in my little corner of the world, 2012 was a big year. we grew, achieved, took risks, succeeded. before i start making resolutions again, i want to pause in this moment to celebrate a few of my close friends. i’ve asked them to share 3 things they learned this year – some are personal, some are professional, all are inspirational. we always have something to learn from others, and sometimes you don’t have to look very far.
i figured since this is my blog i should probably share my 3 things. they are a mix of personal and professional (kind of like this blog, i guess?!). 2012 has been one for the books that’s for sure. 2010 was kind of a doozy, 2011 was pretty good, 2012 was wonderful. i had a great year and am very grateful for all the experiences and opportunities it brought. endless thanks to those who read this little blog.
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My Year in Review
1. Take a risk, you’ll be surprised who you find on the other side. “Take more risks” was my resolution for 2012. There is also “patience and tact,” but I’ve been rolling that one over since 2007. I started a blog, moved to a different country, quit my job to go “pro.” I have been rewarded and empowered by the risks I’ve taken this year and feel more passionate about making music than I ever have before. I listened to myself and decided to go for it.
2. I am in currently in the “residency” of my career, training for my dream job. My best friend Claire floated this idea to me right after I moved abroad. I was doubting my decision to do music full-time, looking at job sites, working on my resume when she told me that I have to train to get the job I want. I have to put in the gruelling hours in all areas of my career before I have the credentials and experience to choose which aspects I want. I have thrown myself back into theory, writing exercises, practicing my instruments and constantly seeking inspiration in order to write the best songs I possibly can. This quote summed it up for me: “{The professional} knows that by toiling beside the front door of technique, he leaves room for genius to enter by the back” (Steven Pressfield, The Art of War, p. 84). My residency has been hard (and it will be for the next 5-7 years) but I’m excited to go to work every day.
3. I am the only thing standing in my way. If I am seeking change in my marriage, my career, my diet, my anything – I have the tools to do that, and it is my responsibility to take on that burden. I have to be present with myself – “awake to my feelings and thoughts,” to paraphrase Gay & Kate Hendricks, to consciously love and attend to the things around me.
Honorable Mention thing I learned this year: the identity of GOSSIP GIRL!!!!
i love this allie -thanks for the chance to reflect and learn from you yet again. cheers to 2013 and i have GOT to catch up on gossip girl!
So glad to hear your wisdom- thanks for walking thru this year with me Abby xoxo
Allie, thank you for sharing your lessons learned from such a big year! This is such a great reminder that we have so much power to make things happen in our own lives! You continue to inspire and encourage me.
These Hollingsworth women are my favorite… Thank you for your kind words Emily- hope you are planning a trip to visit us :)
On your no. 2 – now that I’m back and am working from home trying to turn my crafts into a vocation it’s been hard to work through my blocks and resistance (and that little annoying voice that tells me I would be better off trying to get a “real” job), but the naming of your time as a “residency” and your explanation of the process really changes my perspective of what I’m doing and potentially creating. a thousand thanks for that.
and on your honorable mention! though i thought i was finished i am more than a bit tempted now to go back to season one and see if they were leaving any clues. i wasn’t even looking before!
Absolutely! It is hard to convince yourself that what you are doing is worthwhile… But it is worth an honest shot. And I am so sad GG is over… The end of an era. I will probably go back and watch but will regret the wasted time! Ha! Also, isn’t it hilarious how little money they had in their production budget at the end? soooooo bad yet sooooo good. Just how I like it.