Rethinking Me

Reverb10 Prompt: One Word
Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?
(Author: Gwen Bell)

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Stress. Unfortunately, that one word dominates my impression of 2010. We began the year with a personal bankruptcy born out of two failed businesses and a mountain of resulting debt. Professional and personal doubts soon followed as Wendi and I struggled to redefine ourselves.

I devoted much of myself in the balance of this year to helping build a company called Collective Bias. As any entrepreneur can attest, birthing a new company is often exciting but rarely relaxing. Promising business leads and high-profile projects led to many a late night and long weekend.  I poured everything I had into my job this year and, in the long run, suffered for it.

As this year wore on, I realized how much of an imbalance I had in my life and took action to correct it. I started seeing a therapist and took deliberate efforts to create space in my head separate and apart from my work. Sleeping seven hours each night are now sacred to me, as is the time to connect with friends and loved ones from whom I had grown distant.

I’ve just recently started this most important work of rediscovering what is important to me. I’m not sure where it will take me in 2011 but I’m looking forward to staying present in the journey. At the end of 2011, I would love to sum up the year with the word Flow.

posted: 10 December 26
under: Rethinking, Reverb10