02 March 2013

The Year of Change


So, my diary tells me that today is the 61st day of the year. One-sixth of the year has already been and gone, or at least as close thereto as can be calculated without getting into the hours and minutes of it ... honestly it really doesn't seem that long ago that The Sparky, the dogs and I shared New Years with a passing truck driver in the middle of nowhereville. Not sure if that makes me old or busy or both?

Anyway, I figure it's about time I got around to discussing my plans for the year. This isn't so much a New Year's resolution as a decision I came to while I was on my break. Last year, as any regular, astute reader will be aware, was a pretty rotten one for me. There were a few times that I decided that I would try to do something about it, including here, but in the end I just really wasn't in a place that made me able to properly commit to it all.

This year however I am in a much better position both mentally and physically and I am determined to do everything within my power to hold onto that feeling, so I have declared 2013 ...

"The Year of Change"

Some of those changes will be big, some will be small, some will be life changing and other will seem insignificant but basically what it will all boil down to is that I will stop talking/thinking/writing about things in my life that need to change and actually start doing something about them.

Yay me!

The first thing that had to be done ... because many other potential changes were dependent upon the decision made ... was to sort out my work situation. I basically had to decide whether I was going to stay where I was or move somewhere else. Whatever decision was made was going to have to be made quickly and then, once made, committed to fully. If I was staying, I was staying at least another eighteen months so that I could take full advantage of my long service leave (due in approximately twelve months) but if I was leaving I was going to refresh my resume and start looking immediately. There was no middle ground on this one, the to-ing and fro-ing had kept me in limbo for too long already.

Turns out this all ended up being resolved much quicker than expected ... within days of returning to work I realised that I did not have another eighteen months of it in me. So, I updated my resume, applied for half a dozen jobs on a Saturday, got a phone call on Monday, went to an interview on Thursday, had a job offer on the Friday and gave my notice the next Monday ... nowhere near as painful as when I tried last year, mostly I think because my heart and head were really in it this time.

I gave a fair amount of notice, in the hope that that would give where I am time to find someone(or two) to replace me, so I still have two more weeks to go before I start my new job. All in all though, I'm pretty pleased with the start to the year.

Well, that ended up longer than anticipated, I'll get into some of the other changes as the year progresses.

What about you, how is your 2013 so far?


8 comments:

  1. Well done on the new job! Good for you for being active in making some changes! Like you, 2012 was a bit of a rotten year, and I'm happy to say that 2013 is going a loooot better! I'm also in a work rut, but not sure where to go, so for the moment, I'm in limbo on that, but it's not a stressful job so I am thankful for that. Here's to 2013 being magnificent x

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    1. Ali, I'm so glad to hear that your year is looking good too :)

      I had been hoping that my job change would also be a career change but, for the moment, financial commonsense meant that I needed to compromise on the 'big plan'. Something less stressful and closer to home will be a fantastic stepping stone ... and will go a long way towards putting me mentally in a place where I'm more able to cope with the big changes that will come as the 'big plan' gets put into play (I realise I'm being cryptic again but a full explanation will take a whole new post).

      Cheers to a magnificent 2013 all 'round x

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  2. Change. Is. Good.

    Looking forward to following your year of change x

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    1. There certainly won't be any packing it all up and hitting the road type changes around here but part of the bigger picture that some of these small changes are working towards is being able to get some of our 'big trip' plans happening over the next few years.

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  3. I am so so happy for you, and proud you made the decision to leave somewhere that made you so unhappy.
    I am looking forward to seeing what else you have planned for the year.
    And I am excited about how much you are blogging at the moment, good work!
    2013 is flying past for me. March, what already?
    We have some big plans that will hopefully also come to fruition this year, but at the moment just concentrating on the day to day stuff. J is away a LOT at the moment, but I am going to the US in a few weeks time to visit him while he is there for five weeks.

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    1. Thanks Em, it's been a long time coming that's for sure. It's probably the biggest change for the year but there will definitely be more now that I have that one sorted.

      I think I could probably chart my mental health on the frequency of my posts ... so lots at the moment, even the wordless ones are definitely a good sign :). That said, I don't think I'll be able to do as much at work as I have been lately so hopefully I'll be able to pump a few out at home once I start the new job.

      Another trip to the US?! I know it stinks that J is away so much but boy, it comes with perks :)

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  4. Kudos to you for making the change! I'm looking forward to learning more about your big plans. I have some of my own. ;) It may involve packing it all up, but we'll see... it can be hard to make big changes but I do hope we'll make it there, one step at a time.

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    1. Oooh, pack it all up plans are so exciting! I'll keep my eye out :) Regardless of whether it is that big for you or something else, change is good ... one step at a time certainly makes it more manageable though.

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