My Year in Review

Each year, TIME Magazine chooses their person of the year.  This person is someone who is influential, has made a difference in the past year, and is someone who is recognized by all.  Past recipients of this award have included Barack Obama (2008), Rudolph Giuliani (2001), Martin Luther King (1963), Queen Elizabeth II (1952), Mohandas Gandhi (1930), and the list goes on. The magazine started choosing their Person of the Year in 1927.

Yesterday, the 2010 TIME Person of the Year was announced.  Was it Julian Assange (the man behind WikiLeaks)?  Nope!  How about Hamid Karzai (the elected leader of the volatile nation of Afghanistan)?  Try again!

The recipient of this year's award is the second-youngest individual ever to be named TIME Magazine’s Person of the Year.  The co-founder of the power-house, social-networking site Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg graces this year's cover.

Mark Zuckerberg, creator of Facebook

 Although some people may question the magazine's selection, I think it couldn't be more appropriate.  Through the creation of Facebook, millions of people world wide are connected.  If that's not amazing, check out these stats:

~ Facebook welcomed its 550 millionth member this month ~

~ One out of every dozen people on the planet has a Facebook account ~

~ The webpage is translated into 75 different languages ~

~ Collectively, more then 700 billion minutes are spent on Facebook every month ~

~ Last month the site accounted for 1 out of 4 American page views~

~ Facebook's membership is currently growing at a rate of about 700,000 people a day ~

There is no doubt that Facebook has changed the way we relate to one another.  Can you imagine a world without checking status updates and viewing people's uploaded pictures?  Through Facebook we are able to get a glimpse into someone's life without actually speaking to them.

As I have mentioned before, I am a Facebook-Addict.  I can't remember the last time I went a day without visiting my favorite website.  I update my status virtually everyday, and some days I update multiple times. 

Looking back through my status posts from the last year is like getting a glimpse into what went on in my life during 2010.  As I have said before, I use my updates more of a journal/chronicle of my life.  While people used to write things down on paper, I do it electronically through Facebook (and now this little blog).

Check out my "collage" or highlights from a Year-in-Sarah

In one year, I: loved my job, hated my job, lost my job, enjoyed FUNemployment, despised unemployment, interviewed a lot, got a NEW job, and fell in love with the job I now have.

I: felt blessed for my fabulous friends and family, drank (and was hungover), ate, celebrated (holidays/birthdays/Sunday Fundays), danced, laughed, loved, experienced heartbreak, and went on vacations/trips (Vegas MANY times, Baltimore, San Diego, wine country, and the list goes on).  
 

The top 10 words that I used in my status this year are:
1. Happy (42 times)
2. Weekend (29 times)
3. Friends (29 times)
4. Love (24 times)
5. Vegas (23 times)
6. Night (23 times)
7. Can't (22 times)
8. Please (20 times)
9. Fun (18 times)
10. Dinner (18 times)

I find that these ten words are a very accurate in describing me this past year. It's crazy how much a few words can say about a person.  It's been an interesting year, and DEF one filled with changes and transitions.  It's been an unusually tough year, and although I had some fabulous moments I am looking forward to seeing what 2011 has in store!

If I Only Had More Time....

After a LONG hiatus from my writing, I am making my return.

This past month or so has been beyond crazy and busy.  I find myself wondering at the end of each day, where all my time went.  I feel like my head won't stop spinning.  I'm finding that I am barely able to tread water enough to keep my head from sinking. Should I add another analogy here?  Or did I make my point?



I am the busiest (and honestly the happiest) I've been in a long time.  I am however finding it difficult to get everything I want to done in a day (or even a week) and struggle with maintaining my obligations, relationships, friendships, and social calendar.  

I feel as if I'm being pulled in a million different directions.  I can't seem to make everyone happy.  Hell, it sometimes seems as if I'm disappointing people daily. 

I've come to the realization though, that I will never make everyone happy at the same time.  As long as I'm doing the best I can do each day, and I'm happy, that's all that matters at the moment.  If my friends, family, coworkers, and other people that I come in contact with don't understand this, then c'est la vie.  This is MY life...and I will live it the way I see fit.


Time Management is DIFFICULT when you need MORE TIME!



So with all of that said, I have created a list of the things I have neglected and wish I had more time to do:

Sarah's "If I Only Had More Time" List



 Get back to blogging everyday.

Stay in better communication with my family.

See my family (esp the ones who live in town) more often.

Tackle my mountain of books that I have accumulated over the last year or so...I MISS PLEASURE READING!

Study more!  Need. To. Get. Myself. GRADUATED!

Spread my time more evenly between my friends...I miss spending time with my Besties.

 Pre-plan my meals and cook dinner every night (or at least most nights).

Get to the gym at least 5 times a week.

Keep my room clean, and my laundry folded/hung up.

 Love my kitty more...I think she's upset that I don't have as much time to give her.

Get AHEAD with my work so I'm not always rushing to keep up or playing catch-up.

Try something new...LIKE ROLLER DERBY!

Clean my garage.

Winterize my poor little backyard.

Purge my closets and donate some clothes (or more realistically BAGS of clothes) to charity.

Now that this list is created, will I be able to tackle some of the items on it?

They say that if you put an idea to paper there is a better chance it will get done.

I guess only time will tell....