Reflecting on 2018 and eyeing 2019 like "heyyy!"
Ok, confession time: It's January 12th and I just took my Christmas tree down. Literally. I still have sap on my hands and I am taking a break in between vacuuming the mountain of needles from my carpet - which is no easy task by the way - and putting away all of my ornaments. I hate to see it go honestly. Not the Christmas part - don't get me wrong, I love Christmas - but I am totally fine with it being one special day in the year. No, I hate to see my tree go. I love sitting on my couch in the evenings and looking at the lights (multicolored all the way) and watching them dance across the sparkly ornaments. I just find it magical, and the smell is heavenly - let's be honest. But I guess since we're almost half way through January it's time to move on and embrace the new year.
I had planned writing about the amazing changes and growth that happened in 2018 along with my goals and plans for 2019, but honestly, every day of this year has been so full - in the best way - and I have been inspired to work on my other writing so this post got post-poned ;) until now!
When I look back on 2018 it was a pretty crazy roller coaster ride. It started out with the last few months of a long term relationship, and the those months are never good ones. I woke up from that feeling refreshed energy wise, but kinda lost emotionally. I focused on myself, giving self love, trying new things, bonding with my close girlfriends - and having a blast living with them, and generally relearned how to be me. Then it got crazy when I bought my first home! One of my proudest moments of 2018, and I had so much help and guidance it was amazing. Moving again was super stressful, but it's always great to go through your crap and unload as much as possible! However, I swear I am not moving again for a long damn time! Overall I connected with myself in a whole new way and learned to focus on my inner world rather than worrying about how others perceived me. I ended my year high on life's incredible journey and in the arms of someone who has always made my heart do a back flip, someone I finally get to be with. PSA: take the bull by the horns people! Life is too short to live any other way.
So here's a list of my 2018 shifts:
The year I let go and learned to love myself first.
The year that started off with anxiety and struggle and ended with peace and prosperity.
The year I lost my beloved cat, far too early, and though grieving, opened my heart to a new little kitten who has totally rocked my world and reminds me every day that love isn't something you can replace or forget to remember, it's always with you.
The year I expanded my circle and learned how incredible female friendships can be.
The year I took on my biggest challenge and achievement yet - homeownership! Every day there's a new learning experience and chance to be grateful.
The year I chose to be more present, more zen, take everything as it comes, and not get caught up in what I can't change.
And finally, the year I put my happiness above the happiness of others, did what I needed to do for me, learned to be bold, to not just ask for what I want, but to work for it, and to not accept what isn't in my best interest.
My goals for this year:
Travel - I want to go on my first cruise this year and travel outside the US at least once (haven't been since 2016).
Fitness - I am loving being back at Crossfit! Something my gym is doing is a 150 WOD challenge this year - basically 3 workouts a week. I have that added to my list along with working on my bar muscle up, double-unders, and butterfly pullups.
Writing - Publishing this blog and contributing to it weekly, writing something every day, and having my work published (either an article, book, or short story).
Miscellaneous - Grow my Instagram following to 5k as I share my stories and writing! Pay off at least one of my credit cards!
Sometimes we don't realize the changes from day to day or month to month. Kind of like how you don't realize the magnitude of change in an infant's size from day to day as a parent, but when someone hasn't seen the baby in weeks or months they are blown away by the changes. Take some time to recognize how far you have come in the past year, look at the big picture of where you were last year compared to where you are now. Celebrate the victories and take stock of the challenges. Think about where you want to be this time next year, visualize yourself, where you will be, what you will be doing at that moment, and what will be going on in your life. See it as clear as you see the room before you. Now, what are the big changes that have to happen to make that visualization reality? What are the little steps that you can make every day that will add up to those larger changes? Then do it. Fighting our own self sabotage can be the hardest part, but I challenge you to put away those "totally reasonable" excuses and get to work. Work on yourself, work on your mind, read books that feed your soul, and do the necessary actions every day. Everything you want may not be within your reach from where you are right now, but guess what? All you have to do is get up and go get it.
How did the struggle and growth of 2018 lead into your goals for 2019? What was your biggest accomplishment from 2018 and what is your main goal for 2019? Let me know below!