[Disneyphile]

Here were mine for 2009:

1. Respecting my own feelings. This is already something that I've been working on, and is a big struggle for me, and I often back down, putting the feelings of others first. I will still be considerate, but I will also consider mine now too. This might upset some folks because I'm not going to be as "nice" or "giving", but respect will be mutual. My feelings should matter just as much as anyone else's. Last year taught me much about that. Some people have taken advantage of my "chameleon" adapts-to-any-situation state, and that's gonna change.
2. Taking better care of myself and my needs. I'd like to work on improving my physical, mental, and emotional health. This will often coincide with the first item on my list, for example, if I don't feel like going somewhere, I'm not going to go, just because someone else wants me to. It doesn't mean I don't like them - I just need to take care of something else at the time, without owing any explanation.
3. Continuing my pursuit of unrestrained zen and happiness on a personal level, and with my husband, and we don't need nor want anyone's approval. This will also coincide with being more enigmatic than "open book" about certain aspects and desires in our lives, unless around those of similar minds and consciences.
4. Learning to say "no" without feelings of guilt or obligation.
5. Don't over-promise stuff to others that is either impossible to finish or adds so much stress as to cause resentment and exhaustion, especially by piling more stuff onto an already over-flowing plate. This is another BIG problem of mine, which largely coincides with item #4. I think saying "no" is less disappointing than not following through on a promise due to not enough time, etc. I'd rather appear stingy than flakey. This is definitely one of my biggest faults that I don't like about myself.

I've done pretty well on the first four, but five is still a little bit of a struggle for me. So, I'm throwing that one back into the pot for 2010.

2009 has been interesting for me. After the 2008 cluster**** of chaos, I started going back to school and trying to stick to a schedule to break that cycle. However, I'll be completely honest in saying that I've struggled with depression at times this year, to the point of being very, very severe. (I'm fairly good at hiding it and won't talk about it.) And, the over-busy schedule (including too many social activities) has really made it worse. But, overall, it's been a year of learning and developing new traditions and ideas.

That said, here are my goals for 2010:

1. Set up a regular work schedule and stick to it.
2. Only have 3-4 projects at any given time. Say "no" to adding more until there is a vacancy. This will allow me proper time to actually follow through and complete that which needs to be completed. This will also alleviate a lot of guilt by not allowing it to happen in the first place. I'm notorious for taking on too much. I need to be a lot more realistic about how much time there is in a day, and that I'm only one person. (Yeah, yeah, I know. Feel free to start the betting pool now. )
3. Prioritize, and allow myself to miss the boat on things that are not as important to my main goals. (i.e., nearly killing myself to make school projects perfect, because the grades really don't matter as much as the projects I need for income)
4. Continue my journey on the healthy train. Keep doing what I'm doing, and by not allowing myself to be overly busy, I'll have the time to dedicate to myself to see that I remain on the wagon. This applies to mental, emotional, and physical health.
5. No more double-booking or over-booking on social events/outings. Ken and I need time together, and we need to be the priority. We also need to have one day per month at home together to do home things, whether it be nesting or being lazy. If anyone's feelings get hurt, they'll get over it. It's nothing personal to anyone - we're just more of a priority. We have a few different social circles that don't interconnect, so we're certainly not being withdrawn or anti-social, even with cutting back. My depression has largely been caused by being overly busy and not having enough personal downtime, so I hope people respect that and not try to "help" by thinking I need to get out more.
6. Explore more of my career path. I'm going to earnestly check out more about animation and special effects. And, I'm also going to look at small production and design companies where I could land regular part-time work, regardless of location. We're opening ourselves up to relocation, if necessary. And, I'm also willing to work on-site with a set schedule.
7. Purge excess items and transform those items into money to use on experiences, like travel and entertainment.

So, I can't wait to revisit this next year and see how it goes.

As always, thanks for the great thread, CP.