What I learned 2011

Well the first thing I learned is that I mis-named last years list. This is what I learned in 2011.

This year for the third or fourth time in a row, I stayed in on NYE. This year just didn't feel right, again. Maybe it's the waiting on grades, maybe it's the getting my budget right, maybe it's the number of jurisdictions between my house and the nearest party. But next year, I'm gonna hit one of those big parties, where they advertise that tickets are ONLY sixty bucks or so, and although they swear the party lasts until 6am you know that around 12:30 the joint is going to start emptying out....

Okay, seriously, as I've shared before, I'm not really big on resolutions. It's like a TO-DO list that lasts seven days or so. We make a personal promise, we hold out for week, we stop lying to ourselves, we move on. Maybe a month. So what I do is I take a few moments to reflect on what I've learned from this year.

NOTE: the idea for this piece is blatantly stolen from Esquire magazine. I like to believe that I'm just practicing for when they do actually call me for an interview. (It will happen!)


Too much time is as bad as too little time.

A leap of faith is sometimes all you need to get you need to get you out of your rut.

The power of inertia is unfathomable.

Take love where you can get it, because the real stuff is hard to come by.

Sometimes getting it done is better than getting it perfect.

Everyone needs a hobby. Collecting matchbooks, dancing, something.

Steady paychecks change your mindset.

Routines come from circumstances. Change your circumstances, change your routine.

The distance between done and almost done is forever. Squared. Times two.

Chocolate needs to be stopped.

You're in trouble when the journey becomes the goal. You need actual goals. Plural.

The unknown is just scary. The known can be terrifying.

Sometimes a hug can fix a lot.

Everyone has their own story, and it proceeds no matter what your plans are.