult to quantify. I'm reflecting on the intention behind this goal and I don't think I was more or less positive than usual. We'll call this one a wash.

2. Floss every day.

Possibly the most boring resolution ever but hey, oral hygiene is important. I think I flossed 3 or 4 times on average a week - so roughly every other day. I'm sure my dentist would still consider this inadequate, but for me it was a marked improvement. Like my skincare routine, flossing is one of those things I tend to forgo if I'm exhausted at night, which of late has been almost every night. I think it comes down to mental outlook - I consider not brushing my teeth an act of sacrilege. But skipping flossing is ok because flossing is a bonus. I'd like to change my attitude on this and start making flossing a must have instead of a nice to have. Grade: C

3. Visit ten countries that I have not been to before.

I knocked this one out of the ballpark! Probably because of all the extra time I had from not flossing. Here are the new countries I visited (in order of appearance, with some accompanying posts featuring that visit):

1. Scotland (1, 2, 3, 4)
2. England
3. Netherlands (no blog entries, pictures here)
4. France
5. Spain (1, 2, 3)
6. Turkey (1, 2, 3)
7. Austria
8. Slovakia
9. Czech Republic
10. Portugal (no blog entires, pictures here)
11. Wales (some pictures here, along with the beautiful English countryside)
12. Greece
13. Denmark (pictures here and here)
14. Germany (pictures here)
15. Montenegro
16. Croatia

Not a shabby country to blog post ratio either. A+

In 2015, I resolve to:

Stop working so much. In my first years as a professional, I've always felt the need to compensate for my lack of experience by working extra hard and making my job my number one priority. Over the years, ThoughtWorks has given me opportunities to take on stretch roles so that I can continue to grow. But even with more experience under my belt, I haven't been able to shake off that mentality that work should come first. And naturally, the more demanding roles require more of me. So if anything, I've become more addicted to work. Symptoms include being glued to my work e-mail, feeling intensely guilty when on vacation, missing team dinners or events just to get that one last thing done, and regarding 11 or 12 hour day workdays as normal/acceptable/fine. I'm not feeling burnt out quite yet, but if I continue at this rate, I will be a charred black lump of coal.

This doesn't mean I'm going to sit on my ass, turn on Netflix and eat flaming hot cheetos until I pass out (though that does sound good for one day). I want to still work hard and be proud of what I am doing; I just don't want to become masochistic about it. I resolve to work more smartly, to say no or to ask for help when I'm feeling overwhelmed, and to find some more purpose to my life (volunteering, or maybe tutoring) that pulls me away from the job but still makes me feel accomplished.

Find and promote females who are doing awesome things. I consume a lot. I read, watch, listen, subscribe, follow, pin, retweet, like, etc. And I mean I literally consume a lot too (particularly when I can get my grubby paws on Korean barbecue). You know what the vast majority of the producers of these things have in common? They are men. Men author the books I read. Men defeat the baddies in the movies I watch. Men give the keynote speeches that rock the industry I work in. Hell, even in the food industry, men dominate; of the 2,500 restaurants in the world that are Michelin starred, a measly 10 of them have female chefs.

Whenever possible, I want to look for what women are doing in these areas; I want to hear and amplify their voices, too. As part of the #readwomen2015 movement, I resolve to read 8 books by female authors this year. I also want to consciously extend this gender bias to other areas in which I an a consumer - film, music, sports, politics - and hopefully along the way, discover some positive female role models that I can look up to and elevate.

This is not about being a feminist or blocking out what men have to say. This is about recognizing that much of what I know is narrated by one group of people; there are others out there, ready to be heard.

Run a marathon. I'm turning 26 this year, so it seems a fitting time to run 26.2 miles. The Chicago marathon takes place in October so that gives me plenty of time to train. I'm thinking it'd be neat to travel and races in other places as well - maybe join up with some of my running friends, like Ashley in New York, Yoyo in DC (though maybe soon in SF!) or Scott in Berlin. I don't have a time goal - I'd like to just finish with my dignity intact.

There you have it, three ambitious goals to kick off the new year. 2014 has undoubtedly been one of the best (and crazy) years of my life. It'll be hard to top getting engaged and living abroad in two new countries. But I'm ready to wind down a little, get back home and kick some ass in 2015. 

2013 Resolution Report Card and 2014 Resolutions

Last year, I resolved to:

1.) Stop losing all my shit all the time.

I did not come close to achieving this resolution. In 2013 I continued to lose all my shit all the time. Perhaps even at a higher rate than before, e.g. I managed to lose four different different CamelBak Eddy water bottles within the span of five months. Grade: F

2.) Run a half marathon. 

I ran the Chi Town half marathon and came in under my goal time of two hours! But then I got plantar fasciitis in my foot from improper training and hobbled around for a week afterwards. Grade: A-

3.) Re-discover my love for reading. 

I purchased a Kindle, which was definitely a step in the right direction. Having an e-reader certainly made reading more pleasant, especially after the FAA began permitting gate-to-gate use of PEDs. I wouldn't say I became completely re-enamored with reading, but I certainly enjoyed my fair share of some standout titles in 2013, including:

Dune by Frank Herbert
The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins

The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear, both by Patrick Rothfuss

Switch by Chip and Dan Heath

I'm currently reading Paths of Glory by Jeffrey Archer (it's fairly good) which was a Christmas gift, and next on the queue are What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained and The Art of Raising a Puppy. Then I'll get to the half dozen that are still awaiting on my Kindle. Grade: B

As for 2014, I'd like to:

1.) Think and act more positively. Life's too short to constantly be bemoaning about this, complaining about that, or feeling bummed for extended periods of time about whatnot. When shit happens, as it invariably will, I plan to get over it by finding the silver lining or finding a way to laugh about it.

2.) Floss every day. My dentist greatly supports this resolution.

3.) Travel to ten countries that I haven't been to before. Sounds quite ambitious, but should be feasible if I'm frolicking about in the UK. Spain, I am coming for you and your tasty tasty paella.

There you have it, three new goals to kick off the new year. I'm feeling quite excited for what's in store for 2014!

New Year, Same Me

Some resolutions for 2013:

1.) Stop losing all my shit all the time.

2.) Run a half marathon. 

3.) Re-discover my love for reading. 

Just three resolutions, really. There are many others that I'd like to achieve but these three are the top most for now and I think they are sufficiently challenging. I'm optimistic about #2 - if I sign up for a half with friends and pay the money for it then I likely will not back out. #3 should be fairly easy if I get on a traveling project and designate plane time for reading (just like the good old times). 

It's #1 that I'm suspicious of. I have never been good at keeping track of my things and as a result I estimate I spend roughly half of my waking existence trying to locate my phone, wallet, and/or keys. It's even trickier in the wintertime when suddenly the list of items that should be on or near me at all times doubles to include scarves, hats, and the worst - gloves. Ugh, gloves. I feel like all of my gloves just want to be lost. Kind of like how the One Ring wants to be found.

Gloves notwithstanding, I'm optimistic about the new year and for all the adventures ahead!