2010 Was The Best Year of My Life - Here's Why

2010 was without a doubt, one of the best years of my life. Perhaps one of the most satisfying things about it being such a good year is that a lot of the great things that happened were down to decisions that I made. Let’s do a round-up.

1.       I discovered exercise. In fact, between July 2009 and April 2010, I had probably been on 1 run and no gym trips. So, what changed this year, and why has the habit stuck? I realize that this is probably worth an entire blog post on its own, but this is the year I discovered niche classes with great soundtracks and simple but effective moves (hello Physique 57 and later Core Fusion), that there were yoga classes for beginners and no one is looking whether you can touch your toes, and that running is so much more fun if you set goals like races and have data like Runkeeper and Daily Mile to keep you motivated. I even ran my first half marathon!

2.       My social life expanded. I have now been living in NYC for 2 years. During the first year, I was having fun, but it felt like my social circle was really small. For whatever reason this year, my social life really took off, and I now feel so lucky and blessed to have great friends and opportunities to drink too many cocktails. As a result of my social life becoming fuller, I’m much less shy and more inclined to be open to meeting new people.

3.       My marriage got better and better. This might sound like a sappy point, and it is, but my husband and I just keep having fun together, enjoying each other’s company, growing together, and picking each other up when the other is down. Our second anniversary is coming up, and I’m thrilled to be sharing it with him.

4.       My pup grew up and became even more fun. Puppies are adorably cute but can be incredibly frustrating in their inability to walk in straight lines, not impulsively dash across busy streets tripping people with their leads, chewing your Mulberry bag, and needing to go to the vet every 6 weeks for some other random puppy problem. Dogs on the other hand are slightly less impetuous in their need to sniff every single thing in the street, can be trusted off leash in Central Park, and are endlessly loving and understanding of your need to just sit and snuggle some days. Moose is just about the perfect dog.
 

5.       My buying patterns changed. I adore fashion, and spend far too much on it. I didn’t stop spending too much on it (unfortunately I may never!), but I did move away from disposable fashion from H&M and Forever 21 to pieces with a much longer lifetime and better quality. Today my weaknesses are preppy classics from J Crew and Kate Spade, with a mix of downtown cool from Rag & Bone and Alexander Wang, although only when they’re on sale! Although my new tastes are expensive, I shop much less and buy things that give me a genuine pleasure, rather than a slightly sick, too much food at the Chinese buffet feeling. With shopping less and less, I am also feeling myself needing to go shopping less as well, which pleases me as well.
 
6.       My job has improved. This time last year, I was practically crying after work. Now, I’m busy, confident, and respected in my role.

Not all my behaviors in 2010 were perfect though!

1.       I stopped blogging. I ran a beauty blog up until I went on vacation in September, and when I came back, I just didn’t feel like I had the time nor the inclination to start writing it again. Part of it was to do with not being able to find my voice, part of it was to do with feeling limited by talking about cosmetics, part of it was to do with the endless slog of taking photos, and part of it was to do with feeling shallow talking about lipstick. So I stopped. I don’t regret that so much as not taking the opportunity to redirect that energy into this blog, which I also neglected. One of the challenges that I find with blogging is that the best blogs are niche (fitness, food, make-up, books, fashion), whereas I am not a niche-person, and I want to be able to write about all of those things, but if I do, no one in their right mind would read it! Blogs which feature a book, then a recipe, then some pictures of me looking grumpy while wearing my new furry hat tend to have a hard time cultivating loyal readers unless a lot of time is spent on them. And unfortunately, time is something we all lack.
 
2.       I still can’t really walk in heels. I only wear heels when I’m heading out to dinner or drinks. I really wish I was one of those girls who can wear them every day.

3.       My diet is still 90% appalling, and sugar is still my best friend / dealer. A juice cleanse back in May did a reasonable job of breaking some bad habits, but they snuck their way back in. I just can’t imagine cooking or ordering whole wheat pasta ever, and snacking on almonds is anathema. Rewiring my mind and relationship with food requires some serious work. I did score a major deal on Gilt for Blue Print Cleanse so I'll have at least 2 juice cleanses this year which is fantastic. I just have to figure out how to hold onto those good habits!