Hey 2013, Don't Let the Door Hit You on the Way Out!

Christmas time and New Years really does bring out the best and worst in me.  I am very optimistic for the future, excited to spend time with my family and friends, proud of the achievements I made over the past year, and hypercritical of all of my mistakes. 

I have barely blogged this year.  My #1 regret.  I can only describe this year as full of highs and lows (and I have a blog archive full of unpublished posts to prove it.)  I didn't share anything because was scared of coming off too proud/angry.  I held a lot in and lost perspective on what was going on around me.  I was a pressure cooker.  For example, I wrote:

I think it's really easy to drop the line "Man this city really makes you cynical" or "Damn, this work really does drive you to drinking."  It's easy because it's the obvious thing to say -- it's right there in front of you every day.  How grown up am I?  I have other grown up cynical friends that are also boring, have drinking problems and prescriptions to performance enhancing drugs.  What am I doing with my life?  Working at a dead-end job and feeling handcuffed to it until then next election cycle for fear of looking too "Millennial" on my resume. 

If there is one thing I hate more than generalizations it is stereotypes. And, unfortunately, I couldn't escape either this year.  I decided that I needed an intervention after self diagnosing myself as a stick-in-the-mud.  Somewhere in the last year I forgot to breathe and just look around -- not critically, but as an observer (I'm really good at the former, I've discovered).

I have spent the good part of the last year complaining and finding faults in everyone around me.  It certainly didn't help that it all started with a crushing defeat in the '12 cycle.  I think I went into 2013 thinking, "Everything is going to shit, but hey at least I'm one of the lucky ones that got a job."  Screaming endorsement for a successful year.  As we all know, the rush to bag a job post-Election Day usually never pans out for the long term.  But, by holding it in I never got the chance to hear how everyone else felt about their job.  Clarification: I never took the time to listen.  Turns out, I wasn't the only one - not by a long shot.

The day after my 24th birthday everything changed and I realized that I was living with a bag over my head.  That was when I started changing things up.  I ruffled a lot of feathers because I fell out of line.  I had my very first DC power scuffle!  I was so upset that I had to cut ties with someone I had once held in high regard.  What would people think of me?  What would people say about me?  Turns out no one was talking at all - funny how that happens.

Now I find myself 11 days out from the start of 2014 and I couldn't be more excited for the year ahead.  Through the ups and downs, I'm walking away from 2013 with several new battle scars and a lot to be thankful for.  I have a new job on a great tech team full of talented individuals and our plans for next year make me do a little happy dance.  So many friends got married this year and welcomed new babies into the world and even more are prepping for the same this coming year!  You are the ones that helped me put everything into perspective the most, so let me close by saying thank you.

My top four life lesson learned from 2013: 

1.  Surrounding yourself with the wrong sorts of people is more harmful than knowing good people is helpful. The negativity, drama, and tumult they bring to your life wastes time and distracts you from focusing on yourself and the things and people that actually matter. 

2.  Not all friends are created equal, and not all of them stand the test of time.  And that is ok.  As I get older, my perspective on life changes, the things I value and appreciate morph.  And, I'm not the only one!  This happens to everyone.  And sometimes where I change, so does a friend, but in a different direction.  You don't need to chase everyone down their own path. 

3.  Don't compare your life with the lives of your friends as depicted on social media.  Some of the saddest people I know in real life look to have the most exciting lives on Facebook and Instagram.  Filters and selective sharing will do that - it's called building a personal brand, people.  Enjoy your life for everything it is that can't be captured in 140 characters.  (But, still be happy for all of your friends' successes)

4.  Don't be fearful of threats.  Those who threaten you are the ones who stand to lose the most.  Stick to your principles and trust your gut.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!  Thank you for being a wonderful part of my life!

-Sarah