The Valley Wire - January 2012

Hollywood Begins Again By Mary Beth Gentle

The Holidays have ended. The Decorations have all been crammed back into their boxes. And it’s time to draft our New Year’s Resolutions. A New Year brings with it the chance to begin again. It is the opportunity to change the direction of our lives and carve out a bright new future. With one piece of paper and a pen we can create a list to help us achieve our goals. It is a list of lofty goals that will allow us to soar to new heights and realize our dreams. Okay, maybe it’s not all that, but it is at the very least a chance to trick ourselves into exercise and diet improvements for a couple of months. For this Hollywood Cube Dweller it means dusting off last years resolution list and seeing where I succeeded and where I failed. Last year’s list contained the required three resolutions; go to the gym, eat healthy, spend time with family and friends. Okay, I made all of those attempts and did fairly well. The rest of the list may have well said scale Mount Everest and take a rocket ship to the moon. They were too grand and too lofty. I never stood a chance. This year I have decided to make a Resolution list that is attainable. It will be a list of realistic goals that I won’t bury somewhere in the sea of lists on my refrigerator. I will not list my goal to run a major motion picture studio by next Thursday nor will I list my goal to attend the Academy Awards with Brad Pitt. This year I will make a list that is based in reality. It will start with the standards: 1. Get myself to the gym at least three times a week. 1. Reality check. Get myself to the gym at least twice a week. 2. Stick to my diet and eat healthier. 3. Spend more time with my family and friends. Okay. Now that those are out of the way, I can get down to serious business for my other resolutions: 4. Write my Valley Wire articles in a timely manner (I throw this on every year for your editor – I like to give him a good laugh). 5. Watch things on my DVR in a timely manner to keep my available percentage rate higher than 10% - very important. 6. See a new movie at least once a week - so I can join in the movie talk around the cubicles. Those are all attainable goals. These are things I am already working on and having them on a list should help me stay focused. I’m ready; this is going to be the best New Year ever. All goals are on track and ready to be achieved. But, am I really using the list to it’s full potential? Will the things on my list push be to reach my full potential? Is there a happy medium between a list full of lofty unrealistic goals and a list that only covers the basics? 7. Finish my website – this feels like a goal worthy of my New Year’s list. 8. Get my Novel published – if you don’t put it on the list it will never happen, right? 9. Jet to Paris for a week – a girl has to dream! Now that feels like a list that is ready to take on the New Year! If you haven’t made your resolution list yet – it’s never too late! Happy 2012 everyone!