Two Thousand and Twelve Things 2012 Taught Me… (Not Really)

Today's blog entry is brought to you by ‘Drop a Load Laundry.' Because you can drop a load and a blog post all at once!  Hooray!!!

So #2012taughtme has been going around and trending the past week-ish. I figured this would be a good thing to do before the world ends and dedicate a post to the fucking thing.

The past few months have taught me some things about myself and about life in general. I'd like to be that guy that shares them with you and a hope that you will grow from what I've shared. Though, the reality of it is that you will think I'm a nincompoop and that you will want to kick me right in the cho-cho.

Alright, then! Here goes!

• 2012 Taught Me that there's truth in the phrase: “Tough times don't last, tough people do.” To all my friends who endured and are rebuilding after Sandy came through town, keep on truckin'. You have inspired me in so many ways, especially my good buddy Jack from Brooklyn is one of many examples here.
• 2012 Taught Me that it's better to “rip the band-aid off” and just be honest… No matter how hurtful it might be. It will always hurt more later if aren't being honest.
• 2012 Taught Me simplicity matters. I've looked at my life, the tools I use and the things I do. I need to simplify. Use less tools, do more with less, have more with less. Be less, yet be more awesome. Moving into my own space again has been humbling, since my breakup. But I have the essentials I need day-to-day and that's good. I don't need more. What I do need is less and more simplified ways of managing aspects of my life.
• 2012 Taught Me that you win and lose at love, life and relationships… All of these things are okay and what will be will be…
• 2012 Taught Me that sometimes love really isn't enough…
• 2012 Taught Me that I could run 13 miles… I began 2012 standing 6'4″ and weighing 310lbs. I started running, because I preferred that to the gym. I trained for a 5k, then a 10k and then a half marathon. My goal was only to run a 5k without stopping to rest. That was it. But look what happened along the way? Now I freaking coach people to run… I'm a lucky, lucky person. And, as of this blog post, I'm down to 270lbs, looking to train for a full marathon in 2013… Crazy. Right?
• 2012 Taught Me that capping our limits is about the worst thing we can do to ourselves. I'm not saying we ought to be unrealistic and hyper optimistic to the point of delusion. No. What I'm saying is that I ran a half marathon. Never in my life did I think or desire to do that. I'd always limited myself there. Oh. That? No way, I could NEVER do that…. Well, guess what, someone saw something in me that no one else, including myself, saw. Someone knew I could do it. Why NOT me? When I put my own doubts away, I went and I conquered without even knowing what I was setting out to do… No excuses now.
• 2012 Taught Me that I couldn't “quit” if I wanted to…
• 2012 Taught Me that I CAN do what I love and make a living from it.
• 2012 Taught Me that community matters and life is better when you share it. Organizing meetups for WordPress and also coaching runners has taught me I love the shit out both things. Maybe not so much the organizing, but sharing my knowledge and learning from others. Belonging to these communities has made a huge difference in my life.
• 2012 Taught Me every day is a day to make a new resolution. You needn't wait for January 1st, so knock it off already and get it done.

Corny? Yeah, but feck you! We protect ourselves behind walls of excuses. I still do… But knowing what I know now, I think 2013 is gonna be a hell of a year.