Reflections on 2014 - The Year that Was

At the beginning of 2014, I recognized that I was in danger of burning out and needed to reevaluate what, as well as why, I was doing what I was doing.

That led to my 2014 resolution - to be intentional:

I ended my post about my 2014 resolution by saying:

I don't care if I do it all, or do it best. I just want to do what I should do when I need to do it and be ok with letting the other stuff go - the not as important, the not right now, the maybe next year. 

I believe that intentionality is a gift that you can give yourself without letting go of the desire to excel in what you do.  

It's the gift of being yourself in a way that brings you joy.

I still think this is true.

In looking back at 2014, I wondered if my behavior matched my rhetoric.

Highlights?

• I transitioned a major portion of my work responsibilities to a team member, allowing me to focus on other aspects of my role.
• When a large work project consumed more and more of my time, I let go of things that simply weren't important at the time. For example, I went from writing 20+/- blog posts a month to 12 or less. And in November - just 2 posts. Wow.
• I said no more. 
• I agreed to an 8:30 pm computer shut-off time to fit in an hour of family time with Kelly and the furbabies.
• I made sure I exercised and started juicing.
• I didn't decorate the house for Christmas - it felt like a chore, rather than festivity. And I was ok with that.

Low points?

• Sometimes saying no felt terrible. I haven't quite reconciled the tension between my feelings and my needs.
• I still think it takes less time to do things than it really does.
• The kitties both started laying on top of the computer while I was on it. A very clear sign that I'm on the computer more than I'm not.
• I learned how to use under eye concealer, because I needed to. (Note: During this period of time off from work I've noticed that I haven't needed to use concealer. Hmmm.)
• We ate out/cooked from packets and nearly-ready made more than I'd prefer.
• Although I joined the gym, I've gone exactly twice.

Obviously there's still work to be done, I definitely think I was more intentional. Life is a process, so it's unrealistic to expect that I'd figure it all out (despite my expectations for myself).

Maybe next year will be better - not perfect, but better. It already was.