So, we’ve overcome yet another year. 2019 is gone and we’ve begun 2020, a new year and a new decade!
Some people don’t believe in new year’s resolutions and laugh at the “new year, new me” slogan that everyone is accustomed to saying. They may feel it’s just another day and it’s all the same as the last day just the numbers have changed on the calendar.
I have to say, I love it! It’s the perfect excuse to reflect on the year that’s ended, your key achievements and learnings and to also begin a new chapter for the year ahead. There are some things you don’t want to repeat and there are some things you want to continue and it’s important to reflect on that.
For me, 2019 didn’t go to plan at all. There were a lot of difficult low times. I didn’t achieve the goals that I had set out (for example posting weekly blogs as one!) and my anxiety was the worst it probably had ever been.
However, I don’t regret or look negatively on any of the “bad things” that happened. It was a valuable year that taught me many, many life lessons. One key learning from 2019 is that change (though we all seem to hate it!) is constant and uncontrollable most of the time. Whether this is in a job, living situation, relationships, unwanted change can happen in the blink of an eye and there’s nothing you can do about it. I spent a lot of 2019 wondering why these things had to happen. I just wanted everything to stay the same and kept thinking how can I get it back to the same way it was. I realised this way of thinking didn’t improve anything, it didn’t fix anything but, instead, it fuelled my anxiety.
The only way you can deal with a situation that you weren’t expecting, didn’t want or don’t like is to 1. try to change the situation into a way that you can deal with it going forward or 2. just accept it as is. It’s probably one of the most difficult concepts I had to get my head around but now that I have, it’s changed my life. We naturally think about it and think about, wanting it not to be the way it is. I’ve learned that sometimes there’s a situation you simply can’t ever change, and you are forced to accept it, but you must learn how to do this for your own sanity!
So, 2019 went by for me in a blink of an eye. I had many setbacks, but I also had many things to be grateful for. When you go through hard times you realise the people that are there for you and you’re forced to look at the good things. I am grateful for a roof over my head, food to eat every day and for my mostly good health! Please don’t take for granted those things in life, so many people don’t have this. Being able to get up and out of bed every day is a privilege and blessing in itself!
The joy of ending a year is focusing on the upcoming year. I’ve reflected on all my 2019 ups and downs, learnings (I call it learnings instead of failures or bad times, it makes a more positive spin out of it!) and achievements. I made a list of all my goals for 2020 and I am so very confident I’ll achieve them, I’m more driven and ambitious than ever, including being more consistent with my blog posts. Watch this space so many exciting posts, changes and announcements ahead that I want you to join in on!
Well, what are you waiting for? Write down a reflection of everything from 2019 and write down everything you want to achieve this year. Every day is a new page, a new journey and a new learning experience.
Thank you for reading,
AlwaysAisling
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