New Year Goals: 2010

This year, my New Year's resolution involves taking better care of myself physically and mentally so that I can better care for my family and friends and become a more responsible and dependable freelance writer. While I have already taken the initial steps on this path to improvement, it has helped me to break down some specific areas in which I can help myself:

Stress reduction. I'm completely stressed. There's a healthy amount of stress-such as the rush of one quickly-approaching deadline-and unhealthy stress, like the stress of taking on a full freelance workload while I am still employed at a full-time position. While I don't (and won't) have the money to get a lot of massages this year or take yoga classes, I do have some resources of my own, including self-instructional stress relaxation books and music and a paid blogging opportunity in which I can make money writing about my exploration of meditation. This is the perfect medium-I relax and work at the same time!

Career happiness. I'm very fortunate to work in publishing. I love my field and wouldn't change it, but like anyone, from time to time I feel that I have some growing to do and want to make a career change. I'm lucky to have a flexible full-time employer and many growing freelance opportunities.

Physical fitness and weight loss. This one could be an entire article itself. I am fortunate to have married a fitness guru and look forward to learning more about fitness as he helps me train. I think this will also inspire a lot of helpful articles, and helping others through my writing makes me feel a sense of purpose.

Skin care. I have very fair skin. It's sensitive to just about everything. I really want to pay more attention to my body and find out which products work best for it. You'll find some product reviews for people with fair skin here on Associated Content while I work to do just that. Reviewing these products has also given me the chance to bond with some of my female friends because they like to help me try out new makeup and skin care products.

Allergies, sinuses and injuries. I've had quite a year! I've been very determined to take care of my body, sometimes at the detriment of my career. I'm glad I was in a position to put myself first instead of running my body into the ground just to meet the status quo. I'm not sure what I'd do without a supportive husband. In January, I will be undergoing endoscopic sinus surgery to tackle my multiple sinus problems aggressively. I'm done with letting a controllable illness control me! Additionally, I resolve to continue to make my regular appointments with the chiropractor to amend the injuries caused by multiple car accidents.

Social appointments. I want to make and keep more social and networking appointments this year. This is important, because I will be spending much of my time working in a home office. While I am very disciplined and work best independently, I know that I do need some retail therapy and social interaction on occasion. I think going out on inexpensive dates will also help my budget and will allow me to continue enjoying married life as much as I currently do.

Appearance. Since I am making changes in my career, I'd like to ditch the drab clothes I don't use and invest in a few very sharp power outfits. Most days I wear jeans out to the café to write, and I like it that way-but I know the importance of looking good at a networking event or meeting and I want to work hard to make that happen.

Thanks for learning more about my goals! What are yours?