A Year in Review: Personal

This is the fourth and final post in my Year in Review series.

It was a rough year. I mean. For basically everyone. Except for those people. They know who they are. They’re almost definitely not reading this post, so I’m not worried.

It was a rough year.

I attended my first rallies and protests (I had attended a march before, regarding nuclear disarmament, in spring of 2010 but never protests.) I called my representatives for the first time. I wrote letters. I listened to tele-townhalls. I shouted. I cried. I despaired. I cheered. I hoped.

I did a lot.

I did not do enough.

I did as much as I could.

I burned out.

I resisted.

I tried again.

I helped.

I did not help enough.

All of these things are true.

And less globally, I saved money, but not enough. I made some bad financial choices. I made some good ones. I managed my time better but not great. I was a good friend, but I was not a great friend. I started a new dayjob that I really like, but that is far more emotionally, mentally and time-wise demanding than I thought it would be.

It’s hard to balance sometimes all the things we’re asked to juggle. I wrote a book that was extremely demanding, and then I wrote it again and again and again which took away time from other projects. I spent a ton of time, energy, and money out of my own pocket to promote my book, balancing dayjob and health and project management. I was a jack of all trades this year, and master of none. And that was not great.

I can’t be a master of all trades, and I can’t afford not to be jack of all trades.

But I want to set some goals.

1. Work on focus and time management
2. Move into a new apartment
3. Call my representatives three times a week
4. Get involved with campaigns
5. Write a letter to the editor
6. Be a better friend
7. Go to another protest
8. Be more energy efficient (including conscious of the gas I use)
9. Reduce my waste
10. Save more money

Some are big goals (and I’ve broken them down into managable steps, but that’s more private, I think) and some are small, but they’re all important to how I see my 2018 going. And how I see all of our 2018s going.

What are your personal goals this year?