10 New Year Resolutions for 2011 4

We had a lovely and low-key New Year celebration at our friends’ home in Boulder Creek, California. It’s their first place, and it’s amazing–at the top of a mountain 13 miles into Highway 9 and surrounded by trees reaching for the stars.

The lot of us gabbed and downed several bottles of delicious, local wine while nibbling on cheese and crackers and chips and salsa. The spread was followed by homemade Kung Pao chicken–dynamite! And we capped off the main course with delicious apple pie. Yep, we rolled into 2011 with full bellies. And after dinner, we all sat fireside in the living room, where we chit-chatted and sipped bubbly. The crescendo of our foursome was pulling the strings on the little party poppers at midnight.

The spirit of our festivities last night embodies what I am most grateful for in 2010: friends and opportunities–each in their many forms. Highlights include (in no particular order):

• (re)connecting with Jo and Mike, our gracious hosts last night;
• meeting and becoming fast friends with Sarah through the Technical and Professional Writing (TPW) program at San Francisco State University, where I also met Lu and Neil;
• reconnecting with my Godfather for the first time since I was seven;
• acing my first two TPW classes and winning a Gordon Memorial Scholarship from the Northern California Chapter of the Society for Technical Communication;
• earning a promotion at Rainforest Action Network–a kick-ass organization led by amazing people who value their employees and provide them the flexibility to explore life;
• discovering the voice over school Voice One, which has afforded amazing friendships and personal growth/empowerment that are sure to stick for the duration;
• purchasing “le car,” which enables us to go wherever our little hearts desire (on a whim) including weekend trips to see friends in Sonoma, Sacramento, and Boulder Creek;
• witnessing Jordan and Prudence’s October nuptials;
• meeting my sister in L.A. for a fashion show;
• landing my first stage performance in “The Vagina Monologues”; and,
• finding and moving into our little Redondo Cottage.

I could go on and on, but I read a year-end blog by one of my favorite artists, Tristan Prettyman, that encapsulates the feelings pretty well. She wrote:

I can hardly believe this is my life, but im [sic] not surprised, as I created it to be this way. Life is a dream. It’s all for the creating. It’s in your hands. It’s up to you. Follow your heart. Be the mirror for your peers. And…let love fill up the silhouettes of your heart. The year is now, so what are you waiting for?

I’m not waiting for anything! Here are 10 goals for each of three, primary 2011 focal points:

Voice Over Goals

• Practice at least five times a week, especially when not partaking in formal voice over training
• Commit entirely with projection and personality.
• Keep learning how to act and improvise.
• Get in tune with my own rhythm.
• Record a voice over demo by June 2011.
• Submit for agency representation next summer.
• Explore and connect with the VO/performing arts community at large.
• Practice breathing, diction, and annunciation daily.
• Keep developing “On Route to the Booth” and post to the Blog regularly.
• Continue developing career and blog marketing strategies.

Writing & Editing Goals

• Compile portfolio pieces.
• Connect with other freelance writers and editors.
• Launch website.
• Continue developing marketing plans.
• Ace my upcoming InDesign TPW class, “Desktop Publishing for Professional Writers.”
• Earn $6k from freelance work by month-end June 2011.
• Join a professional or freelance writing organization.
• Continue learning and practicing SEO.
• Apply for two-to-three scholarships, including the Gordon Memorial Scholarship again.
• Join Elance.com, oDesk.com, and DemandStudios.com.

Personal Goals

• Visit family and friends in Chicago.
• Celebrate birthday in Mexico.
• Ride my bike a lot. Duathalon, maybe?
• And go to the gym twice a week.
• Go to more museum exhibits, concerts, and performing arts events.
• Drink more tea and less coffee.
• Embrace the possibility of failure and put myself–personality and heart–on the line.
• Send snail-mail birthday cards.
• Spend more time with my little family and friends–even if it’s only on the telephone.
• Aim to leave the office at by 5:30pm every day…6pm at the latest!

What are your 2011 resolutions and goals?