3 Things 2019 Has
Taught Me
In amongst the madness that is the end of the year I'm feeling a little nostalgic and that means I'm finding myself looking back over the last year with equal parts pride and equal parts hitting my head against a wall. Judging by how I've felt in previous New Years that seems to be quite normal I think - right?
I feel I started the year as I meant to go on. Both with the knowledge that my hard work will always pays off in some way and a somewhat 'what will be will be' attitude after accepting that I don't always have the power to change everything. Fast forward 12 months and I can say hand on heart I worked hard, I spent more quality time with loved ones and apart from a few minor hiccups along the way 2019 was just well - bloody fabulous to put it bluntly!
I made it a mission to stop apologising so much, to keep working on projects that reflect me/my brand and to improve when there's a lesson to be learned. Moving into 2020 and a brand new decade (does this terrify anyone else a little?!) it's clear to me what the past year has taught me and how I'll take those lessons forward.
There's always room to improve and progress :)
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It's Still Okay To Ask For Help
Here I am, 7 years into my career, at the age of 30 and although I've improved immeasurably at asking for help in the past couple of years, it's not always a priority of mine. Why do I still find it so hard to do something that helps me so much? I'm not sure I actually know the answer to this but I think the more I look back on the times I've asked for help, the more it proves to me how all of those outcomes were positive in the end. I have never regretted asking for help and it certainly has never hurt myself or others. In fact it has always improved the outcome of every situation and it's often helped me to tick off a list that's been looming over my working week and started to affect my mood. I'm not one for resolutions, I often find they put too much pressure on ourselves, but a little word with myself to ask for help when I need it next year, may be my 2020 promise to myself.
Things Can & Will Go Wrong
I've chatted about this a little on the blog before, but sometimes things in life can go wrong and you know what? That's okay. That isn't to say I'm suddenly Mrs. pessimistic heading into 2020, it's more a case of accepting that life will never be perfect - that's just not possible. The one thing that 2019 has taught me though is that in amongst the things that do inevitably go oops, the one thing you can control is how you react. You may not be able to stop things going wrong in the first place and you certainly can't control how others choose to react but that doesn't make the situation hopeless. It's all too easy to panic when life throws you a curveball, for some of us that's in our nature and for some of us it's a choice we make but accepting that life goes on and we can try to turn things around for the better, has certainly helped me this year. From what felt like utterly horrendous wedding planning mishaps to losing my passport pre important work trip at the beginning of the year and even those everyday simple life hiccups, I came out the other side of them all healthy, successful and with a lesson learned. 2019 certainly wasn't perfect but it was never going to be and accepting that makes me so excited for all 2020 has in store.
Change Can Be For The Better
I remember when Alex and I got engaged and the topics of conversation that came to light really shocked me quite a bit. Although there were lots of excited chats about how incredible our big day would be and how people couldn't wait to celebrate with us, so many of our friends who had already said I do wanted to let us know that big events often show people's true colours. A part of me scoffed at the idea of our close knit group even possibly reflecting that but hindsight is a wonderful thing. The change in Alex and I's lives was the best thing that's ever happened to us but it inevitably changed a few other things in our lives too. Some people in our lives were true wonders who never stopped checking in on how we both were and other situations? Well let's just say there were a few hiccups that happened along the way for us all this year. Change doesn't always mean you have to dwell though, make of it what you want. Whether friendships change, careers change or families change, 2019 has taught me there will always be some positivity at the end of any tunnel - you just have to find it.
I'd love to know if 2019 has taught you any life lessons this year and if any spring to mind leave me a comment below! Maybe we could all find a few realistic ones to take with us into 2020 :)
