Taking Stock

So far the new year is starting like the old one finished: at world-record speed! Which means I need to figure out how to start keeping up.

I don't do resolutions (do you?), but I do try to take stock at the turn of the year and decide what I want from the year ahead.

2015 in review: I quit my day job, started a freelance business, and finished what I think is my best book yet. I started meditating. I took some yoga but didn't stick with it. I rediscovered a trainer and a gym, and dabbled a little. I really rested for the first time in eight years. I realized I wanted to talk with friends and family again. I returned to being the nicer person I used to be.

That sounds dramatic, but the year felt that way!

Ahead for 2016, personally: I'm going to keep up with the meditation and develop a real gym habit (watch out for kettlebell and unconventional fitness workout posts; also, some complaining). I'm going to make a living with my freelance writing business (I do technical and marketing writing, if you know anyone!). I'm going to appreciate every day that I get to work at home and not go to a day job.

On the 2016 book front:  I'm going to write the next Kate book set at the Indy 500 and make it the best book I've written. I'm going to start another book on a totally different topic and see where it takes me.... AND, I'm going to tell everyone as much as I can about my new book, Red Flags.

Stay tuned!

Out With the Old, In With the New

It's that time of year—yes, I mean frantic wrapping of presents and eating way too many sweets. But I also mean taking stock of what the old year yielded and what the new year promises.

Except that sounds WAY too passive. So let's make that what I made out of 2015 and how I'm going to rock 2016 even harder.

Out with the old:

• Stress. For the past 8 years, December and January were the most stressful times of year, due to employee performance reviews and an annual conference at the day job. I quit the job in February, and I haven't missed it for a second...
• Recovery. I slept more in 2015 than in any year in recent memory. I also read more books, sat around the house in a daze for more hours, and felt more generally lazy than I can ever remember feeling. A lot of people tell me this is what it's like to retire. I'm not exactly doing that, but I've had the time to recover from working too hard and caring too much the past few years. I was wrung out spiritually.
• Mental deadness. It's been a long time since I've cared to engage in conversations about world events, interesting ideas, or funny questions. But I'm finally coming back to life.
• Low spirits. I'm finally starting to mean it when people ask me how I am and I reply, "I'm good." Scratch that, I'm starting to respond with, "I'm great."

In with the new:

• New business. I've been slowly building up a good clientele of freelance customers, and I've been working with great people and interesting products. I'm going to keep building that business in 2016.
• New books. Kate #4 (Red Flags, set in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, and at the Grand Prix of Long Beach) will be released in April, and I'm going to promote that. But I've also got some writing to do on Kate #5 (going to the Indy 500!) and a different project I've been tossing around in my head...nothing to talk about yet, but more when I have it.
• Find my focus. In both the business world and the mystery world, I know I have unique skills to offer...but I haven't figured out exactly what my message or offerings are. I won't call this a mid-life crisis by any means, but it's probably a mid-life reconsideration—or as Dolly says, I want to do it on purpose. I want to pull together what I'm good at, what makes me happy, and what I can do that fulfills a need in the world. Then I'll aim at that target... 
• Good habits. Regular exercise (hello, crossfit and kettlebells), regular meditation, and being grateful for the luxury of time. That's what 2016 will mean to me.

How about you? What are you happy to jettison with the old year and embrace in the new?

Limbo

I've written about it before, but this is a weird time of year for me.

My day job does a big annual conference in mid-January, and it starts Tuesday. So while the rest of the world is doing "start the new year!" kinds of things, I'm still biting my nails and trying to finish out the tasks I spent the last three months preparing for.

Which means that next weekend will really feel like the new year, and this weekend feels a bit like the weekend we had between Christmas and January 1. That weekend where one big event was over, but it wasn't quite time to plunge into the new.

So I'm not pushing myself for much this weekend. For one thing, I'm storing up my energy reserves (since I'm an introvert, that takes some quiet time), because the next week will find me interacting with 2,000+ people for four full days.

Yes, I'll be replenishing my reserves next weekend also!

But when I do get to my delayed new year, I'm looking forward to some new practices: yoga, meditation, photos, and general fun.

I want 2015 to be, as this image a friend sent me describes, entirely F*%K YEAH.

And I'll really focus on that in a week's time....

Signing Out of 2014

We're down to the wire now on 2014, in case there are any gifts left to buy, goals to accomplish, or rules to break.

I'm as ready for Christmas as I'll get, and I'm pretty much ready for 2015 also. This past year was a good enough one for me ... what's to complain about given a healthy family, a stable job, a third book, and a first Indy 500?

But I'm pretty sure 2015 is going to be even better, as I've got some excitement out there in the distance (that I'm not ready to talk about just yet).

I'm not big on annual resolutions, but I'm making two for the new year:

1. I'm going to practice yoga regularly, for mental and physical health and strength.
2. I'm going to take more photos of my friends and daily life. I want more of a record.

I'm hoping that this time next year, I'll be that annoying friend who's always taking photos—who you're later happy with because she captured the flavor of the day or year. And that I'll be strong, healthy, and flexible. Just don't expect me to become the yoga freak. 

Do you have any resolutions? Any good suggestions for me making sure to fulfill mine?

With that, I'm signing off for this year. See you in 2015!