2012’s Ten Words

Day 10: Ten Words

Rather than picking just one word to describe 2012, what are 10 words that you can use to describe 2012? Why did you choose these words, and how do they make you feel? If you can’t pick 10, pick as many as you can come up with. Are there any words for 2012 that you don’t want to see in 2013? Additionally, are there any words you wanted to use for 2012 but didn’t?

Here are my chosen 10 words to describe 2012:

1. Illness: with my father’s cancer diagnosis in 2012, illness became a huge factor that was constantly on my mind.
2. Anxiety: with father’s said illness, and also studying/passing comps, writing the dissertation, and applying for academic jobs, there was certainly a lot of anxiety in 2012.
3. Stress: Along with that anxiety came stress – I was very stressed about the future, how my dad was doing, how I was going to finish up my Ph.D. in only 3 years.
4. Progress: But then again, there was progress…I passed comps with no revisions, passed my dissertation proposal defense, and was able to collect data and go on several academic job interviews.
5. Productivity: To say that 2012 was productive is probably an understatement! I managed to successfully overcome the comps process, write my dissertation proposal, collect all of my dissertation data in a short couple of weeks, and apply for jobs.
6. Performance: At said academic job interviews, I certainly had to become a performer. I had to sell myself as a strong teacher and scholar who is ready to become independent.
7. Commitment: When Michael proposed to me toward the end of 2012, we made a stronger commitment to each other and are now ready to take the next step to becoming husband and wife.
8. Accomplishment: As already mentioned, I accomplished a helluva lot this year. And I’m super proud of what I had done in 2012.
9. Regression: Though there may have been progress in terms of my studies, there was some regression too, in terms of my health. In 2013 I’m working harder to eat better and exercise more frequently. Hopefully this won’t happen again, ever again!
10. Hope: 2012 certainly brought a lot of hope, in terms of my relationships and career. Now in 2013, I am hopeful that things happen for a reason and that I made the right choices so that I could have a bright, happy, and prosperous future!

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BONUS: Here is what I don’t want to see in 2013:

1. Illness
2. Anxiety
3. Regression
4. Loss
5. Failure