At this time of year it’s always nice to sit down and think about how the past year went. What goals did I have for the year, did I meet them? What was I thinking a year ago, how has that changed, or didn’t it? One of the great things about keeping a blog is that I have a record of the entire year, everything I did professionally, what I was thinking and feeling as I worked. It’s pretty easy to go back and see my New Years post for last year and see just what I was thinking at that time then be about setting goals for the new year. In a nutshell, I was a bit discouraged, but determined to make the next year much better. I just read through all that I wrote, and the following still rings true:

“I feel so blessed to be able to do what I absolutely love to do. I can’t imagine not doing it. I love working with my wonderful clients to dream up a beautiful work of art for their wall, or design a new finish for their furniture. I love talking to their kids to decide just what they are passionate about and then paint a great mural for their rooms. I love figuring out how to achieve the look we all agree will be fantastic, gathering all the tools and supplies I need, hauling them up and down flights of stairs, setting up my work space and spending hours climbing a ladder and crawling around on the floor. I love every exhausting minute of it- at the end of the work day, I’m euphoric, expanded spiritually, and there’s an indescribable feeling in my soul, because I spent the day using the gifts God gave me. And I get paid to do this!

I’ve worked hard to get where I am, and I’m proud of it. In the past 20 years I’ve built not only a reputation for delivering great artwork, but for reliability, dependability, and integrity in everything I do. There is the potential to make a great living doing what I love, if I can get enough work on the schedule. I’m thinking of sticking around, carrying on with what I do best, painting some walls and making 2012 a great year. Your continued business, referrals, and cheering from the sidelines will help make it so.”

With determination and some great opportunities to do some exceptional work, 2012 was a great year, I met my goals, and in some ways exceeded them. I’m setting goals for a great year in 2013 too. I continue to be blessed with some of the best clients anyone could ask for, and feel confident in expecting that this year I will do even better. With yours’ and God’s help, I have faith in that.

Here’s to a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2013!