Word for 2012

" We will open the book. Its pages are blank.  We are going to put words on them ourselves.  The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day." - Edith Lovejoy Pierce

As the new year begins, so does the tradition of creating New Years Resolutions.  I do not know about you, but I can tell you that I RARELY stuck to a new years resolution for an entire year.  Naturally, about four years ago, I stopped making them. That was, until last year.  Last year, a blogger started an idea that instead of making a New Years Resolution which we never keep, why do we not instead pick word(s) or ideas that will motivate you throughout the year.  As Oprah would say, that was an ‘Ah-Ha’ moment.  I did it last year, and I have decided that it worked so well last year, that I would do it again this year, and share it with others! 

So here it is. My word for 2012: Fail.  Yes, I said fail, as in, to not succeed. You probably think I’m crazy, but follow me.  All throughout our lives, we are taught to reach our goals, to achieve our own greatness. I am 100% on board with that. I want to be successful, but by my own definition of success.  As most people, I have been thinking about the past year or so and the common theme was, I have been successful. Everything I truly attempted to accomplish, I did. That’s a problem.

Growing up, I never wanted to lose. The one thing I learned as a small child was to win at all cost, even if that meant cheating, because if you lost, well then you were a loser and losers were not cool. Oh the joys of childhood.  I believe that as I have grown into my adult years, this concept has not changed.  As I write this, I cannot help but think how ridiculous it is to believe in that thought.  While analyzing my life, I have determined that I have begun to live my life cautiously.  I have not failed at a goal in at least the past two years.  What kind of life has that become? A comfortable life. I life of certainty.

I do want to get something straight here. When I talk about failing, I’m not saying that I am going to take a paycheck and go the the Meadows Racetrack and Casino and gamble it all away to say ‘Look at me! I failed!’  I’m talking about pushing myself past my limits. Pushing myself outside of my comfort zone.  So for instance, I have recently decided that I will attempt to snowboard.  I cannot help to think that I will fail at this attempt.  However, the probability that I will fail has added anticipation to the event.  To me, by attempting I will have succeeded, whether I spend all day on my backside (highly likely) or boarding down the mountain (highly unlikey). It does not mater, because I’ll be okay. The sun will still rise in the morning. My life will continue.  I have been thinking of ideas and I believe that I have a nice little list created.  I am excited to execute the tasks listed.  I’m excited to see how badly I can fail.

This all came about due to two individuals Steve Kamb and J. K. Rowling (creator of Harry Potter, need I say more?).  Recently, I have listened to the J.K. Rowling 2008 Harvard Commencementspeech and it was one of the most inspirational videos I have seen in a very long time. (Note: If you haven’t listened to this yet, stop right now and go listen to it.  You can thank me later!) My favorite quote? "It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all – in which case, you fail by default."
Steve is the creator of Nerd Fitness who wrote an article called ‘Fail more, Suck Less.’  He digs deeper into why failing is a good thing and inspires you to want to fail.  My favorite quote from the article is: “Once you realize that you didn’t die, that it’s not the end of the world, that there’s no lasting damage other than to your ego…the risk of failure suddenly doesn’t bother you as much.”

If there is one thing that I have learned from the times when I have failed (which is quite a few) it is that I learned more from my failures than I have from my successes.  Failures teaches a person their weaknesses. It teaches us the aspects of  life that could be improved upon.  Being successful without having failed first, teaches you that what you were doing was enough. Improvement in what you were doing is not required. So it is time for me to start taking risks again.  Start giving myself the opportunity to fail.

This year, try something new. Don’t go through the motions and create anotherNew Years Resolution which you have no desire to keep, but choose a word or an idea to motivate you through out the year to improve your life.  

Some examples could be:

• Thankful - to be more thankful for the blessings in your life. 
• Balance - to find more balance in your life.
• Freedom - this could be financial freedom, freedom from your past, freedom from whatever is holding you down.
• Organization - to make 2012 the year you finally get organized.

The possibilities are endless. When you decide on your word, write it down.  Put it some place where you will see it everyday. Remind yourself everyday of that word.  Make this year the year where you are motivated all 365 days (I know it’s a leap year, so you get a freebie day!).

So that's it. That's my word. That's my reasoning. So go. Go now and choose your own word(s)! And DO NOT be afraid to fail!

I wish you a very happy and healthy New Year!

Take it easy.

Year Review

‘It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.’ – Walt Disney


On Sunday, I did something I had NEVER done before, I ran for 7.58 miles, which means I was running for over an hour (I took a 15 minute break to talk to my Brother-In-Law at church), but regardless, pretty impressive for me.

While on my run, I felt great, my legs felt good, for the first time in over a year, my lungs actually felt good and I was just smiling away. Life was good. I got to thinking about the past year… and what a year it has been….


So let me recap some of the highlights….

August 2010

I threw myself fully into Jazzercise. Finding not only a workout that I loved, but friends that enjoyed similar interests. I have been Jazzercising for a year and it is an activity that I can foresee me doing well into the future. Who doesn’t want an opportunity to dance without mirrors?!

September 2010

Vacation with two incredible friends and male… who meets his love… Mexico from 2010 will always hold a special place in my heart. I met a ton of fabulous people on the trip. I had an absolutely fantastic time with two of my closets friends and I got to watch the beginning of an amazing and inspiring relationship.

October 2010

I got diagnosed with Whooping Cough, so that wasn’t the best thing ever, but that weekend I went camping with my family. We had such an awesome time. I made (assisted) my brother a sweet superman cake for his 30th birthday.

November 2010

I got really sick in November. Pretty much whenever I did an activity during November I coughed. So I maintained my lifting. I pretty much stopped Jazzercise.

I took my parents to see ’The 39 Steps’ at the City Theater. It was a play that I had seen in NYC and I couldn’t wait for my parents to see it. We had a lovely evening. I was also able to see my Godchild for her 2nd birthday. We had a great weekend of hanging out and playing and just being silly. Thanksgiving was another successfully family gathering.

December 2010

I started back to Jazzercise and Running. I had set a date with my Sister and Mom and we went to see ‘A Sister’s Christmas’ again at the City Theater. We capped off the evening by having dinner downtown at Tavern 245 with the whole family for my Mom’s birthday. Then I stayed after my sister’s family and we went to see the Christmas decorations around downtown. Christmas was a nice refreshing family get together. It’s so fun watching the kids getting all excited for Santa’s gifts.

January 2011

January started off amazingly. I went on a trip to NYC with my Aunt, Cousin, Sister-In-Law and cousins best friend. We saw a few shows, all of which were amazing, however… I was able to see NATHAN LANE, LIVE ON STAGE! How amazing is that? We also saw Mary Poppin’s (on Broadway), Avenue Q (off Broadway), and Addam’s Family (on Broadway, starring Nathan Lane!). We had such a fabulous time in NYC. It was a great way to start the New Year! I was also able to resume working out. Until I got sick again.

February 2011

I was fairly sick through most of February. But I refused to let my sickness get me down. I took the appropriate amount of time for resting and to get better. For the first time after I was sick, I felt better. I also managed to begin watching the entire series of Roseanne, thanks Netflix!

March 2011

I felt good in March, I was crafting, I was beginning to work out, I was feeling better. I celebrated St. Patty’s Day Pittsburgh style with a great friend before she went off to Ireland. I visited my GodChild. I began refocusing on my words to live by for 2011: Balance and Free.

April 2011

I celebrated my birthday! I had family and friends come in for my last weekend in Pittsburgh for a while. I had a fabulous evening and couldn’t ask for any better! The following weekend I headed down to Charlottesville, VA, to hang out with some family. It was such an amazing trip. Then I got sick, again. But that didn’t stop me from going to Cleveland the following weekend to attend a Bridal Shower and Bachlorette party, which was a blast. The next weekend I attended a Halfway to Halloween party with my old roommate. The next day we attended my first Playoff hockey game. It was a horrible game, but I was excited none-the-less. I ended April on high note as I completed my first 5k in 27:30, which I didn’t think was that bad considering the illnesses I had been facing.

May 2011

May was a hugely busy month. My family camped together in honor of Mother’s Day. There were shirts that were made, awards given out, and plans to go to my brother’s for Memorial Day! The next weekend I attended a baby shower in Erie, where I committed to running a 10k in August. Following that I went with my Old Biddies to Detroit and had the absolute time of my life. Then I went to my Brother and Sister-In-Law’s over Memorial Day to assist in installing a fence. It was another great family gathering!

June 2011

I start June off with helping host a Bridal Shower for one of my great friends. Right after the shower I drove 3 hours to attend a wedding with the God Father of my God Child. My Best Friend, her husband, the God Father, and I had a wonderful evening sitting by the fire in the middle of No-where-ville-PA. The next day we spent building things with our hands and taking a quad ride around an apple orchard. I was in Heaven. For the first time in a really long time, I finally felt that this where I needed to be with my life. The next weekend I had a sleep over with my Nephew due to my niece’s surgery. We went to the Art’s Festival and then hung out with a Couple and their 5 year old. We had a fabulous day. He was so excited. 3rd weekend in June brought me back to Charleston, WV. My birth place. I spent a weekend with my cousin and we went to the FestivALL in downtown. We had such a great time. It was so nice to be able to spend some time with family. It was a beautiful drive and an excellent time. I was in Heaven. I then headed back down to WV the following weekend to visit with my Aunt and see my Cousin’s new house. Another weekend spent with family. Another weekend I would never change. I also took a dear friend to his first visit to the Rex to see Joe Purdy. If you haven't seen Joe, you need to, he is an unbelievable artist. I rounded out June by attending Pretty in Pink at a local theater dressed in my prom dress! Whoop!

July 2011

July started off with a wedding for my old roommate in Cleveland. I saw people I hadn’t seen in years and we just had a ball. It was a great night. The next weekend was filled with an Alumni Football game and seeing a bunch of friends from High School, oh what a blast. The next day I went Pole Dancing for a Bachlorette Party for the first time and fell in love with it. We had a Bachlorette Party that night and celebrated the life of my good friend and wished her nothing but the best in her married life. The 3rd weekend brought a happy hour with amazing people finished by meeting my Aunt at my place so she could stay over, for the Steeler’s Women’s Training Camp! That was a day that I will never forget, no matter how long I live. I finished it off by going to a fellow Jazzerciser’s party! It was an incredible day. I don’t think I stopped smiling, even when I slept!

My God Child visited the next weekend, where we attended a Pirate’s Game (they were actually winning at this point), went to the Children’s Museum and enjoyed each other’s company. I was also able to see U2 at Heinz Field which was their last US show on the 360 tour. I finished July by attending Breakfast at Tiffany’s with 9 other ladies dressed like Audrey Hepburn. What an experience! The last Saturday was sent seeing The Band Perry, Luke Bryan, and Tim McGraw. The concert was AMAZING!

August 2011

August kicked off with a bang with being in the wedding of a great friend. It was a Friday wedding and it was a great night. Sunday I attended a baby shower for my cousin and was able to visit with some relatives I haven’t seen in a very long time. Most importantly I got to see my cousin’s belly!!!!!!! Yyyayyy! This past weekend I spent with the kids. We had a sleep over Friday which meant we went to a Laser Show on Friday night at the Carnegie Science Center and saw The Beatles. We watched 20some episodes of the original Pink Panther (Thanks Netflix!) and painted pottery and played on an ‘ ALL WOOD PLAYGROUND’ as they kept repeating. We had a fabulous weekend together. Sunday I spent at my parents house, running and hanging out, then finished the day having dinner with some friends.


I have had a year filled with firsts, family, and friends. I could have not asked for anything more this past year. I am going to continue to challenge myself to experience, to feel, to learn, and grow. All to often we get way too comfortable with how things are going. Fight that. Change that. Life is meant to be lived, not to be walked through carefully. We only have one life and we might as well make the most of it while we can. So surround yourself with the people that love you, do things which awaken you, and believe that anything is possible.

This year has proved to me that life is all of what we make of it. So make it a good one.


Take it easy.