And this one makes it 50!

I was going to wait until tomorrow to write a new post, but then I realized that if I did one more for the year, it would make it an even 50. That's a big improvement over the 3 from 2009! I'm not one to make New Year’s resolutions; I prefer instead to take a look back at the past year to see what I have learned. Here we go!

1. I need to write! You may not need to or even want to read this blog, but I need to write it. Someday when (if) I grow up I am going to be a writer. I have several book ideas bouncing around in my head. There are scenes that play out in my head and keep me up at night. I need to make the time to sit down and write them out. I get busy with life and the book ideas get thrown on the back burner. This blog reminds me that I am a writer and that is what I should be doing. I am writing this post on the new home computer that I bought (financed) myself today. My last home computer fried its mother board a few months ago. I am starting a new job that will not allow me the freedom to write on their time (it's one of those "grown up" jobs). As I was walking out of the store today, still a little shell shocked from the money I had just agreed to spend I reminded myself "I am a writer!" Maybe the monthly payments are the kick in the butt I need to get the book started!

2. All that positive thinking mumbo jumbo I preach to my friends really does work! Two years ago I met a woman that changed my life. She was in the right place at just the right time. She was a life coach that taught Law of Attraction. I became her student and I have never been the same. The ironic thing is that a friend tried to show me the exact same information 8 years earlier, but I wasn't ready for it at the time. I must have been too busy being miserable. That basic premise for Law of Attraction is that you can create your destiny through your thoughts. Like attracts like - so if you think positive thoughts, you create a positive experience. If you think negative thoughts - you create a negative experience. In the past year I have made the choice to be happy, I finally understood that it was a choice I had to make and that only I could chose it for me. I then went on to create! At one point during the year I had decided that I no longer enjoyed my job. After complaining about it for a while I started to focus on what I wanted, instead of what I didn't want. I started looking for another job. Everyone around me told me how bad the job market was and that I was lucky to have the job I was at. I continued to believe that there was something better out there. I had a list of requirements for the new job -

1. It had to pay the same or more than the job I was at, I did not want to work for less.
2. It had to include medical benefits as the position I was at did not.
3. I wanted to work with customers - I needed to know that when I went home at night, I had made the world a better place, even if it was just for one person a day.
4. It had to be an American company that invested in the country I lived in. I grew very tired this year of my company's motto "It can be done cheaper in China!"
5. I did not want to commute any farther than I already was.
6. I wanted to work with "real" people again, ones with social skills!

So, let me tell you about the new job. I start on January 10th

1. The start pay is the same salary that I have been making for the last year.
2. It has a very comprehensive benefits package including; medical, dental, retirement, vision, short term and long term disability and a whole host of other things I may not even take advantage of!
3. I will be working directly with customers on the phone all day long! I will be working with them in a support position, my job is to make a system "seamless" for them.
4. It is an American company, started right here in my hometown. In the past 3 years they have grown 1100% and were named one of Puget Sound’s 100 best places to work. From what I have seen, they reinvest in the community and in their employees.
5. My new office is less than 6 miles from my house. I am actually considering riding the bus to work. The bus stop is less than a mile from my house; the bus would drop me off at the ferry terminal which is half a mile from the office. My mechanic said driving the diesel truck that short distance every day is a big no-no. The bus will only cost $50 per month. The bus schedule just so happens to work perfectly with my work schedule.
6. There are 100 employees at my new office. I had my first interview in the office's Tiki Lounge. The one person I know that works there just so happens to be a horse person! I have met a few of the people I will be working directly with; all of them seem to be very positive, outgoing and friendly.

3. Ok, enough about be - What about Grace? This year I learned what it means to do right by Grace. I finally let go of my agenda and focused more on the relationship with my beautiful mare. There was a time in the spring when I thought Grace may have ended up being a pasture pet for the rest of her life, and I was ok with that. I’ve learned that Grace could care less about ribbons, belt buckles, high points or trophies. She just wants to go out and experience the world – with me. Whether we are chasing a cow, exploring a new trail out in the forest, or hitting the perfect point of harmony in the arena, the one common denominator is that we are doing it together. We hit a new level of trust this year. There were many time when I was able to leave Grace alone and just let her do her job. Each time she rewarded me with new level of awe. I lost count of how many times this year I said out loud “I love this horse!” during a ride. There were also times when I asked Grace to do something that she was convinced she could not. I broke it down into smaller pieces, allowing her to build on her successes along the way. She trusted me and in the end is more balance, stronger and possibly for the first time in her life “sound”!

I look forward to 2011, knowing that whatever I put my mind to is already there waiting for me. Most of all I am looking forward to another year of adventures with Grace. There is no better feeling in the world than the moment she learns something new and then the excitement that follows when she figures out that she is good at it. I just so happen to be the privileged human that gets to sit on her back in those magical moments.