1. Get a new job: There’s a reason this is number one on my list. It’s no secret that my job has been making me consistently more miserable for a long time. It’s to the point where I feel depressed, my performance isn’t what it usually is, and most days I’m on the edge of just walking right out the door with my middle finger in the air. I’ve tried so hard to be patient and make things better, but I’ve waited too long. That ship has sailed and it’s time to find a new harbour. Or something like that… I don’t really know much about sailing.

2. Contemplate new career  choice, schooling or my own business: I’ve always imagined having my own business. In my mind its been a small shop full of eclectic home decor, but I’m not sure there’s really a market for that kind of thing… or much money in it. I’d like to do some more research on that and decide if it’s something I can really do or if I should consider some other options.

3. Maintain a fuller social calendar: I am what my therapist calls an “extroverted introvert”. Who knew, eh? I love to be social but I also need my recovery time. For this reason I go through phases where I’m extremely social and other times when I’m a total homebody and I don’t much care about getting out. In 2013 I’d like to balance that a bit better by going out at least on a weekly basis. My reason for this is that I spend too much time in my own head, over-analyzing life instead of just living it.

4. Visit Melanie: I haven’t seen my best friend since April, and I miss her like crazy. I need to make seeing her a priority this year, above anyone else.

5. Go to therapy more often: I’ve been experiencing grief since my early teenage years, and I’ve never really talked to anyone about it. As I get older and I see things from different perspectives, I’d like to open up those old wounds and see if I can make some more sense of them. This is partly for the purpose of healing, but also to have a better understanding of grief itself- so that I can better relate to my family who have handled it in different ways.

6. Read Anxiety book: My therapist recommended a book on anxiety. I’ve read through the first part and I’d like to continue reading through it and trying some of the anxiety-reducing techniques.

7. Build stronger relationships: I grew up in a broken home, so I don’t really know what a solid, healthy relationship looks like. I think I’m figuring it out though, and I’d like to try my best to build one.

8. Arrange another blogger meet-up. We talked about doing this annually, and I’m not sure I can afford it this year, but I’m going to try my hardest to make it work.

9. Increase salary: My bills are all paid, but with the increase in my expenses over the past year, things are pretty tight again. I’d like to increase my salary so I can pay off some newly acquired debt and go shopping, all at the same time.

10. Decrease debt: I shopped too much and took a lot of vacations this year. They were all amazing experiences, but unfortunately they were paid for on credit. I need to focus on paying that off and being a bit more mindful this year.

11. Get my happy back: I want to feel good about life again. I think this will tie-in a lot to my career decisions.

12. Stay pretty: Make my physical appearance a priority. It’s not so much about vanity as it is about respect from others and from myself. Unfortunately this is a world mainly based on first impressions and women especially are simply not taken seriously unless they’re completely “put together”… so I guess I’m going to try not to panic over spending a bit more cash on my hair, nails, etc. Instead, I’ll look at it as an investment.