It Gets Better! And 4 Other Lessons I Learned In 2012

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It Gets Better! And 4 Other Lessons I Learned In 2012

By Rene Syler / December 19, 2012 / 1 Comment

It Gets Better!
And 4 Other Lessons I Learned In 2012

Honestly, I’m tired of saying it, in part because I say it every year. But there’s something about the year’s end that makes us reflect on what was and look forward to what is coming. I’m happy to say with a new TV show in production, guest appearances on other shows, more business partnerships and a growing staff here at GEM, 2013 looks like it just might be the breakout year. Imagine that; it only took eight years to become an overnight success.

So without further adieu, here’s a look back at a few of the really BIG lessons I learned in 2012.

LEARN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
friends AND FRIENDS

Oh Facebook, you clever little cuss you! But seriously Facebook has really sort of hijacked the term, “friend” to mean anyone and everyone who gives you a thumbs up on a cute little meme. Those aren’t real friends (though some may develop into such); those are cyber friends. Your real friends are there to pick you up when you’re down, dust you off when you fall, let you lean on them when you’re struggling and appreciate it when you return the favor. This year, I learned the difference.

HUMOR WILL GET YOU THROUGH

There have been a lot of times in my life where my sense of humor got me in trouble (my previous bosses weren’t too fond of it). But even the grief I took then wasn’t enough to make me push that to the far recesses of my personality. And I’m glad. Because you see there were times this last year where if I didn’t laugh, I might cry. So I chose to laugh and my life was richer for it.

LEAN INTO THE WIND

Ever hear of Biosphere 2? It’s a research facility where scientists are gathering information about Earth and ecosystems. They are doing this through carefully controlled parameters, which include environmental factors. So trees and plants are given ideal conditions in which to grow; perfect amount of moisture, wind, rain, heat, light and so forth. Guess what scientists found out? That trees needed to be blown around in stout wind in order for their roots to deepen. And deep roots are necessary to keep us upright in tough times. Yep, this was a wind-blowin’-root-deepening kind of year.

YOU’RE STRONGER
THAN YOU THINK

This was the year I was convinced I was going to have a heart attack. I don’t say that to be funny; that’s the God’s honest truth. I would lie in bed at night, heart pounding from stress and say to Buff, ”I think this is going to kill me.” And Buff would say the same thing, ” No, it’s not.” Just like that. No, it’s not. Like he knew something about me that I didn’t about myself. Now I know what he saw; my strength. I’ve been to hell and back and though it wasn’t a fun journey, I’m still standing.

IT GETS BETTER..
A LOT BETTER!

Boy oh boy does it! I remember around this time last year I was in transition (yet again). I was getting more work and having a tough time handling it myself. There were some other things going on in my personal life that are not really worth repeating here. I remember one day in particular, where the tears flowed though I tried to stop them. But it was in the decidedly low point that I was reminded that change, even for the better, is still hard.

Since that time, it has gotten a LOT better. As I mentioned above, I have a new show in the works, debuting in January and a lot of other fun, exciting, exhilarating, terrifying things in the works. I have a solid right-hand in Ella who’s blossomed into a very good writer and does a phenomenal job of keeping me and GEM on track. We’ve hired a marketing and PR team for GEM and along with TV appearances, have a number of speaking engagements on the docket. Yeah. It gets better. A whole LOT better.