“Ease is a greater threat to progress than hardship. Keep moving, keep growing, keep learning. See you at work.” – Denzel Washington
It’s 2018. Happy New Year everybody!
I’ve just finished watching Denzel Washington‘s motivational speech on chasing your dreams. The video is attached at the end of this post. Watch it and be inspired.
Yesterday I reflected on the things I’ve accomplished, the challenges I had and the new things I’ve tried out. I think trying out new things and seeing whether I liked doing it or not, was the highlight of 2017.
Related post: Reviewing my goals for 2017
LEARNING
Through that, I learned that it’s okay to try a new project and then to change your priorities. It’s okay if you decide that you no longer want to go through with the project. That happened to me – it’s just that my priorities changed and I could no longer work on the project – I needed to change my focus to get another income, at the time.
My word for 2017 was EXPLORE. It really took me out of my comfort zone. I did a lot of researching (which I enjoy) and learned more about myself. In my blog post about my goals for 2017, I wrote that I want to study something but I do not have money to do it.
Basically, I took the opportunity to learn things that are available on the internet – free information. I took part in webinars, which is a free live online class done by someone on the internet. Mostly I learned about personal branding. I also took part in weekly Twitter chats – on Tuesdays, for example, I engaged with people of the #WeTalkBiz Twitter chat. The topics included content marketing and customer service.
CHALLENGES
A stumbling block for me was my child’s nighttime sleeping routine – or rather, let’s say the lack thereof. We go to bed around 22:00 and then end up still being awake around 00:00. This two-year-old of mine don’t take her nap during the day and then ends up taking a nap around 18:00 or 19:00, waking up around 20:00 again and then the party starts.
I kept telling myself it’s no big deal, but I realise it is.
Eisj…
So this year, I have to work on implementing a sleeping routine.
Other challenges include money, money, money *starts singing Abba* “must be funny, in a rich man’s world”. This year I am to be debt-free.
Related posts: “I took out a loan to pay off a loan” and Money Mistakes I Made
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Oh yes, before I forget: I realise that having a journal (or blog, in my case) is a pretty cool thing. It’s good to look bad and think “wow, I can’t believe I forgot about this experience!” My pregnancy diaries are published from December 2017 in the Living and Loving magazine and reading those posts of three years ago makes me a little nostalgic.
Related post: How to prepare for unpaid maternity leave
As I reflected on what has happened in 2017, I’m also reminded of the accountability partners and mentors I had. It’s really beneficial if you have them in your life when you’re setting goals.
I haven’t decided what my goals for 2018 are, but I’m excited to explore new things. I also haven’t decided on a word for 2018 yet. We’ll see in the next few weeks.
I know for sure that 2018 will be a year of learning and exploring.
Watch
Do you have goals ready yet for 2018?
Eish that is awful about the sleep times but remember they are only little once and hopefully she will grow out of it! The key is to start lessening the afternoon nap then you can get them to go to bed early and sleep through, but that’s a work in progress because they need that nap often. So give yourself some grace and keep going! Good luck for 2018 and I hope all your dreams and wishes come true!
Thank you Heather. I hope it’s a phase too. Happy New Year to you, I hope it’s a sweet year.
It’s great reviewing your goals and what you have achieved in 2017. You’ve inspired me to do the same. Thank you.
Very inspiring post! All the best for 2018. đŸ˜˜
Thank you Taryn, all the best to you too.