What is it, almost May already? How did that happen?

Four months into 2011, and so much has changed – new job, new friends, new season, new batch of Gossip Girl episodes. (Finally.) When I was asked to check in on my New Year’s resolutions, it felt like I made them both four short months ago and four looooong months ago. Funny how time flies and sludges along, all at the same time.

Back in January, I made a list of resolutions of things that I want to accomplish this year – but on a larger scale, I was looking to make a change that doesn’t fit well onto bullet points. Remember that post about risks?

In the last few months, I’ve gotten really good at routine. Between my main gig in social media, music blogging, freelance reporting, some solo PR clients and this blog here, I’ve had to run a tight ship in terms of my time. I’d start at 7 a.m. and chug along until 9 p.m., mindful of deadlines, expectations and don’t-miss opportunities. For me, organization takes a lot of work, and mapping out my days was a necessary task to make sure I was taking advantage of all the cool things I’ve come across in the last couple years.

Since the turn of the new year, however, I’ve decided 2011 will be The Year of Risks. It’s a word that has so many bad connotations: financial risks, risk management, Risky Business.  (Okay, that last one doesn’t have bad connotations, unless you’re not a fan of Tom Cruise.) At the same time, though, there are a range of “good” risks, from the small to the epic, and I hope to survey them all this year.

And while risks of both kinds can be a little nerve-inducing, I think they do wonders for a person’s (mental) health.

One huge risk was tackling a new career path in the music industry. And, so far? It’s been killer. Not The Killers, but challenging, exhilarating, tough, pinch-me-is-this-for-real, foreign, familiar – just killer. It’s so exciting to be a part of an industry and indie label that’s changing fast, but with more worthwhile music firing at all cylinders than ever before.

As for my non-career risks, here’s where my other resolutions stand:

• Expand my definition of good music, and try out different genres and artists. Check, and check. Anyone who knows me will tell you I’m a country/Americana girl at heart, but so far this year I’ll count Alessi’s Ark, Marques Toliver, The Civil Wars and Liam Finn as some of the best music I’ve heard so far.
• Take graphic design, self-defense, web development and sewing classes. I’ve requested a class schedule for the local community college, so hopefully a web dev 101 (er, 100? 90?) class will fit into my summer schedule.
• Attend random concerts on random Tuesday nights. What I miss out on in sleep, I’ll make up for with performances like this. The proof is in the pudding YouTube video – I love this Jukebox the Ghost cover of “Ace of Base.” Taken on a Thursday night, but close.
• Open an Etsy shop. Make things that go into said Etsy shop. Ironic music lyric needlepoint frames take so long to finish. Perhaps there’s only room in the world for the one that took me two weeks to finish. (It sounded like a cool project when I started…) Worthwhile creative outlet or Regretsy contender? I’m not sure either:

• Write for no reason. For myself. For free. Fail – I really need to put my Moleskin to good use.
• Ask for advice from people I admire. On the daily – pretty grateful I have such a wide range of opinions to ask for. Although I’m still not sure I should have listened to the one who agreed I should have gone on a shoe buying spree.
• Go to a movie by myself. (Insert that Sex and the City episode where Carrie goes to a movie alone reference here.) Still waiting on an appropriate movie – Scream 4, not so much. But Something Borrowed, perhaps?

What risks have you taken this year? How are they paying off?