Here’s to 2017: My Biggest Loves and Learnings
2018 GOAL SERIES: PART Two
** This is a re-creation of the original blog post from 2017 **
“Self reflection doesn’t stop you from making mistakes, it allows you to learn from them”
If you’ve read my blog post Dear Twenty-Seventeen, you already know I had quite the year.
A year of growth.
A year of challenge.
A year of discovery.
To help get me pumped about this year and reflect on last year I wanted to share a break down of my biggest takeaways from 2017 as well as some of my biggies for 2018. Maybe it will inspire you to do the same. 😉
So with a big gulp (because sharing can sometimes be kinda scary)....
MY BIGGEST LOVES AND LEARNINGS OF 2017
WHAT MADE 2017 EPIC AND MEMORABLE: (AKA BIGGEST WINS)
Working on my first paid design client (Angie of Equine Enrichment) was pretty darn cool.
I finally launched my own website, aka the website you’re currently taking a peruse on. This was beyond exciting since I had been working on it for ALL THE YEARS. (Not actually but it had been in my head for 6+ years.)
I had a pretty epic Christmas. I finished most of my presents early on (the end of November) which was a HUGE win for me. Normally, I am still finishing things up on Christmas day. (< weird I know, but it this has been a goal of mine for years and I’ve never done it 😉 )
I enjoyed time with family. I worked my butt off on my #goals.I got focused on what I want.
Overall, what stood out the most though about my 2017 was all the learning and growing. It wasn’t the most epic year. I didn’t “do” anything super amazing or crazy but I had so many learnings and that’s a win in my books. 😊
WHAT HAPPENED IN 2018 THAT I GREW THE MOST FROM (AKA TOP 3 BIGGEST LEARNINGS):
#1
WORKING WITH ANGIE AND EQUINE ENRICHMENT.
This one was a toughy because it falls into both categories. Working with Angie was one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences I have had in a long time. Angie is a dream. She’s truly one of the most down to earth, kind, authentic humans I know. Even though Angie is so fabulous our time together wasn’t without our challenges. We had never met prior to working together. All our communication was via email which always make everything a little trickier. She was the first design client I was attempting to use my new system with. Spoiler alert: we went WAY past our initial end date. No biggie though because I learnt SO much and wouldn’t give up working with Angie for anything. Thanks to Angie and her trusting me with her business I have a solid foundation to stand on for future clients.
#2
GETTING THROUGH MY ROUGH DAYS (AKA A LITTLE POST TRIP DEPRESSION)
My whole life I have struggled with pretty severe anxiety that occasionally is accompanied by depression. Yuck...I know. I started 2017 feeling deep in the mud. Probably partially from jetleg post Bali, probably partially missing the life I had for the two months prior where I could do whatever my heart was calling for, and honestly, probably partially just feeling sad. The point is I was struggling hard when all I wanted to do was focus on my business and get going with my goals. For anyone that has struggled with depression and anxiety, you know how debilitating it can be. As someone who wants to be a #solopreneur and run their own business, the idea of sneaking into a depression is a little terrifying. When you work for yourself you don’t get sick days. If you don’t work, you don’t get paid and if you don’t work for long enough, you kill your business. EEK! SO here’s where my learning comes in: even though I was feeling pretty darn down in the dumps, I kept plugging along. I made most of my deadlines (I said most not all.. ;-) ). I worked my butt off. And I got through it. The best part/ the real “learning” was the reassurance that I could continue to work for the big boss: ME even through the tough spots. If that’s not a big learning win I don’t know what is.
#3
MAKING THE CHOICE TO FOCUS ON WHAT WAS IMPORTANT (EVEN IF THAT MEANT A LITTLE SACRIFICE)
I started 2017 with a big realization that I couldn’t do it all. I couldn’t dance six days a week and work five days at lulu and design for clients and make any of my other goals happen. Something had to give. Luckily, I had some people in my life who knew what I needed more than I did. Thanks to an insightful manager, my lulu schedule went to four days from five days without much of an hours cut. This allowed me to batch my work on my days off and gave me a little bit of balance in my work week. At first, I didn’t know how I felt about this change but quickly saw an improvement in my mental health. At the same time, I made the choice to take part in only one dance class a week instead of six plus. This was a challenging one because it made me feel very removed from my tribe: my dance friends. Additionally, because I wasn’t at the studio all the time I noticed my body wasn’t moving the way I wanted it to and my motivation to be there was much lower than usual since heading to the studio was less of a habit. Still, this was the right choice for me. It meant spending my non-lulu hours in the working my booty off without the distraction of having to be somewhere. It meant less focus on learning choreography and more on learning to code. It meant sacrifice but it also meant reward. The best part about both these changes is they helped me to learn what I need and how to vocalize it. This is obviously still a work in progress (as I’m sure it is for most people), but I’m really realizing that knowing what I want and going for it is the path to creating my best life.
WHAT I AM MOST GRATEFUL FOR ABOUT 2017:
This human right here. I never get gushy or nostalgic online (not my style) but this man right here continues to rock my world every day. We've shared so many beautiful memories together but 2017 felt like a year of growth and partnership for us. I continue to love this man more every day. He pushes me to be a better me while loving who currently I am. He takes care of me when I’m sick. He’s a shoulder to cry on. He’s a shoulder to laugh on. He’s my person and my partner. He’s who I’m most grateful for this year, last year and every year moving forward. Thank you for being you with me.
TOP 4 HOPES AND DREAMS OF 2018:
#1 I BLOG.
I write. I share. I bare my soul. I let things go.
I contribute my knowledge to others. I learn by doing.
I consider myself a “blogger” by January 1st 2019.
#3 I TRAVEL.
I go on adventures. I explore my own backyard.
I look at the world with wonder and curiosity.
I book an international trip by January 1st 2019.
#2 I TEACH.
I share what I know through blogs. I don’t just “do it for” people, I show them how. I break things down so they’re easier to understand.
I launch my first ecourse by January 1st 2019.
#4 I CREATE.
I design without self-doubt. I build beautiful websites and brands I’m proud of. I learn and grow as I am faced with challenges.
I work with 5 design clients by January 1st 2019.
In conclusion, I’m so excited about what 2018 has to offer and I can’t wait to continue to learn and grow. I know if I learn even half as I did last year it will be pretty memorable. ♥
As always,
P.S. Want to learn more about my hopes and dreams for 2018? Take a look part one of my 2018 goal series, "Dear Twenty-Seventeen." Also, stay tuned for part three of my 2018 goals series. Hint: You’ll get to see more of my insides aka my 10 year vision and goals 😉
