It is the second of January and I can hardly believe we are here again. Embarking on a new year, a new chapter, a time to change and to grow and to examine. 2010 brought a multitude of opportunities and challenges to me personally and I am sure to many of you as well.

With the changing economy, some of us who thought our jobs were secure ended up being slapped in the face by unemployment in 2010–I was among them. Being laid off from my magazine job was one of the darkest hours I have experienced. I was scared, defeated, and hurt. I don’t mean to get religious, or philosophical, or to subscribe to what my mother calls “magical thinking” [insert negative connotation here], but I turned out even luckier than not. By the grace of something, I ended up finding a job I love more, that challenges and excites me daily, and working for a team of people who care about the work and about each other.

Most importantly, I have a family, friends, and wonderful boyfriend who make every day count. 2010 rocked me to my core, but pulled me back up to the top again, and for that I am very grateful.

A new year is upon us and it is time to take a close look at the mistakes we have made historically and those that have turned into patterns. It is time to think about the people in our lives who deserve certain things from us that they may not already be receiving. It is time to look in the mirror and figure out what that person needs, too. Bring on the resolutions!

This year, I resolve to:

-Be healthier. There is the whole losing and/or maintaining weight factor but this year the goal is much larger than that. I want to eat more green foods and whole grains, less sugar and salt, and ingest more vitamins and water and less fat and toxins because my body needs this. As much as I’d love to pretend I am still a teenager whose complexion, muscles, eyes, etc. will just continue to bounce back after the abuse cycle, this is not so. More sleep, less stress. More exercise, less partying.

-Listen better. I am a very chatty girl. I know this not only because people are always telling me to “calm down,” or “give them a minute,” or “shh,” but also because I hear myself doing it! If there is a lull in conversation, I feel the need to fill it. Sometimes with meaningful tidbits but most often with anything that will cancel the void. I do this with the most genuine of intentions–I don’t want anyone (myself included) to experience an awkward silence. However, sometimes it proves to be at the detriment to those around me, because my mindless chatter can eliminate others’ abilities to tell me things. I love finding out more about other people, and in 2011 I resolve to shut my mouth more often to let everyone else get a word in.

Searching for things to worry about…

-Worry less. I am the original worrier. Watching home movies from the ’80s and early ’90s, it is almost comical to observe. Everyone in the scene is laughing, munching on birthday cake, throwing a two-year-old tantrum, or playing a game. I am the four-year-old in the corner with the crumpled brow, anxiously preoccupied by what my brothers are up to, worrying that I might trip and fall, that I will miss my friends when they go home. To this day, I spend an inordinate amount of time each day worrying about my family, my boyfriend, the cat. Worrying that some horrible tragedy might befall us but also that I have left the hair straightener plugged in, or I have not charged my cell for long enough. Worrying that the subway will take too long to get here or that I might miss an important call. The madness distresses me and those around me, and it needs to come to an end, or at least to recede somewhat. I am so tired of allowing unnecessary worries to consume the good time I could be having.

Starting 2011 on the right note