Lisa Hood

I was thinking about how quickly this year has gone by, in fact, I’ve already started Christmas shopping.  Before 2007 is a distant memory, I wanted to list some of my accomplishments.  I usually forget to look at far I’ve come and focus only on how far I have to go, so this year I’m starting a new habit to honor my growth during the journey.

2007 has been a year of learning. I started in IT late in 2006, but it wasn’t until January and the project kickoff that I became fully engaged.  I have since learned a great deal about SAP and S&OP which were my primary objectives coming into this job.  I want to cry sometimes at how much I still have to learn though.  Especially now that I’m moving into the functional specifications and nitty gritty IT work.  Nonetheless I’ve spent the last 10 months learning something new everyday.  Not only at work, but also school. I’m that much closer to getting my degree and even though it’s taken years, I can finally see the end in sight.

I also had to travel for work which forced me to overcome fears and insecurities.  Being alone in a strange city was a new experience, but I just kept telling myself “Everything is perfect and just as it is meant to be.” This helped me from panicking when I got lost or was just afraid I would get lost.  Embracing and accepting that I am exactly where I am meant to be in that moment, whether or not it is where I planned to be, was a huge breakthrough for me.

I’ve had some insights into being a parent.  For years I took the words my kids would say to heart, assuming that if they said it, they must think it and feel it.  Now I realize that their brains are not attached to their tongues and I can let the words roll off me like so much gibberish.  Ok bear in mind I’m only talking about the negative, hateful crap they spew from time to time. The sweet, loving comments I soak up like a sponge.  Anyhow it has been a huge relief for me to be able to say “I don’t care if you say I’m a terrible mom. I know I do the best I can by you.” Or “I don’t care if you think your life sucks, I know I’ve provided a great home and environment for you.” You know it comes down to personal responsibility…I can give my kids everything under the stars and moon, but they have to choose what to do with it.

I’ve started writing again.  Not a novel and I’ve finally put my previous, unrevised works to rest.  Chalk them up to practice.  It’s ok, I’m ready to move on.  My writing is now in bursts of blogs and articles, but it is all valuable practice. I am setting the stage for my future success, setting aside time every day to write and putting it out there. The only reason I have the courage to put my words out there now is I assume no one is reading them.  Soon, I hope, I’ll seek readership and even feedback. I’m taking baby steps, but they’re steps nonetheless.