2014 Goals

Yup, this a goals post (no pun intended). I wasn't going to do one this year because last year was so damn sucky that I felt like this year could hold nothing but better things even in the absence of goals. For that same reason, though, I realized that I needed goals this year more than ever. On Monday, Nole from Oh So Beautiful Paper posted this quote from Zora Neale Hurston: "There are years that ask questions, and years that answer." God, right to my heart. I sure hope that's right.

I know I've harped on this over and over, but 2013 was the worst. I lost my mom, and then her father followed shortly after. But I think something that I haven't talked much about was just how freakin' hard moving from DC to Nashville was. When I moved to DC over eight years ago, I knew I'd return home. The longer I was in DC, the harder that I knew the transition would be, but it was also something that I thought held a lot of hope. I'm so happy to be closer to my dad, but only now, four months in, am I starting to feel the hope part. Obviously, part of the difficulty was that never did I imagine that I would return to a home that didn't have my mom in it. On top of that, I've always been career-oriented and goal-driven. My old "Congressional staffer/Washington bureaucrat by day" tagline was something that I was proud of. I moved to DC to get a Master's degree in public policy and to use it in public policy. I guess I wasn't really thinking about the long game, because all that great experience I had in DC didn't make me as marketable here in Nashville as I had hoped. Suddenly, I went from feeling successful in my career to just hoping and wishing that someone would offer me a freakin' job. Out of nowhere, I felt like I had no drive, no goals, no vision for where my life was headed. That, my friends, is a scary feeling for a person like me. Not to mention all the wonderful friends that I made during my time in DC. Not a day passes that I don't think about and miss them. So, now, I have to look forward and make some goals for this year to get me out of this rut and make for damn sure that 2014 is better than 2013. So, with that, here we go.

1. Get some career goals. Can getting goals be a goal? This year, it can. I have a clearer vision of what my "public policy" career might look like. It's definitely a little tamer and more subdued that its DC version, but I'm okay with that because this version of my career allows room for pursing a more creative one that can live alongside it.

2. Take some risks towards building a creative career. I'm excited to say that I already have some plans in the works that are much riskier than anything I've ever done before, but I'm so incredibly and blindly optimistic about its success. Even if it's an utter flop, being able to feel more excitement than anxiety about a risky move is a step in the right direction for me.

3. Chill out. I am so high strung, and I'm always busy doing something. It seems like with my mom passing away, if I sit still for even a second, my mind wanders and the tears start to flow. Distraction is really the only remedy, but it's also kind of made me a terrible wife. Ask Michael. He'll verify. I need to figure out how to just relax and spend some time with my husband this year.

4. Organize my time. I've heard a lot of bloggers say this, but working from home has somehow managed to takeover my whole life. What I mean is that when you work in the same space that you're also supposed to relax in, you forget when to shut it off. I find myself working more than ever even though my professional hours are shorter than they've ever been. Again, this makes me a terrible wife. Don't get me wrong. I love the flexibility, but I need to get more organized about planning out my day to ensure that I step away from the office at some point.

These four goals alone are big, and they're not going to be easy. So, I'm just going to stop there. Do you have any goals? Any years you just want to tell to eff-off? How about any big life transitions?