Soul Saturdays: #Manifestival Part 3--Reflecting on 2011

Today's assignment: Reflecting on what each month of 2011 meant and the dominating theme/topic of each month.This sort of intimidates me more than any of the reflections so far, perhaps because 2011 was a year of such drastic change in my life and career.
January: Hopeful. Started this blog, so my hopes were extremely high and I envisioned making a steady income just by people reading my blog (which is rare, and requires that you have products to sell, which I don't yet).
February: Proud. I published several articles on Yahoo that got a little bit of buzz, and I felt that surge of pride when you know people are reading and liking what you're writing, and maybe even getting some use out of what I'm saying. I also took a chance and submitted these articles to my local newspaper, Savannah Morning News, and got hired to do a weekly music column for them, which I still do currently and has helped me develop as a journalist/interviewer.
March: Ecstatic. I overheard a stranger talking about an article I'd written. I felt like a celebrity, but more importantly, I felt like I was a good writer and people enjoyed my voice and style.
April: Reflection. As a high school English teacher, I assigned career research papers every April. I realized that I was a hypocrite because as I was pushing them to think beyond being a lawyer, doctor, or something else that involved high salaries and instead pursue their passions, I was not following my own passions.
May: Accomplished. I wrote and finished my first screenplay and had an absolute ball doing so. I realized I really could write and enjoyed the all-consuming drive that came with wanting to finish the screenplay and then edit it to perfection. One of the best nights of my marriage was when my husband and I read aloud the screenplay to fine-tune it.
June: Courage. I attended the skirt! creative conference, and was so inspired that I came home and sat down with my husband for an hours-long talk about our futures. By the end of that conversation, we had decided to both quit our jobs, rent our house, sell one of our cars, and move in to my parents' house for a few months so we could pursue writing and editing careers.
July: Opportunity. I saw that our regional magazine, South Magazine, didn't have a complete listing for bars and restaurants, so I contacted them and offered to write up profiles. Reaching out resulted in a steady position as their dining editor, which I still do currently.
August: Momentum. Seeing my first magazine article in print was truly thrilling. Having my words alongside memorable, dynamic photos, sidebars, and cool fonts blew me away, and I was hooked. I upped my number of pitches to magazines per month and have three articles coming out in national publications in the coming months thanks to this effort.
September: Gratitude. I put my profile on Media Bistro and as a result, was asked by Forbes Travel to go on two assignments to Hilton Head and gorgeous Kiawah Island. I produced over 40,000 words in one month to meet my deadline, and travel writing became a top priority for me. Free dinner, massage, and night's stay at a 5-star resort? Heck ya! Hoping to expand my travel writing portfolio even more in 2012.
October: Confident. Things really started lining up in our lives and doors started opening. I was invited for an all-expenses paid trip to New Orleans through their tourism board, connected with a few clients that I now do social media for, and met another writer who helped me get a gig writing travel descriptions for Travel + Leisure's website. I felt like all the signs were point to that I was on the right path and good things were going to continue to happen.
November: Superstar. I participated in #Nanowrimo for the first time and wrote my first novel in a 17-day burst, averaging over 3,000 words per day. The feeling of accomplishment, pride, and a little bit of fear was so motivating, and the community I felt with the other writers was overwhelmingly motivating and satisfying. I realized I want to write books forever and ever, and as many as possible.
December: Scared. Editing my novel, doubts crept in that it just wasn't good enough, and the doom-and-gloom attitude about the fate of traditional publishing made me question if I'll be able to find an agent and publisher. Thankfully, my two pre-readers gave me the shot of confidence I needed to do another round of editing to really get my novel ready for the Writer's Digest conference I was attending in January. (Partial manuscript requested by several agents I met there!).
2011 Overall: Freedom. I feel blessed and thankful that I took the leap and went after my dreams. I love everything about my writing career, and I feel a sense of freedom knowing that I no longer have to count down to a far-off retirement date. Instead, I have hundreds of article and book ideas that I want to complete, and to be honest, I will spend the rest of my life trying to get all of these ideas out into the world. If I die typing away on my computer, I will die a happy person. Now, I try to encourage any and everyone to pursue their passions because it has transformed my life and brought me a level of happiness and contentment that I never dreamed possible.