Ten Lessons I Learned in 2012 (and lots of fun holiday design photos)

2012 was a year filled with lessons. As I mentioned in my last post, some really difficult things happened in my world in the past year and I discovered I had a choice: I could bury my head in the sand or I could learn the lessons and emerge stronger for them. Tempting though it was, head burial wasn’t going to work as I am a bit claustrophobic.

 
Somehow I think such a serious topic requires some ‘serious’ eye candy, so interspersed through my top 10 list of lessons learned from 2012 are photos of the holiday entertaining at our house this Christmas.

 
Our family schlepped to Fairfield, CT for a wonderful filet of beef dinner cooked by my husband as I was down for the count with the creeping crud that infiltrated every household within miles. I did summon up the energy to decorate the table and dining area. I particularly love the glow of the twenty six candles in memory of the twenty six people lost in Sandy Hook.

Enjoy!

Lesson 1: If you run your own business, you can’t do it all yourself. You are not Wonder Woman (or Superman). Sorry to disappoint you. Hire help. Hire really good help – at home, at work, whatever it takes.

Lesson 2: If you’re sick, you have to stop. Rest, eat chicken soup, turn on the humidifier, but above all stop. Take a lesson from our cat (or yours)!

Lesson 3: You must carve out time (schedule it!) for yourself or you get sick. See lessons 1 and 2. LOL!

Lesson 4: Surround yourself with people who are even more motivated and passionate than you are.

Watch, learn, emulate, repeat.

Lesson 5: See how your life changes when you eliminate the expression “I can’t.” Really…try it. Stuck? Here’s one of the big ones. Instead of: “I can’t afford that” say “We may budget for that later.” Get it?

Lesson 6: It’s only paint. That’s my design friend’s lesson. It took me too many years to learn this.
Lesson 7: The only way to be on time is to be early. Wish I could remember which sports star said this. If you know, pop me a note in the comments – thanks! Always want to give credit where credit is due.
Lesson 8: The best days start with some quiet time. Mine include the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi followed by my mantra and meditation. In 2013, I am going to start journaling for a few minutes each morning. There I said, so now I have to do it. See lesson 9.

Lesson 9: You are more likely to do something, to make a commitment to it, if you put it out there and have someone to hold you accountable. I have a great accountability partner. I like to call her my success buddy!
Lesson 10: Nothing matters as much as our relationships with people. Nothing. If you have trouble remembering this, imagine being one of the families from Sandy Hook. Imagining? Want me to pass you my tissue box? Now go call someone and tell them you love them. It’s okay, I’ll wait.
Bonus Lesson: It’s supposed to be scary. If it’s your passion, your big why, the reason you were meant to be on this planet, your brownies (as my coach Fabienne Fredrickson calls them), you should feel terrified. That’s how you know you are headed in the right direction. Ask the really successful people in your life. If they are honest, they will tell you. You got that. Scary…and yes, do it anyway.

Let’s go make the world a better place!
Which lessons did you learn this past year? What are your hopes and dreams for 2013?

Tagged as: Christmas, CT, entertaining, Fairfield, holiday, interior design, lessons, Sandy Hook