Tag Archives: resolutions

Resolutions, Schmesolutions.

January 2, 2015 – 9:30 am

2015
Happy New Year! Congratulations on making it through 2014.

Like the title of this post suggests, I am NOT a big resolution person. For evidence, check out last year’s edition (there wasn’t one). That doesn’t mean I don’t have goals and dreams. It just means that I try to focus on them as they come up, rather than just at the beginning of the year.

There were certainly things I wanted to accomplish last year. And I did accomplish them. Well, some of them anyway. To be honest, I feel really awful about the things I did not achieve. Worse, in fact, than I feel good about the things I did cross off of my list. I don’t know if that’s healthy or not, but I know it keeps me trying, wanting to do more.

I suppose I shouldn’t forget that some of the things I experienced in the past year were special, and inspiring, and totally unexpected. Guess what? We have now given away 25 medals to Champion Athletes With Diabetes! I’ve gone through my initial order of twenty-five, and it’s time to order more. That’s a good thing, right?

I was also able to travel to Orlando in July for MasterLab, where I learned a lot and expanded my diabetes advocacy brain beyond its previously imagined limits. I was interviewed by one of my local TV stations and by one of Politico’s eHealth Newsletter reporters. I got to speak at a public workshop on interoperability of diabetes devices hosted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. I never saw any of that coming at the beginning of last year.

Still, as I mentioned above, there are things I set out to do that I didn’t accomplish in 2014. That doesn’t mean I’ll never accomplish them. Or that I’ll ever accomplish them. That’s all unknown, until I either do or don’t complete them. But in a way, I like the idea that there is a lot still unknown… about diabetes, about my life, about this blog, about all of you. I love the idea of opening up and exploring the possibilities as we begin the new year.
 
 
In the end, I want to ask myself the same questions I ask a lot of bloggers:

– Are you happy?

– Do you like writing? How does it make you feel? Do you want to keep writing?

– If you could do anything, or write about anything, what would it be?

I also want to remember what I tell many bloggers too:

– Remember the impact you have on others. There is no possible way you can overstate that. Don’t ever sell yourself short.

– What you are doing is not nothing (I know, double negative). Even if it’s just for yourself.
 
 
I hope your 2015 is full of joy and excitement, and most of all, happiness. Last year, my mantra was:

I support you… no conditions.

I hope I’ve lived up to that. I’d like to hang onto that for a while longer, if that’s okay with you. And if I have to come up with something to add to that this year, let it be this:

Everyone is important, and that includes you!

You’re still part of everyone, right? I thought so. Here’s to a spectacular, record-breaking 2015!
 
 
 

By StephenS | Posted in Milestones | Also tagged , | Comments (7)

Where have the past 9 months gone?

September 29, 2014 – 10:07 am

Since 2014 is nearly 3/4 over, and the days are getting shorter here in North America, I suddenly found myself considering the things I had wanted to accomplish this year. How have I done? Have I crossed enough off of my list? Am I a better person than I was on January 1?

This year started like a lot of others for me. I’m not a resolution-maker, but whenever I reach a milestone like the beginning of a new year, I try to think of some things I would like to do, or be a part of.

There have been many successes, and a few failures, but overall, it’s been great. Probably the first thing I could say is: I’ve learned a lot this year. I’ve learned how to be a better advocate. I’ve learned how to speak to people about my diabetes, and diabetes in general. I’ve learned a lot about the regulatory process, I’ve learned even more about how artificial pancreas technology works, and I’ve picked up valuable knowledge from the rest of the Diabetes Online Community. Lots of support and encouragement too.

I’ve continued to hand out medals to People With Diabetes who bravely train and achieve athletic goals that sometimes seemed unreachable. Every time I get a new request, I get so excited I want to do cartwheels and handsprings (but I don’t, because that would be a huge athletic fail). I get even more excited when I get to write about it and show off someone’s picture wearing the medal. As much as I get out of it, what I really hope is that someone sees a story and goes off on an athletic quest of their own. That is awesome and inspiring. There are not enough great adjectives to describe the feeling it gives me deep in my heart.

Still, I have my own athletic endeavor on the books. I’m still going to try to get in a short triathlon of some sort before the end of the year. October is a great month for it, but I’m not making any promises yet because frankly, I’m in horrible shape right now. But as people are fond of saying, it’s not always how fast you go… finishing and doing your best is a victory in itself. I really hope I can still get there.

What else have I left undone? I still want to organize a regular in-person diabetes meetup in my area. I think I got too busy to concentrate on it for a while, but I also can’t discount the worry that it will be a big bust and no one will show up. Oh well… screw it. I’m doing it anyway, because maybe people will show up, and if it turns out they won’t, at least I’ll know I tried.

I also can’t deny the feeling that I’m searching for the next thing I can do. Something… I don’t know what. I know that sounds incredibly vague, but I don’t have an idea what that is yet. I just know that when I’ve felt this way in the past, something has always popped up to grab my attention for a while. I just need to leave myself open to whatever is going to show itself over the next few months, because I really feel like something will. I’ll let you know if it finally hits me.

I’ve read about people going through amazing experiences this year, and I’ve read about people working through tough times, taking care of themselves the best they can for a while. Each of those scenarios involves victories, even though on the surface they don’t appear to be equal at all. So what about you? Are you feeling good about 2014 so far?
 
 
 

By StephenS | Posted in Milestones | Also tagged , | Comments (1)

It’s January. Start the resolutions!

January 2, 2013 – 2:02 pm

Happy New Year! This is the time when many people make resolutions that we do our best to keep as we go through the year.

I’m not one of those people.

There are a number of reasons for that. To begin with, I’m not very good at thinking up good resolutions. What good is a resolution that isn’t great to begin with? Second, I’m not very good at keeping resolutions when I make them. It’s not that I don’t make headway toward my promise to lose weight, exercise more, etc. In fact, even if I do make headway, I’m not good at closure. I always think that there’s more to do, so I can’t even let myself feel good about keeping my resolution. And that’s when I’m really good at keeping my resolutions.

Instead, I’ve tried to come up with a few simple ideals at the beginning of the year. Then I try to remember them throughout the year, and review how I did at the end of the year. Does that make sense? I guess you could still call them resolutions, but that wouldn’t feel right to me.

So here are a few defining ideals that I hope to remember throughout 2013:

– Be a better person
That’s a pretty big umbrella to stand under. It means a lot of things to me. It means remembering birthdays and anniversaries. It means asking people how they’re doing. It means smiling more and groaning less and opening myself up to new ideas. I love new ideas, so that part’s easy. It means looking for the good in people instead of remaining a cynic searching for the dark side of someone’s personality. I’ve gotta keep reminding myself of that last part, but I think I can do it.

– Do good things for people who need something
No matter how little we have, it always seems like there is someone who has less. I want to help that person. With a meal, with a handshake. By shoveling snow or mowing the grass or raking leaves for a neighbor who’s under the weather. By supporting worthy causes, like JDRF and ADA and others (some of you know who I mean). By participating in walks and rides and runs that benefit some of these causes and bring together like-minded individuals who also want to make a difference. By giving ‘til it hurts, but in a completely unnoticed way because giving is most meaningful when it’s anonymous.

– Be as healthy and as active as possible
This is a more recent ideal for me. Simply put, I can’t help others as well as I would like if I’m always worried about how much getting older sucks. So I’m going to be as active as I can. I have four athletic goals in mind—more on that at another time. And I really mean it this time when I say I’m going to check in with my eye doctor and my podiatrist, who haven’t seen me in almost two years.

So mostly, my goals are the same as every year: To feel good and do good. And to never stop. What does your ideal 2013 self look like?
 
 
 

By StephenS | Posted in Beginnings | Also tagged , | Comments (2)
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