Snow.Ice. Boots. Earmuffs. Michelin-Man-inspired outerwear.
Remember these things? Other than a useful mental exercise to keep myself cool, I'm recalling the cold December days in which I wrote this post about my personal and professional goals for the coming year. We're well into the 80s here at the midway point of 2016 (already!), so I thought it was time for some updates.
1. Give a talk/speech/lecture to a crowd of more than 10
Just this past Monday, I did a brief presentation about my company's newest materials and updates related to the jewelry industry. Somewhere around 40-50 people were present at this event, so I'd say that definitely counts!
This one stays on the list, because one is never enough. I would like to do many, many more of these (longer! bigger! that's what she said!) but it was a great starting point.
2. Publish something longer than 500 words, with a byline
My company published my whitepaper on how to sell custom jewelry, complete with photographs and byline. It got picked up and referenced by a few other 3D printing publications, which was really neat.
As with #1, this one is by no means finished. Ideally I'd like to see my words reproduced in a jewelry industry publication, so it's time to get to work on that.
3. Finish my G.G.
My home lab setup will be arriving very shortly (note to self: clean off designated lab space) which means I can make even more progress towards this one. I'm aiming for the end of the year. Diamonds, gemstones, and jewelry... oh my!
4. Meet new people
Possibly one of the most fulfilling goals I've ever set, simply because I created it without any real plan to reach it. But with my new job came many new people to meet and get to know, which has been a surprisingly joyful and experience for this high-functioning introvert. My happiness in succeeding here is largely due to the quality of people I'm around every day, but I'm also just a little proud of myself for learning to say "yes!" to a whole lot of new experiences.
5. Talk about what I do, what I love, who I am
Many people would argue that I usually don't shut up about what I do, what I love, and who I am, but those people would only have recently met me (see above). Allowing my passion to come to the forefront of my personality (see below) has been a challenge, and not without its fair share of pushback. But I'm working through it and learning more about myself along the way.
6. Embrace my personality
Perhaps both the easiest and most difficult goal on this list. It's been so long since I've been willing to be my authentic self that it's taken a little time to figure out just what that personality really is, these days. I consider myself a work in progress -- forever -- and so have come to embrace the journey of my personality, complete with more attention to its changes and nuances than ever before. Self-awareness is a process, but I might be learning to enjoy it.
7. Improve the quality of my downtime
I can hit a tiny bumpy ball with a stick (er, sometimes). I can crack a perfectly-timed joke to a crowd without feeling self-conscious. I can have more than one alcoholic beverage in a day and not feel guilty. I can list five new favorite date restaurants (and about fifty more we want to try). I frequently have plans that might almost resemble a social life, if you squint and tilt your head 20 degrees to the left. Yep, I'd say this one is well on its way to become a great habit.
Satisfactory progress all around! This year has been a big one for changes in every single aspect of my life, and I have a funny feeling I'm nowhere near finished with it (or perhaps it's nowhere near finished with me). I don't believe in a lot of things, but karma is a concept I fully embrace. So I'm "putting it out there," as a dear friend would say, that as long as I'm trying to give the best of myself, I'll be open to receiving the best the universe can offer.