As we near the end of the year, I have been thinking about New Year Resolutions.

I was recently reading an old journal of mine and saw a list of tasks I wanted to accomplish before year end. Because the page wasn鈥檛 dated, I didn鈥檛 know what year the list was from.  The tasks ranged from 鈥済roceries/laundry鈥� to 鈥渞edesign shelving in guest room.鈥�  This list could have been from today, as many of the items on the list are my current 鈥渢o-dos.鈥�  It reiterated for me the cyclical nature of our lives, (wash, rinse, repeat) and how we can get mired in the minutiae, if we don鈥檛 stop to focus on the big picture.

Julia Cameron wrote in The Artist鈥檚 Way that the journey to the mountain top is a spiral.  She explained that, at any point you will see a similar view, but not the same view as you see on the spiral level below you.

Because progress has been made.

Even though the tasks, chores and goals seem like the same tasks, chores and goals as last year, WE are different WEs.

That list I initially mentioned turned out to be from 2017.  I only pieced it together because it said, 鈥渇ile 2017 taxes,鈥� but the other goals were very similar to what I have charted out for myself for 2020. 

So this year, rather than creating a checklist of tasks to accomplish, I am choosing to focus on less quantifiable and more qualitative resolutions.

*I am compassionate

*I am brave

*I am healthy

I confess, this shift was partly inspired by Karamo Brown of “Queer Eye”, but also by the sense that ticking boxes in the 鈥渄one鈥� column doesn鈥檛 necessarily lead me to a sense of pride or self-fulfillment.  If the goals I鈥檓 achieving aren鈥檛 directly resulting in a sense of peace and accomplishment, then perhaps they are not the most useful goals.

Karamo was helping a guest create a vision board and he shared, 鈥淭he only thing [the previous vision board] was doing every day was reminding you that you didn鈥檛 accomplish something.  The new vision board is going to include who you ARE.  When you work on BEING, all those other things are just going to work.鈥�

Yes, laundry has to get done, but will I actually feel like I鈥檝e grown as a person if my resolution of 鈥淚 do laundry every Sunday in 2020鈥� gets completed? Will it matter if I don鈥檛 do laundry every Sunday?  Personally, I don鈥檛 think so. Goals should help you move the needle from where you are to where you can be, with a sense of joy and purpose, not dread and duty.  Perhaps a stronger goal would be, 鈥淚 am calm and clear-headed, and my home is a reflection of my inner peace.鈥�

After setting resolutions that inspire you, then tasks can be created to help keep you on track, and in alignment with those resolutions, as we move farther up the spiral of experience.  This year, rather than creating a potential list of all the things we failed at or didn鈥檛 get done, let鈥檚 create goals that are fun to reach for and that will help us feel like better people at the end of the year.

I can鈥檛 wait to see who we become in 2020.

The end of one year and the beginning of a new one always bring about the opportunity to reflect, as well as make resolutions for the future. At the end of 2016, 优蜜视频 staff took some time to look back our work, our programs, and some of the most memorable moments of the year:

鈥淥ne of the highlights of the year for me was how quickly and enthusiastically the 30 new 2016 CDB Scholars exchanged e-mails with each other, introducing themselves to their classmates with gusto鈥攁nd including ME as part of the thread.聽 It didn鈥檛 seem to matter whether a Scholar was an introvert or extrovert; they all dove in and freely talked about their passions in their own unique voices.聽 It has been a delight to get to know this class and help them navigate their way through each individual high school application process.鈥�

-Bonnie Raskin, Program Manager, Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship

鈥淒uring the summer, I had the chance to take the lunch shift at Academy, a free hour for kids who take classes all day to eat and play. It was a great opportunity to talk to some bright young minds about their interests, see them interact and develop friendships, and even play some games with them. Since my work at 优蜜视频 is more behind-the-scenes, I don鈥檛 get as many chances to interact with kids in our programs, so that lunch hour was a nice treat in the middle of a hectic season.鈥�

-Nicole LaChance, Marketing and Communications Coordinator

鈥淥ne of my favorite moments at camp (Yunasa Michigan) this year was participating in a music improvisation workshop led by counselor Chris Jones. Everyone did an amazing job improvising rhymes and singing along. Yunasa is such supportive and inviting community that even the shyest participants loosened up and got into the game.

–Morgan Carrion, Assistant to the President

鈥淚 was delighted to receive this note from an EXPLORE parent during the program鈥�.鈥�

After going through a year of rigorous academic preparation for various AP and other college level tests, it can be taxing on their curiosity and zeal to learn as college admission requirements weigh heavily on their mind. It is a welcome change to have real life exploration and training which rekindled his intellect and he is thoroughly enjoying the experience.

-Ni帽a Abonal, Program Coordinator, EXPLORE

鈥淥ne of my favorite times of year is always the staff retreat.聽 This is the time the team really connects on a deeper level, where lifelong bonds are formed and the direction of 优蜜视频 is solidified for the coming year.聽 I sort of think of it as the staff鈥檚 own Yunasa.聽 While each year there is dancing and singing at the end of the retreat, similar to 鈥淭he Dance鈥� at Yunasa/West, this year I felt that the team got to the heart of something intrinsic in our experience of working at 优蜜视频; and that is, the whole reason we do what we do.聽 We came together and defined the underlying truth behind WHY we are each here at 优蜜视频, and I feel we are a stronger team because of it.聽 I am excited to see this clarity influence all of our actions, efforts and communications with the children we serve and their families, and with each other.聽 2017 will be an exciting year for all of us!鈥�

-Zadra Rose Ibanez, Director of Operations

These are just a few of the wonderful moments we shared with 优蜜视频 participants, parents, and colleagues in 2016. As we begin 2017, we resolve to continue to work to provide the highest level of services for gifted youth while strengthening the bonds of the 优蜜视频 community.

Please share your memorable 优蜜视频 moments from 2016 or tell us your New Year鈥檚 resolutions for 2017!

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