New Year, New You!

2008 I bid you audieu, 2009 bring it on!

Does anyone else feel this way? To me the year 2008 was a big old rut that I was trying to get out of and although we're only a few days into 2009 I feel that the wheels are finally turning. Maybe its because as I entered 2008 I knew it couldn't compare to 2007. I mean, think about it, 2007 took me to a foreign country that I fell in love with and didn't want to leave; I traveled through Europe by myself and really felt that I found who I was while spending time with great friends along the way; I spent Christmas 2007 back in England with great friends re-discovering the reasons I fell in love with the country, the culture, and most importantly the people. When I returned to Missoula I was focused on graduating, because after all, once we graduate from college life just falls into place and we get the job of our dreams and are immediately rewarded for those 5 years of hard work and living the poor college life right? WRONG!!!

I started applying for jobs before graduation and had an interview for the first job I applied for, awesome. But that interview was followed by the first of many rejection letters to come. I was becoming a pro at submitting applications and going through the long arduous process of answering interview questions and being called back for a second or third interview and then either getting a phone call or a letter stating "No, really, you were in our top two choices but for reason X, Y, or Z, we decided to go with the other candidate, but we're sure you are going to go far in life." Really, you're sure I'm going to go far? Because I'm pretty sure I ended up having to take a job that only requires a high school diploma.

And that has lead to my attitude about 2008. To me, 2007 was a teaser of the life that I dream of having, and then 2008 was a harsh reality that we all have challenges and obstacles to overcome and we have to continually work towards our life goals. Don't get me wrong, I don't think I have a bad life in any way, shape, or form. I've had an amazing life, but we all have our internal struggles that we face and to me being told that the world is at your fingertips and you can be anything you want to be after you graduate, then falling flat on your face and losing sight of the reason you went to college in the first place was a tough lesson to learn. And that is why I have such a positive outlook on 2009.

I've come into 2009 with many resolutions, because we need to set multiple goals for ourselves so that if we don't succeed in one area we still have other areas to succeed in. By having a list of resolutions I figure that I am more likely to keep some of them and if a few slip through the cracks....so be it. So here it is, my list of resolutions for 2009.

1. Start blogging again (yay, I've started on this one)
2. Find a job I enjoy (as of today, I do have an offer but more on that later)
3. Be more healthy (this has different meaning for each individual, but I have a goal in my mind)
4. Live within my means (I think everyone is trying to do this now more than ever)
5. Start going to church again (I'm not talking every Sunday, but a couple times a month wouldn't hurt)
6. Be more tidy (If you could see my apartment right now, you'd understand)
7. Maintain the friendships that are important to me (in my 2008 funk I've let a lot of friendship maintenance sit on the back burner, no more of that in 2009)
8. Start Christmas shopping early (think about what life would be like if you didn't have to step into a store during the holiday shopping season...plus who really has it in their budget to do all their shopping in one month...let's spread it out through the year)
9. Read one book each month (I have a bookshelf filled with books that I bought because I thought they would be interesting, but I've yet to read them all)
10. Always remember that you can change your life whenever you want...who needs a new year to make a resolution? Let's start the trend of a Valentine's resolution, an Easter resolution, an Independence Day resolution, and a Halloween resolution. Because today is the first day of the rest of your life, and don't you forget it.

What are your resolutions for the year?