2010 Has Arrived!

Vintage New Years Postcard
Originally uploaded by riptheskull

I have the flu... since December 27th to be exact and this down time has allowed me to reflect about the past and how I want 2010 to change for me. Genealogically speaking, 2008 was a year of organizing my files, entering more accumulated data into my database and filing it all and bringing things up to date - like correspondence. I felt organized! Everything was "getting done" and my to-enter-and-file pile was next to nil.

2009, on the other hand, proved to be a disaster! Things fell apart. Literally. I had my desktop computer die during the first quarter and spent a long time during its slow demise having files back up again (because the duration of how long it would run before shutting itself down was so unpredictable). Then, I was able to have a new one built by summer, and needed time to restore my data and install software to get things up to speed.

In the meantime, I continued to do research, travel to repositories and take hundreds of photos - all to be entered. So, there was definitely an imbalance of what I gathered and what was entered and filed away. Come December, my laptop died. Oh, bother! For 2010, I'm planning to get all of this accumulated data entered and filed - a monumental task considering all the papers, correspondence, photos, & books I'll need to sort through.

I also plan to write more - in my blog as well as starting a diary. I love to write with a fountain pen and inkwell, so this requires a little more planning than just carrying a book and pen. I believe I'll have to set up an area where I can address this task daily and when I travel, I'll just use my favorite fountain pen with the ink inside. Even if I only enter a few lines...I feel compelled.

 I also have a huge laundry list of things I want to do around the house, from hanging more art, to repairs and sewing more for the home. It's time to tackle those ugly tasks once and for all. Then there are those ugly unfinished projects that loom around in the back of my mind and haunt me. Won't tolerate that anymore - they will get finished. I plan to write them down and address them one at a time.

For example, unable to get around much while sick, I pulled out a cross-stitch which is so tedious I had put it away for over a year. Every stitch is another color! I changed my mind about it by thinking in terms of each square-inch being an accomplishment, working about an inch at a time, and found I can do this while watching TV and get a sense of satisfaction when I finish a whole inch. Much better than thinking in terms of the entire canvas - "I'll never finish this" idea.

I also have to keep up with my duties as VP of the genealogy society and continue to come up with content and produce videos for my other site. That is on top of the household chores and regular tasks needing to be done. Just the act of writing this post has helped. I feel better having focused my attention on goals I wish to accomplish, writing them down and challenging myself to "change my mind" about them, or how I can change my thoughts to inspire achievement as opposed to feeling overwhelmed and frustrated.

Wish me luck and I encourage everyone to do the same. Write down your goals and ask yourself what you wish to achieve and what keeps you from doing it? What needs to change in your thoughts about those goals to get you motivated? Maybe just breaking down a monumental tasks into small pieces will do the trick.

Happy 2010 ya'll!