As this year prepares to wave us forward to 2013, I am winding down, too. Or at least, I’m certainly trying to. Some unexpected work at the end of the year has made it impossible to close shop for a week as I had hoped but I do see a day off in the forecast next week (Tuesday, to be exact) with much bowl-viewing and reading to be done that day.
But before I start packing up 2012, I thought it best to pose one more Kuhnspiration Challenge question and that means answering it myself, too. This week’s question (and the final one for the year) is…
Looking back on 2012, what are you most proud of and what do you look forward to improving upon in the new year?
I hope that when you saw this question you were torn on which things to write about in your journal. I worry that it was the opposite and you had a long list of qualifiers for the second part of the question but could not come up with much for part one. I think sometimes we’re coached so much to value humility that we often don’t give ourselves the credit due when there’s a real victory to celebrate. This is your chance to pat yourself on the back for a job well done. Don’t feel badly about doing it. Relish the opportunity and celebrate your success. It’s okay. Really.
For me this year, I’m most proud of finally taking that first and all-important second and third step, too, to begin writing my first novel. And similarly, when I seemed to hit a snag, I did something I never do… I reached out for help. And then, amazingly so, I accepted it. That never happens.
I’m also pleased that I finally pulled back a little on my calendar and my knack for making appointment after appointment to network out in the field and then leaving myself with limited time here to do the hard stuff – um, WRITE and DO THE WORK. I reined that in tremendously this year and while it may have impacted my bottom line, it allowed me the time necessary to work on the projects I did accept and again, give time to my book which is a very important commitment to me, too.
I’m also proud of myself for truly embracing this passionate return to my old hobby from many years back…READING. Sigh. It has been a real joy in my life, particularly these past 8 months or so of discovering new authors and genres. I have probably read more books in the past 3 months than in the past 3 prior years combined! I had really missed it and am so happy to find my nose in books again (or as of late, my e-reader, which has become my new favorite gadget for the year).
What could I have done better? (How long do you have?)
I didn’t focus on my health like I hoped to. Every time I’d start, I let my schedule and work get in the way of my walking plan or my commitment to stopping the madness and taking my vitamins, drinking the proper water or getting up out of the chair (How about that one? The hardest task of all sometimes for any writer! I would imagine programmers and web designers feel similarly…we simply become one with our chairs!)
I didn’t invest time in some other hobbies I had hoped to explore to a greater degree this year – like music, photography golf.
I also didn’t visit more places in the area that I had hoped to explore. I always joke about being in the area for nearly 20 years (20 as of next May) and still feeling like a tourist sometimes. Every time I check out a new tourist attraction or annual event that everyone else in the Tampa Bay universe already knows and understands, I feel more attached to this community. I need to do a better job at that in 2013.
How about you? What are you most proud of achieving this year and what could use a little work in 2013? I’d love to hear from you, and as always, thanks for reading my gibberish. Your support as a regular reader or subscriber means a lot to me.
Look for a fun little retrospective tomorrow and coming Monday, a sneak peek at the year ahead here at KuhnStories.com. I hope you’ll join me for my next adventures and invite others to join us. It should be an exciting year of words, words and more words. A real page-turner (I hope!) Cannot wait!!
Cheers to finding that daily spark in your life!
~Chris
Follow Chris!