Edit

I deleted my last post. I think you'll agree with me when I say that it may have been a bit harsh. Then again, Americans are always too tough with themselves. Makes me want to move to Europe and have siestas.

I've decided to post my 2011 Goals, against my usual objections. So now I have a list to check off, one by one. Not just the normal "Be a good person. Lose weight." boring New Year Resolutions, because resolutions never work. Real talk.

1. Follow My Dream. I want to travel and somehow incorporate work into that. But mostly travel. Merging that, foreign languages/places/cultures, exploration, international relations and 'finding myself' is a daunting task. And I'm going to try.  I suppose that this one goal is merging a bunch of smaller ones that actually mean that I want to love life. But I'm not changing the title. It's my list.
   
2. Live Loudly. Kind of reminds me of the "Live Out Loud" campaign (although I don't know what that campaign is about). Anyway. I need to speak my mind more. It's something that I've always needed to do, even though it's such a simple thing to tell people your own opinions. I've actually never realized how fine a line it is to say what you want to say versus hurting someone's feelings. I've always just tried to avoid the latter. Except with close friends. I know that they can handle my sarcasm.
3. Live Healthier. I haven't actually decided what this means yet. Not definitively. I want it to include eating better, exercising more [efficiently?] and leading a less stressful life. Or maybe just being a better person overall. All of these require me to change my current mindset, which leads me to #4 (see how well I did that)...
4. Don't Sweat the Small Stuff. Oh I know this is a book and some kind of quote from someone important, but it speaks to me.  Everyone has their own healthy way of dealing with people and situations and emergencies, but I haven't found mine. I'm not saying that I blow up in front of people, but I internalize problems when things don't go just the way that I want them to. So here's to closing my eyes, taking deep breaths and counting to X.

FSOT: February 11th.