Venturing into the New Year: Do-Overs, Re-runs, Repeats, and Fresh Starts

So what’s going to be different about this year? I can’t say for certain, but I do have this blog now. That is something I didn’t have a year ago, to help me stay accountable for this. Like anyone else out there, there are many things I wish I could do over and have a fresh start with. What better chance for that than a brand spanking new year? A blank slate where you get to choose your destiny and decide which way the year is going to turn.

I know you can’t choose or control everything that happens around you. You can’t just decide your destiny and what’s going to happen to you. Things change, plans changes, stuff happens beyond your control that may get in the way of your master of plan of how things would be in a perfect world. Oh boy, do I know that one, even though its only 10 days into the new year. It’s been a pretty challenging 10 days so far and everywhere I’ve gone it seems like one thing or another has gotten in my way to try to prevent me from going to where I was attempting to go to, but yet I still managed to make it. I just had to change my path to get there. It may have taken longer than I would have liked, but what else can you do besides just keep moving on?

I’ve noticed a trend lately, that instead of  a New Year’s resolution, people are choosing words to guide the New Year. As we venture into the 2nd week of the new year, I’ve been thinking about (as I tend to over think everything) what my word should be for the year. Many come to mind, and thus it’s been a struggle to just.choose.one. In the end, I’ve chosen to go with the word:

Persevere

To persist in or remain constant to a purpose, idea, or task in the face of obstacles or discouragement.

Here are just a few things I would like to persevere in this year:

1)Work– I’ve been stuck subbing for YEARS. I NEED to get into something else. It is time. I cannot afford to try to stick it out and wait until all these teachers supposedly retire or the district’s budget issues resolve and can afford to hire back all the 100’s to teachers that should be working. I’ve been hearing that since I received my credential back in 2005. I’ve been looking for another type of job non-teaching related for a while, but employers seem hesitant to give a poor teacher a chance, which really baffles my mind. I’m very trainable and teachable, I learn and pick up things very easily on my own or from direct instruction from someone. At 70wpm I most likely type faster than anyone in their office. Or maybe that’s the problem?  That I can think for myself and have a mind of my own? If the conventional  type of job isn’t going to give me a chance, then I need to start getting more creative in this manner and think more outside the box.

2)Blogging– This ties into number one. I need to be more consistent in how often I post, and spend more time on my blog and look for more opportunities for sponsored posts and ways that I can make blogging more like my “job” and less of a hobby. That would be ideal since I truly enjoy blogging and all the fun adventures I have been given from it. Blogging can also be very overwhelming at times, I need to make sure I don’t let that get to me. Same thing goes for anything I may not be invited to that other bloggers are. That can be disappointing, but I know there will be other things that I will get to go to that others will not. That’s just how it is. I need to always remember to not get discouraged from that and not take it personally.

3)Working Out/Exercising More– Last year I didn’t completely fail at this. I did end up running in 3  1/2 marathons and I earned the Beach Cities Challenge Medal. After that was finished though, I totally slacked off. This year I’d like to stick to running a few 5K’s, make it to the gym at least 4 days a week, and I’ve been thinking of maybe taking up swimming again. I never got the chance to in high school, since I chose gymnastics over swimming as a team sport. In college I did take a few conditioning swim classes with some friends my freshman year and I was pretty much offered a spot on the team if I wanted it. I didn’t take it as I was so busy with school, working at the optometrist office, and riding and showing the ponies, I didn’t think I’d have time to add swim team to that list.

4)Horses– I want to get out to the horses more and at least try cross-country once this year and see how I like it.

Here are some people you might know who persevered and never gave up on their dreams and aspirations. This sincerely gives me hope for the new year that I too can accomplish what I’d like to as long as I keep going and work hard at heading in the right direction and not let a “NO” answer get me down and frustrated as it often times does.

Walt Disney-  Mickey Mouse? Disneyland?  His first animation company went bankrupt. He was fired by a news editor because he lacked imagination. Legend has it he  was turned down 302 times before he got the financial backing for creating Disney World.

J.K Rowling-  The Harry Potter Series? Twelve publishers rejected her manuscript! A year later she got a deal to publish the book but was told that she should get a day job because there was no money in children’s books.

Dr. Seuss– Cat in the Hat? Green Eggs & Ham?  Some of my favorite books to read as a child.  43 different publishers rejected Dr. Seuss’s first book To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street.

Colonel Sanders— Kentucky Fried Chicken? KFC? He was rejected 1,009 times before he heard his first YES!

There is no success without failure.

Decide what is important to you and take action everyday even  if it feels like a lost cause. Success doesn’t happen without failures. It’s reality. Accept it.

Deal with it.  Succeed.