Since 2018 has come and gone, I am doing that thing where I review the past year, I reflect on what I did and didn’t do, the things I’m proud of, and the things I wish I did differently or better.
At the beginning of the year, I wrote a blog post on how I was going to make this my best year yet, and I can honestly say that this was my best year thus far.
But here’s the thing- there is always room for improvement and growth and there are things about 2018 I wish I had done better. The wondrous thing about new years, though, is the clean slate, a chance to start over. And when we consider all we wish could have been different, we must also consider the things we did well.
2018 Fails:
Poor Goal Planning:
At the beginning of the year, I went to Starbucks and had a night of 2018 planning. I wrote down allll the things. When I say I wrote down ALL the things, I’m not kidding. My list of goals went on and on and on and many of them were VERY time-consuming. I can be a bit over-zealous at times, and my goals for 2018 reflected that all too well.
Bad Attitude:
There were a couple of months where I had a terrible attitude. One day last summer, I was running too hard, too fast and too long on the treadmill and BAM- foot injury- aka bad attitude. This was a time I had totally let go of control and rest (giving me a great opportunity to practice surrender, right?). I was okay with it until it went on longer than expected and undid a lot of hard work I had put into my fitness life. Being limited and forced to slow down made me a little bratty. All along God was giving me an opportunity to move beyond my external circumstances and rest in who HE is- not what he can do for me. He had grace on my sour attitude when I was allowing my conditional circumstance to control my spirit.
Over-extending myself:
Self-care and margin, people! I know it may seem insane that I struggle with self-care and over-extending considering I don’t have any children. But you know what? If there is time, I am going to find a way to fill it and bust it right at the seams. I’m a 3w2 on the Enneagram, which means that I can be a work-a-
2018 Wins:
A had a word of the year and stuck to it (for the most part):
Surrender- it was the word I didn’t want, but I am so glad I listened to God when He told me this would be my 2018 focus. Through practicing surrender I learned to lean into the peace of God, closed the door on some things holding me back, made a big decision, and found contentment in where God has me now. Surrender gave me a huge breakthrough with God, and my life will never be the same because of it.
I read more books and listened to podcasts:
Instead of watching T.V. at night, I found that reading was
Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World- Bob Goff
Everybody Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People- Bob Goff
What Keeps You Up at Night: How to Find Peace While Chasing Your Dreams
Podcasts! Why did it
The Next Right Thing: Emily P. Freeman
Go Tell Gals: Jess Connelly
The Goal Digger Podcast: Jenna Kutcher
Magic Lessons: Elizabeth Gilbert (be careful with this one sometimes)
Made new friends / poured more time into people / let them pour into me:
I love people, and I have a serious heart for learning all thing things about all the people. I met amazing people in Europe this summer, and I even FaceTime a dear friend I gained from that trip on a regular basis! I went on countless coffee dates with amazing women, built a firm foundation with my mentor, and learned so much about the power of community. Community is a game changer and life-shifter.
Tomorrow we will find ourselves in a brand new year. Opportunity, trials, surprises (good and bad), and a ton of joy is just around the corner. But no matter what comes our way, we have the power to make it or break it. Whether it’s choosing to have a better attitude or practicing something God’s asked us to focus on, our year can be a chapter we can grow in and celebrate. I hope that we can all take some time to reflect on 2018 and leave what needs to be left, and take what is needed to move forward. Take some time with God, dream some, write some goals down and write down how you saw Him move in your life in 2019.
Here’s to a new year, friends! Let’s do this…together.
Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:11-13
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