2009: Reflections On A Good Year
It seems like the time of year when everyone is writing their posts that look back at their year. I’ve read some really good ones from bloggers I just started reading and I felt the need to write my own. You can’t fully appreciate all the things that happened in one year if you never take the time to look back at them. So that is what I will be doing now.
I quit my job. My job wasn’t a bad one, but it wasn’t what I wanted to do with my life. Spending half my working hours doing data entry in a basement room was not my idea of fun. So I decided to quit and see what else was out there for me instead of limiting myself to that situation. That turned out to be a great decision considering all the things that happened after…
I attended a blogging conference. In July I went to Chicago to attend the annual BlogHer conference. Although I had some doubts about the usefulness of a conference like BlogHer where swag and self promotion was out of control, I did enjoy the experience and met some amazing bloggers. In the end that helped me get a new job related to blogging…
I got a job because of my blog. I was offered a three month job at a health retreat in Vermont because of my own healthy living blog. I learned a lot in those three months about blogging and using social media for a business as opposed to personal use. It helped me grow not only my writing skills but also my video skills as I was charged with the task of creating video content for the company. In three months I gained skills I did not have before, I made some great professional contacts and friends there, and I also worked on my own health…
I lost 30 pounds. My weight got out of control after I moved back home after college. But I’m happy to say that I was able to lose 30 pounds and am much closer to reaching my health goals than ever. Related to my own personal development goals…
I moved out of my house. For me living at home was not a good thing and I couldn’t keep living there even though it was a nice situation for saving money. I moved out in 2009 first to a friend’s apartment (thanks Mike!) and then to Vermont and now to live with other friends. For me this has been a great step in the right direction for many reasons. Along with jumping from place to place to live…
I traveled. For some reason I started this year not expecting to do much traveling. That was the opposite of what has actually happened. I went to Puerto Rico for “spring break.” I took a roatrip to Pennslyvania. I spent a week with friends in Washington, D.C. I went to Chicago for a weekend. I went to Cape Cod and Boston. I lived in Vermont for three months and traveled all over the state.
I made big plans for next year. I will be writing another post about my goals for next year, but I just wanted to say that I finally thought about the great things that are going to be happening in 2010. I’m starting the year off with a trip to Gatlinburg, TN and then spending a month in New Zealand. Beyond that I’ve got a lot of blogging and business goals that I’m sure I will hit and I’m pretty excited about the upcoming year.
2009 was a great year for me and hopefully for a lot of other people. I can’t wait for 2010 because I know it will only get better!
You living with me was the worst experience of my life. Just sayin…
That month you lived with me was the worst.
Mary Thompson once raped me.
Congrats on a great 2009, Mary!
@Mike
Your comments make you seem bipolar. Glad I got out of there when I did.
Now that you've approved me, I can say whatever I want.
BEEEEEP. BEEEEEP. BEEEEEP.
*this comment has been censored… because Mary rules this section of the internet*
Hi Mary. I really enjoyed reading this article. It is really cool seeing what other people in the world were doing with the same kind of time that we all had during the year. It’s nice that you got to quit your job. I laughed when you said, “doing data entry in my basement room was not my idea of ‘fun’.” I could relate to this because I use to be a copy editor; and although I didn’t do it in my basement room, it was very boring! Congratulations on your accomplishments this year. Thanks for writing this and happy holidays. :)
I’m so glad 2009 ended up being a good year for you :)
[...] Mary on December 29, 2009 Three days left in 2009. Just three. I’ve been looking back at my year here and on my healthy living blog, and have realized it has been an amazing year for me. I [...]
Love your site!