Same as a year ago, I am not writing down the “summary” of 2023, nor am I making any New Year resolutions. However, I had a relatively quiet time in the past several days, and I used this time to think about the directions I am moving, and possible course corrections.
This morning, I asked Boris what he thought I should do less and what I should do more in 2024. He said that he wanted me to be a little bit more relaxed. I started laughing, but he made a very specific point. He said, as he often says, that I am trying to pack too many things on any given day, and because of that, my plans can be easily ruined, and then I am always unhappy about it.
He said that if I left a little bit more room between planned activities, my plans would be more resilient, and although it may feel that I am doing less, I would be able to do more in the end.
I promised to think about that, and I will.
I started several new activities this year, and although they say that starting new activities is good to keep your mind sharp, I know that I had too many. Here are some things I did this year for the first time:
- Writing paid blogs (that was a second attempt). This activity has both good and bad sides, and as of now, I almost want to stop doing it, but I believe that the better option would be to limit it to one article per month (which is objectively happening now) and to give more thought on what content might be beneficial for me, rather than for the publisher.
- A number of mentoring opportunities:
- Code2College volunteering. This was another mixed-bag experience, and I will probably give it another try. The negative part is that I do not believe in remote mentoring, and when you are in different states with your mentee, you can’t even suggest an impromptu meeting. The positive part is that I can see that I make a difference, and my mentee is a young woman with great potential.
- Greenwood project. I was pulled for one Lunch and Learn event through my work, and I had such positive feedback from the participants that I want to get more involved. I was hesitant to follow up with the project because I was afraid of overcommitment, but the more I think about it, the more I am leaning toward doing just this one rather than others.
- One more attempt to go back to OMD: I am not doing it again. I had enough sense to cancel my participation before meeting my student (after I passed all the checks and training), and at least for now, that was the right decision.
- Participating in the Women’s Mentoring Circle at work. I like the idea; the actual implementation was variable, but now, three months into the program, I can see its positive impact. The biggest challenge for me was to let other people speak :).
- Attending sessions with a therapist. That was a very targeted activity with the goal of improving my communication with my mom, and it really helped. Still, I need to remind myself about the techniques I can use to make this experience better for both of us. No negative sides; all positive
- Becoming CSO Kids’ ambassador. I most definitely have no time for that activity, but it is so exciting to participate, and there are so many perks that I can’t walk away from this opportunity!
- Going camping for the first time since I was a”young pioneer.” I liked it, but most likely, I won’t do it without Anna.
- Discovering Fort Sheridan – I hope I will have more of it next season, and I hope it will become an even more important part of my life.
There are two more activities to which I tentatively agreed, but they didn’t start yet, so it does not count.
P.S. Yes, I am hopeless 🙂
P.P.S. This post is not about “where I want to go” yet. More to come 🙂
Hettie's Reflections 