Chewing the Holiday Fat

So I finally jumped on the bandwagon and got myself a tablet. It's fucking awesome and totally convenient for those times when I want to read online or look through my social media but don't necessarily feel like being on my phone. It was my Christmas present to myself for really making some great progress professionally this year. I've been working smarter, not harder, and it's been paying off really well. My business feels like it turned a corner this year and I'm excited to see where my writing takes me next. I'm incredibly proud of myself, not only for working as hard as I have, but for actually rewarding myself with something I really wanted.

I'm even happier about the fact that it wasn't even hard for me to make the decision to buy the tablet, because at one point in my life, it totally would have been. I had the money and I was able to score a great deal on a Nexus 10, the kind I wanted the most, so I just bought it. Since surrounding myself with better people and better situations as far as my daily life goes, decisions like that have been a lot easier to make. I'm officially through with letting other people tell me that I'm not allowed to enjoy my life or spend any of the money I work so hard to earn on myself. I'm better when I actually enjoy my life.

All that said, I can't believe that yet another year is about to draw to a close. I don't do New Year's resolutions and I don't believe in all that "new year, new me" bullshit. First of all, I don't want to be a "new me". I like myself just fine as I am. Also, I make changes and try new things only when my soul tells me it's the right time. I don't believe in rushing myself or in forcing myself to be more like the rest of society. I just follow my instincts and make the most of what life throws at me. I've been realizing lately how annoying I find it when people do otherwise, but that's probably another topic for another day.

The holidays have been fantastic so far... but then I actually allowed myself to take plenty of time off from work so that I could enjoy them to the utmost just like everybody else. Last year, I think I had to fight tooth and nail to even get Thanksgiving Day off. Then I had some time off around Christmas, but only because I'd recently told my main client at the time to go fuck himself and had yet to line up any replacements. This year was much different from that. I have better, more understanding clients right now. I've got a couple of space cadets here and there, but thankfully no bullies, opportunists, or constant complainers. The great majority of my projects pay me very well these days, so I don't have to spend as much actual time working in order to earn my money. I feel useful and appreciated for the most part. I'm even gotten to work on a number of projects that allowed me to be creative or write about topics I actually enjoy.

I'm a lot more relaxed as a result. I've been enjoying meals and evenings with Seth instead of working like a dog right up until it's time for my head to hit the pillow. I've been spending some downtime playing games I love, like The Sims and SimCity. I've even had more time and energy to reintroduce myself to reading and blogging -- activities I truly love, but haven't been able to make room for in a while. I'm realizing that it's not possible for me to be like that if I'm stressed out and overworked all the time. At this point in my life, I've just accepted that I'm never going to be a workaholic and I'm fine with that. I don't like workaholics anyway. Have you ever met any? They're horrible, sour people.