16 Jan - What a way to make a living

I am sure I've used this title before but doesn't Dolly Parton just say it all. I could go for 9 - 5 but I usually work about 7:50 to 4:50 and that just isn't quite as catchy...

Segway.

I try not to write about my job all that often on the internet and this is for two main reasons:

a) I admit that i use the internet to vent and venting about work on the internet is the last thing you want to do. Having "I didn't mean it like that" conversations because you forgot to put a kiss on the end of your friend's @ reply is one thing, but I draw the line at a disciplinary for the sake of unwinding at the end of the day.

b) I am one of those people who stews over things in the middle of the night regardless of whether I have tried to bring my work home with me or not. The curse of having acute anxiety problems is that your brain does tend to decide for itself when it wants to remind you of all the things you could have done better at work that particular week.

However, today I am making an exception because I got a really good phone call from my line manager Nicola. After working as a part time substantive member of staff for 3 years and 4 months, and then filling in my extra hours with agency work since May 2011, I have finally got what I have desired for a long time... I am now a full time substantive communications officer for NSFT.

On a day when I was feeling down for various yawn-inducing reasons, Nicola's call officially offering me... well... my own job essentially, was a good reminder about why I don't sit on the computer and moan about it every evening: because I help make a difference to people's lives, I respect my colleagues and I do a good job... hopefully!

8 Jan - Keeping calm and carrying on

'A new year means a new start'... or something like that.

Usually I get so hung up on this 'starting again' malarkey that I simply end up wallowing in a pit of despair before January is out, concerned that I haven't changed enough things in my life yet for the better like I promised I would on January 1st. So, this year I have tried to have a more positive attitude towards things:

The idea of 'a new start' suggests there is something about your previous year that needs changing. that wasn't good enough either for yourself or for others. And while God knows that is true for me in a lot of ways, in many other ways I don't want to start again. In fact I put a lot of time and energy into being more positive, pushing myself, challenging my thoughts, developing new work ethics. I don't want to forget all that happened - the risk is too high to my mental wellbeing! - I want to continue and build upon what I achieved last year.

I have decided that I will, for a change, adopt the wartime motto - the one that has come back into popularity since everyone's finances went tits up - of 'Keep Calm and Carry On'.

I am now 8 days into January and, while I still feel a bit down as I always do at this time of year, I do feel that fraction more able to cope with life. And at the moment, a fraction is like a whole miles worth of progress.

52:52 Resolutions

It is fitting that my last blog, on the last day of the year should be my resolutions for 2012. The goals I am setting myself to achieve. I am only doing internet related ones this year as personal ones are, well, personal... and not really things you should judge yourself on. These will probably change over the next few weeks but here goes:

• Write at least three blogs posts a month, which are more than three paragraphs in length, on my blogspot.
• Film, edit and publish six videos on my personal Youtube channel
• Film, edit and publish, with James, at least six videos on He Said She Said's Youtube channel, and achieve at least five comments for each
• Start a regular, professional looking He Said She Said newsletter, and gain at least ten subscribers. Send at least five newsletters during 2012.
• Learn to crochet to a semi-professional standard and sell at least five items on Etsy.com

FYI these are kind of SMART but obviously in business planning we would be adding percentages and not having wooly language like 'semi-professional standard'. Just wanted to make sure people don't think this is the standard of my communications planning!

Thanks for reading this yearand heres to next year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!