Friday, December 31, 2010

2010: A Retrospective

Since 2010 just ended, I thought it would be appropriate to write a summary about how I felt the year went and my goals for 2011. I will resume my year end countdown lists next week. And, in order to not be too redundant, I won't specifically talk too much about the best experiences I had this year since that will be featured in a top ten list next week. But, I will talk about many of them generally because they played such a big part in my year. Here are my thoughts on 2010...

I think this has been one of the most challenging years of my life, and largely I feel I failed the challenge. Right at the beginning of the year, my girlfriend broke up with me. This was an extremely difficult thing for me to get through. I don't deal with rejection well and for the first couple months of the year I was depressed, thinking about my now ex-girlfriend. In a lot of ways, it cast a shadow on all the events that occurred throughout the first few months of this year. But, there was some good that came out of it. I was happy that I was able to stay good friends with the girl who broke up with me. I don't hold any grudge against her at all. I realize that I wasn't the best boyfriend ever since it was all new to me. What made it all hard was the fact that I'm still not sure what it was that caused the breakup. But, it is in the past now, and is best not to dwell on.

Beyond that, I was able to finish my time at BYU strong with a 4.0 GPA for my final semester. I had some great experiences with my classes and great experiences with Kevin. He really came through for me and helped me get over my depression. We did a lot of things that last semester that we had always talked about the entire time we were in college. I was proud of myself for being able to graduate. It was a great event and even my grandparents were able to attend.

Over the summer I stayed in Utah looking for work. I feel bad because I wasn't able to find work, but I did have some great times with Kevin and some great visits back home to California. It was the last time Kevin and I would get to really spend a lot of time hanging out and I feel that we made the most of it. After the summer was over and I still didn't have a job, it was decided that I would go back home to California and look for work there. It was sad to leave Utah since I grew to love it and had lots of friends there. But, it was really great to come back home and spend time with family since I had largely been away from home for college and my mission for the past six years.

I still wasn't able to find a job when I was home but I did start working with my dad. My dad is a band leader, so I would go and help him pack up all his heavy equipment. Beyond that I was able to really further develop my love for writing. I was able to finish my first novel that I've been working on and have really developed a passion for it. I am hoping that some day that I can use that passion in a career.

So, in summary, this year was plagued by two major disappointments. They were, first my girlfriend breaking up with me and second my difficulty in finding a job post-graduation. But, there were lots of great things as well including graduating from BYU, finishing my first novel and getting to spend real quality time with my friend, Kevin, and with my family. So, it wasn't my favorite year thus far in my life, but there is still a lot to be grateful for and memorable experiences that I will cherish.

For 2011, I have three main goals. The first is to finally find a job. I need to learn more about how to be able to find a job and not be scared to do whatever is required. I have faith that I will find something. The second goal is to lose weight. I am very committed to starting a system of exercise and eating right. The third and final goal is to start a rigorous schedule of writing and reading. I really learned this past year that writing is my main passion, so, in order to develop it I need to write regularly. And, to become a better writer, I need to read more as well. So, I haven't decided completely what this new schedule will be, but it'll involve setting aside time every day for writing and reading.

So, I hope for a great 2011 where I can really accomplish my goals and work on my many weaknesses. I'm excited and hopeful!

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