Transgender Goals

2014 was a banner year. I pushed the envelope at work and in my family life and am ready to go even further in 2015.

Due to over-tweezing eyebrows and becoming more brave in my fashion choices, it has become apparent to most people that I prefer to be a woman. I was subject to various comments and snickering, but I actually became happier in the process... as I learned that:

1. Within showing my true self, the shallow comments and repercussions were far less painful than NOT being allowed to be myself.
2. Many of my fears about transitioning were without merit.
3. The people that were the most shallow were the people that didn't need or want in my life anyways.

My resolutions for 2015:

1: Be a ray of sunshine. I want to get back to being the warm, encouraging person I used to be (due to 80 hour work weeks and being over-stressed, I've been tending to be very whiny lately, especially around friends and family).

2: Find inner peace. For me this means I need to stop worrying about finances (which should be easier to do if I just keep reminding myself that my finances are set for the remainder or the year), and allow myself to enjoy my life... and myself... as I am... without exception.

3: Balance "the wheel". Life has many aspects and if you were to put them all into a pie-chart, you may find that your "life wheel" may not be balanced, thus not allowing you to roll smoothly through life. I consider my life wheel to be:

1. Finances - Enough money to pay the bills... basic survival.
2. Home - A stress-free place to return to at the end of a stressful day.
3. Peace of Mind - Feeling good about who we are and where we are in life.
4. Free Time / Stress Reduction - Many people, especially workaholics, find it hard to find time to relax and do "fun stuff".
5. Friends/Family Life - Sometimes, we need to find more time to spend with those who mean the most to us and can make us laugh.
6. Future - Swim or drown. You have to keep prepare for what will come... and chasing our dreams and goals helps us from feeling "hopeless".

My secondary goals for 2015:

1: Slowly coming out to friends and family. Yes it's obvious that I prefer to be a woman, but if I actually say that I'm transgender, I'm hoping that I will open more doors of expression and allow myself to feel more free around people. I'm also hoping that some of my female friends and family will embrace my honesty and maybe even give me a make-over and some of their old clothes!

The picture to the right is a recreation of a lesbian co-worker who I'm contemplating coming out to... I'm obsessed with the thoughts being able to try on a few of her cute outfits!

2: Become more comfortable being "Ala fem" in public. Whether relaxing in my yard or taking an occasional excursion into the "real world", I need to feel less paranoid about being "overly girlie-girl" around others.

3: Androgyny. I found that for myself, the transition into becoming somewhat androgynous was more acceptable than going directly into becoming a woman.

• I plan to work towards full androgyny this year so that by next year, it should be easy to go fully fem. 
• I'm planning to keep up with the laser hair removal treatments, but will keep some facial and arm hair for the time being. 
• I also bought some junior's clothing to wear to work and when I go out which is far more feminine than what I wore last year. I'm planning to keep pushing the envelope until I'm confident that I'll be able to finally ease into going out in makeup, dresses and even stiletto heels!

I wish you all a successful 2015... and also... the strength to pursue what truly makes you happy.

Love,
Dee