Happy New Year

I've been thinking about what I want to focus on in 2012.  Not resolutions or goals exactly, more themes that I want to think about and to guide me in setting more specific goals.  I've done some reflecting about what areas of my life I think need attention and where improvements would make the biggest impact on my overall well-being.  So here it goes...

Vitality.  In 2012 I will turn 40.  And I am starting to realize that, although I am far from old, I'm a fair distance from young as well.  I need to take better care of myself.  I've experienced some health problems in this past year - mostly pain in my hands, arms and neck - and it it really the first time that I have felt like my body is non co-operating with me.  I need to treat it better.  And that means doing all the things that I know I should do, but so often don't - get enough sleep, drink water, eat good food, and move.  Not anything earth-shattering.  I just need to give my physical vitality the attention it deserves.

Peace.  I am far too inclined to obsess over my work life and it bleeds into the rest of my life so that it is sometimes hard to enjoy anything.  I want to work on keeping control  of my work, so that I at least have a grip on what work I should be getting to even if it is impossible to get to it all as I would like to.  And I also want to focus on letting go of work when I am not there and being present in the rest of my life.

Connection.  I'm not a super social person by any means, but I am thinking more and more that something that is missing in my life is close connections with other outside of my family.  I do have very good work friends (and for them I am eternally grateful!) but I miss having friends outside of work.  I have met some wonderful people in my neighbourhood since Owen started school last year, and I would like to actively try to build some of those relationships.  I also have a number of good friends with whom I have lost touch over the years and I would like to reach out and try to re-connect to them.

So there you have it.  My areas of focus for 2012. 

I am glad to see you arrive, 2012.  Bring it on!