2018 is coming to a close.

It’s crazy right, I can still vividly remember celebrating the entry into 2018 with all of my friends and just like that, it’s about to be over. There are still two months left but I figured this would be a good time for me to look over the year and evaluate somethings.

2018 was a year. It wasn’t particularly good, or bad for me. I grew, I learned through mistakes, I was challenged and I struggled at times but all in all it’s almost the end of the year and I’m here and loving my life still. So, let’s do it, let’s review the year of 2018.

I’m going to break this down into categories (because this is how my brain works). One category will feature accomplishments; things that I am proud of, positive changes and positive growth and the other category will feature things that need improvement; things I still need to work on, things I could have done better or things I simply wish were better.

Accomplishments:

• Creative- This year I really wanted to improve upon and learn certain creative skills and I am happy to say that I have done just that. I have become pretty decent at graphic design and I am improving daily. I now use it in the workplace and in my blog as well. I am also currently learning and practicing photography, it’s an expensive hobby tho, so I’m moving intentionally slow on that one.
• Leadership-  I intentionally set out this year to delegate some of my leadership responsibilities onto other members of my team. My reasoning being that it is not a sign of a good leader if in your team you are the only one who knows how to lead. Things should be able to continue to progress with or without me. With that in mind I took my hands out of a lot of projects and gave them to others, and they did marvelously. I was very proud of my team, but also proud of myself. This recovering control-freak has come a long way.
• Personal- I’ve learned some pretty cool things this year. I’ve learned the value of quiet time and rest. I’ve learned that there is freedom in my “No, sorry I actually can’t commit to that.” I’ve made organization a priority in all of my spaces and it has definitely made life easier to navigate. Lastly, one of my proudest accomplishments for this year is that I’ve managed to blog consistently and because of that I will proudly don the title, blogger.
• Relational- Friendships go through tests. That’s just what they do. This year I’ve gathered a clear understanding of who my friends are and I’ve grown to love and adore those in my inner circle. I have friends who live far and friends who I rarely see due to adult-ing and how complicated that makes scheduling girl time, but regardless of distance or schedules, our love for each other remains the same. I’ve grown to appreciate that greatly. I’ve developed new friendships that have brought me joy and I’ve entered a new relationship that has enriched my life to such grand measures that 4 months later I still struggle to find words to describe it.

 

Needs Improvement:

• Fitness- Guys. I have a confession. I have placed my fitness on the lowest of levels as far as my priorities go. It has been a super struggle for me to calculate what to eat and when and to schedule time with myself to prepare meals ahead of time and actually go to the gym. As the holiday season approaches and with it the cold weather and high calorie comfort foods (baked hams, and pastries and pies, oh my!), I know I need to make a significant change but I have no idea where to start. I should probably start by accepting my friend’s invitation to the gym once a week at least….
• Relationships- There are some relationships in my life that need improvement. It’s easy for me to avoid initiating these because of my constant state of business…..but I know better…and luckily, there’s still two months until this year is over to make a change.
• Personal- Here is my most shameful confession….even more shameful than the fitness one…are you ready? I. Am. Not. Reading. Anything. I am a reader. Reading is how I relax. I love it. It brings me joy. But between building a brand and working and mentoring and investing in friendships and investing in the new relationship I’ve found that I am not reading….like at all. I may scan a chapter or two, but my brain is so busy that by the time I am finished I have no idea what I have read. Help!
• Financial- This one is an easy one…but an important one nonetheless. I need to stick to my budget. This will be easy once I get the fitness one in check tho….because honestly, the only thing I spend money on besides bills…is food.

 

Luckily for me there seems to be a lot more to celebrate than to improve…at least for now. And as far as my improvements go, there’s still time to change-up somethings. I know the beginning and ending of the year really don’t mean anything as far as a time constraint for goals and such, but I like having the invisible line that tells you to stop and look at how you’re living your life. It does wonders for me.

What about you? Are you someone who likes to have a specific time that you sit and think about how you’ve done over the past year? Or are you one who prefers to not have that time constraint because it has a tendency to create a bit of stress? (I used to be the latter). What are some things you wish you could have improved upon this year but didn’t? What about some accomplishments that you’re proud of? Write them down and remember, its important to celebrate things, even the little things. Let’s make these last 2 months of 2018 the best they can be!

Thanks for stopping by!