A Time for Change

How can anyone possibly be uninspired today?

It is no surprise to most people who know me that I have been an Obama supporter from the beginning. I still remember the feeling of awe I had after his 2004 speech at the Democratic National Convention. I recall thinking, "This guy has a great future in politics." I didn't think the future would come so quickly however, that a mere four years later he would be Mr. President.

While today's events undoubtedly mark changes for the nation and the world, part of his inaugural address struck me instantly and has stuck with me on a personal level:

"Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America."

This statement sums up how I have been feeling about 2009 so far. I stopped making resolutions a few years ago, but after the mess that 2008 was I knew that I needed to make some changes for my own sake. As much as I tried not to let it affect me, the stress I felt at work last year had physical manifestations. I ate more, slept less and had a bottle of Tylenol on my desk at all times. I started the year by coming down with the flu and closed out the year by developing bronchitis. Most of all I didn't feel like myself. Instead I felt like I was trying to fit a role of what people thought I should be like: unbending, more aggressive, harsher.

It's time for me to pick myself up, dust myself off and remake me. I need to be true to my own character, not what others want me to be. If it means rethinking my career path and how I can accomplish certain goals, then so be it. I will just need to get creative. It's time for me to take better care of myself so that I can be a better person. I want to live in the moments that make a day, rather than going through the motions. The time for change has arrived, in more ways than one.