Article by Wendy McCance

There are just two weeks left in 2014.  This is the time of year that I like to look back and see what I have been able to achieve.  More importantly though, I like to review what my New Year’s resolutions were at the beginning of the year and see if I have accomplished what I set out to do by the end of the year.

My New Year’s resolutions for 2014 were a mix of personal and professional goals.  Personally I wanted to find a way to blend my work life with my social life.  I tend to be a workaholic and had spent 2013 so immersed in my work that I didn’t leave time for friends.  I realized this was a great way to burn out.  It was also a great way to lose a lot of friendships.

2014 was definitely a study into how I could combine my personal and business life so that friends didn’t feel neglected.  I have improved juggling both, but to be honest, I still prefer to work and have to shut down the computer and physically walk out the door to get away from that drive to focus solely on my career.

My other resolution was to be among creative souls.  I wanted to either collaborate with others in the creative field or at least be in a more innovative atmosphere.  I’m happy to say I was able to carry out this goal as well.

It was an interesting path that put me in front of some truly remarkable people this year.  Right out of the gate at the beginning of the year, I seemed to attract a new friends who are artistic, musically talented and have some truly out of the box ideas.

As a writer, one of the most difficult obstacles you can face is the solitude of what you do. although I like time alone probably much more than most, there are still times that loneliness creeps in.  It’s a strange loneliness because I have my family and my friendships.  It is ultimately this feeling of needing to bounce ideas around with someone else in the creative world.  I thrive on conversations that exploring unusual ways of thinking and I need to be around people that can help me stretch my creative side.  It’s this way of clicking with another person that makes you feel more alive and most truly yourself.

This year I found a few outlets that allowed me to meet the type of people I was looking to connect to.  I also got to work in some environments that were a lot of fun.  I was able to tap into my musical side working on songwriting.  I got a few opportunities to work  in the studio meet some musicians and work on creating a song from lyrics I wrote.  I found that if I could do that every day, I would be completely content.  I love music and truly connect with the souls who are drawn to working in the studio.  It’s just a completely different way to express your artistic side and incredibly fun.

The second outlet I fell into didn’t appear until recently.  I am doing some freelance work for a social media company.  The office is full of talented individuals in what seems to be all areas of advertising and marketing.  It’s been a fantastic experience to work on a company platform and bounce ideas around with so many talented people.  I love shaping a company’s image to produce results that get customers excited about the product and the company happy with the results.

So now I am at the end of 2014.  I have been thinking about next year and what my new goals will be.  I know that one of my goals is to get back to creating traditions with my family that the kids will remember fondly when they grow up.  It’s funny, when the kids were small, it was easy to carve out kid friendly traditions.  We had some good times like when we built an ice rink in our backyard and the kids went skating at night on Christmas Eve with the twinkling lights, the holiday music playing and a house full of family and friends.  After a few years, the kids weren’t skating like they used to and the tradition slowly died off.

As the kids get older, there is more of a disconnect where the kids pull away to do their own thing and it’s easy to get a bit lazy in keeping up with the customs you began.  This next year, I would like to put more of a focus on creating some more family moments that we will treasure.

As for my work, I’m still pondering what I want to see unfold.  2014 was a great year for me, but I am thinking about how I can top this year and make next year even better.

What about you?  Did you accomplish what you set out to do in 2014?  What about next year? Do you have some goals in mind or are you not the type to make New Year’s resolutions?

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Wendy McCance

Wendy McCance is a Michigan based freelance writer and social media consultant. Wendy has gained attention as the founder of the popular blog Searching for the Happiness which can be viewed in 9 local papers online, including the Oakland Press. The combination of writing skills and social media knowledge is what makes Wendy such a powerhouse to work with. Stay tuned for opportunities to advertise, guest post and as always, have your questions answered.

To contact Wendy McCance about a writing or social media assignment, interview or speaking engagement, please email her at: mccance.wendy@gmail.com

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