My 1-year Blog-O-Versary!

Alex Meyer Personal 16 Comments

So you know when you make New Year’s Resolutions, and then you forget about them? Cue, ME. This weekend I went back into my archives on this blog, because I knew that this week was my 1-year Blog-O-Versary. Low and behold, my first blog post was my resolutions!

And if you hadn’t guessed, that’s Blog-O-Versary is TODAY! That means I’ve been blogging a whole year, folks. How crazy is that?

My biggest resolution was to be a little braver, and not be afraid to try new things. I think that I’ve accomplished that resolution – after all, that’s where this blog came from! In 2012, I went way out of my comfort zone on more than one occasion. The results have been amazing.

This blog has been such a fun adventure. I’ve learned a lot –  about blogging, social media, but most of all, myself. Writing things down has kept me accountable this year, and it’s helped me accomplish a lot of things I may not have otherwise. I’ve also met a ton of other cool bloggers, fitness people, crazy runners, and people that I now call friends. I’m so glad I started this blog, and it’s probably my biggest accomplishment in 2012.

But just for fun, let’s go through some of the more specific ‘resolutions’ I listed, shall we?

2012 Resolutions

• Blog – about whatever I want to – 1 to 2 times per week. I was so inspired by this goal that I developed a real blog instead of my tumblr for this purpose – so this blog is legit. Spread the word!
  Well, I did it! Proof positive in front of you . In fact, I upped the ante, and I blog, on average, five days a week.
  
• Continue to improve my Swahili and by the end of 2012 I speak close to semi-fluently. CLOSE.
  Okay, not really close to speaking semi-fluently. But when Phyll’s mom visited this year, I understood a LOT more than I thought I would. It was fantastic!
  

  My favorite app to practice with!

• Abandon my bad habit of purchasing craft supplies and kits and not doing them. Start the projects I have, not ones I need to buy things for.
  I don’t think that I bought as much, but I still did this. And I still have several projects on my shelf. Make the time, Alex! 
• Devote more time to seeing my loved ones and really working on our relationships. I have a lot more time now to see my friends, and I want to take advantage of that.
  Definitely did this, and it was great! 
• Keep going to the gym. It was hard to get the habit going, and I don’t want to fight that hill all over again!
  Um, ya think? I not only kept going to the gym, I started running outside and then ran a half-marathon!
  
• Stop impulse shopping and cut down the takeout bill.
  I’m still fighting this. My impulse shopping has gone down, but takeout is still a challenge for us.
• Work my butt off at my first ‘real’ job. I’m constantly challenged by new things that I’ve never done before, and I’m loving it. I can’t wait to see what new things 2012 will bring.
  Done! In face, although I didn’t mention it, last weekend I got the ‘Rookie of the Year’ award. So I’d say … things are going well!
• Improve my coding skills. The more I learn, the more it helps. I know a bit of HTML coding, but I want to have a firm grasp of it as well as CSS.
  Ding ding ding! I’ve coded a website from scratch in HTML & CSS, and three in WordPress. I feel like I do have a firm grasp.
• Majorly gain Flash skills. I fought against it in school, but I use it at work right now, and I know it would be a good solid skill to have under my belt.
  This didn’t happen, but I’m kind of okay with it. We’re getting a new website at work so I won’t be using the skills there, and I doubt I’ll ever need them otherwise.
• Actively pursue freelance work. I think that it would be a great way to bring in a little extra money as well as stimulate my creativity beyond what I do at work. Ultimately, I’d really like to be doing some editorial work through a publishing company (such as Meredith) but we’ll see what the possibilities may be once I get myself going.
  I didn’t do this. Honestly, it got pushed back because I got so involved in this blog. And I’m okay with that!
• Try illustrating. I touched on it here and there in school, but I need to really dig into it to see if I truly like it.
  I didn’t try illustrating, but now, I don’t really care. Maybe the whim will strike again!
• Create a quilt. I’ve had the materials forever, and I have my fabrics and pattern picked out, but I just need to get going on it!
  I never did this! Which makes me mad, because I do want to. The fabric is still sitting in my closet .

2013 Resolutions

This year, I think I’m going to have a few larger, overall goals, and then set the smaller ones month to month. This many goals is difficult to remember, which is why I’m sure I forgot so many of them. So, without further ado…

1. Maintain balance. I can get, well, obsessive. And it’s super easy to do with blogging and social media, working out, or obsessing over food. So this year, I’d like to maintain a good balance in all things in life.
2. Give it my all. I don’t like the idea of quantifying New Year’s Resolutions, but I want to make sure I continue to push myself in 2013, in fitness, with this blog, and in life. Because if I learned anything from 2012, I CAN do it.
3. Continue to push myself out of my comfort zone. Although I’ve made large strides this year, I think I’ve got room for improvement. Meeting new people is kind of intimidating, for instance. But I think I’ll have quite a few opportunities to do that this year!

This is probably a good time to plus my guest post on The Perfect Compilation Tape about fulfilling New Year’s Resolutions – take a look!

What do you think? Did you make any resolutions this year?