What 2018 Has
Taught Me
The year is coming to a close and amongst the festivities and hopes for 2019, I think it's important for me to look back over the past twelve months. Not only to give myself a pat on the back, as we all deserve one of those for getting through another year, but to take a look at the lessons I've learned before I start to jump head first into what I hope 2019 will be like.
It's always a huge mixture of feelings for me towards the end of a year. My December workload tends to be over the top and I start to panic to fit everything in, I then realise I haven't done the basic Christmas list items such as cards, presents and booking tickets back home and then comes the diary booking up for the first few months of the new year to really send me into a spin - busy can sometimes be an understatement at the end of the year can't it?
So not only do I want to see what lessons 2018 has taught me, I want to sit back with a gin & tonic, take a deep breath and allow myself this time to look back over a successful year before we're celebrating the start of the next!
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I'M NOT INVINCIBLE
A lesson I think I've learned every year and a lesson I realise a few months into the new year, I actually haven't learned at all: I'm not invincible. I can't work to the best of my ability on 5 hours sleep a night, I don't have a time machine to be able to fit more hours, days and weeks into a month and I certainly can get ill at the worst possible times - and have! I can get things wrong, say things I wish I could take back and can apparently misplace my passport within hours of needing to board a plane, which many of you kindly pointed out was more than likely a sign to slow down and take a break - I'm human after all. I'm not a brain surgeon or a nuclear scientist, nor am I an astronaut or someone who saves lives on a daily basis, but I must remember that I'm just like everyone else in the world and no matter my career, my personal life or my future goals, I must take care of myself more than I do. Self care is a lesson I must learn and take seriously for the new year.
I'M CAPABLE OF MORE THAN I KNOW
We've all experienced imposter syndrome and this year I've felt it more than ever. I can say it time and time again that I love my job, that I'm more than passionate about my brand and I adore where my career is taking me, but nothing will ever seem to dampen that feeling of - 'Do I deserve to be here?'. Often I feel I need to sit down and have a conversation with myself and really honestly tell myself that the answer is wholeheartedly YES! I may never have dreamed to work with such amazing brands, I may never have aimed to be a content creator and I may never have imagined I would write my first book. But you know what? I bloody well have haha! We work hard for the things we do, whether that's at work or in our personal lives and the year ahead should be less of the self doubt and more of the self congratulations.
I HAVE SO MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR
Life is great and I really do have an abundance to be thankful for. For a safe warm place to live, for friends and family that offer me unconditional support and love and a job that leaves me feeling fulfilled and encouraged to achieve more. This doesn't mean I don't have the right to have ups and downs, we all experience a rollercoaster of emotions and nothing should ever undermine the way we feel in that moment, but perspective is always a beautiful thing. One thing I've done this year, that I would like to give myself time to do even more so in the next, is to have a brief moment at the end of a day to think about what I'm grateful for. Even the most basic of things can lift you up and make you realise just how great life is and it's encouraged me more than ever to give my time, love and support to more and more charities.
THERE'S SO MUCH MORE TO ACHIEVE
As ever because of the workaholic in me, all the lessons I've learned in 2018 show me just how much more there is to achieve in the coming year. 2018 was quite possibly the best of my life, however much I feel I've said that in previous years, this year it feels more than true. From getting engaged all the way through to some of the best travel and work successes I have ever experienced, and even just feeling more comfortable in my own skin as I close in on my 30th birthday. It's a sturdy perfect base to go into the new year looking to achieve more than I ever have. I can't wait to share with you what I have in store for the next 12 months but amongst the lessons learned this year, the most important may well be that nothing in life comes for free. Hard work is the only true ingredient for all the things we are looking to achieve!
What has 2018 taught you? Can't wait to discuss this with you!
