12 Wins in 12 Months: A 2019 Retrospective

Inspired by Lauren’s post at Bournemouth Girl, 8 Things I Have Achieved in 8 Months, I decided to do a little list of my own to say goodbye to 2019.

I want to share my accomplishments to prove that I can conquer my fears and silence inner critics to get what I want out of life. I want to inspire my future self to believe that I can do anything–and here’s proof! I also want to inspire YOU. What have you achieved so far this year? Have you faced any fears? Tried anything new? Crossed something off your bucket list?

I’m not really much into New Years’ Resolutions. I think any day is as good as any to start resolutions and make goals. I understand the appeal of a “fresh” start in a new calendar, but it’s hard to stay motivated on just the seduction of the earth having gone around the sun one more time. It’s a setup designed to fail, and most people do.

Instead, I’m about looking back on the positives of the year and reflecting on what I enjoyed and what I’m proud of as we move into 2020. It’s worth it to re-evaluate your goals, priorities, and progress throughout the year, not just at the end. I do think it’s useful to reminisce, celebrate, and re-calibrate.

So let’s do it.

2019 Accomplishments (in no order)

1. I moved to another state to support my partner’s quest to finish his degree. It was a giant step to leave my family and friends behind, but this sacrifice will be worth it for both of us.
   
2. After being in a total rut, to put it mildly, I moved into a new apartment by myself. This new place was not a great improvement in many ways, but I had a space of my own and that was glorious.
   
3. I landed a nice office job in my new state, far away from the perils of retail, that suits my skillset and is a good fit for me all-around.
   
4. I made a commitment to write more this year and learn about the more successful tactics of blogging (thanks largely to Britt at Unapologetically You). Though it’s been difficult for me to maintain, I’ve put forth a lot more effort in at least learning what I can do for my blog and have written far more this year than I ever have.
   
5. I learned Excel at an intermediate level in time to ace an assessment for a temp agency. At my current position, I continue to hone my skills in Excel and Word for resume-building purposes. I’m also building new skills by writing and updating company training manuals.
   
6. I’m teaching myself math through Khan Academy. I was never great at math as a kid. Being homeschooled, it was difficult to get the same education that my friends did. I always thought I was bad at math, but I asked myself a few years ago, “Why can’t I learn it?” No one is truly born bad at math, I don’t think.
   
7. I’ve developed a regular yoga practice where I follow online yoga videos. The mental and physical benefits have been awesome. I’m not tracking weight loss or anything like that. I track my physical strength, how flexible I am, how much better I can do a pose. It’s much easier to see and celebrate progress this way!
   
8. I’ve handled conflicts better than I ever have in my personal and professional life, leading to better resolutions and less self-guilt afterward. Particularly with my former roommates and co-workers.
   
9. I have tackled a low-carb diet to manage my PCOS symptoms better. This has required me to drastically alter my diet and mourn the loss of all my favorite carbs. I’ve also had to implement meal planning and prep, two things I’ve never had the mental or physical energy to do.
   
10. I’ve tackled self-care and mental health in a whole new way. It’s an ever-evolving practice with me, and this year, I’ve tried to take it to yet another new level. I’ve treated self-care as something that’s good FOR me, not just something that feels good. I’ve embraced self-esteem work in an effort to capture and denote all the good, positive things in my life worth celebrating. I utilized an online talk therapy option to confront anger issues and insecurities. And I’ve faced a lot of problems in my relationship by just talking about them. Honestly and openly just being real about my feelings, however irrational or crazy they might seem. Revolutionary, I know. Plus, I continue to use mindfulness, since it’s the absolute easiest coping skill to use.
    
11. I secured a babysitting job for extra income. Significant because it required me to reach out to a stranger on Facebook in my new town and develop this relationship and sort of “sell myself” for the position. Not only did I pass with flying colors (despite massive nervousness and fears), but the kid in question seems to adore me. It will take up two of my evenings after work, affording me virtually no free time, but I’m proud of myself, and I know the experience will be worth it for my wallet and my overall well-being.
    
12. I decided to mend some fences with people in my life. Some of those fences I tore down myself. Others I just perceived to be torn. I’m realizing how easy it is to turn on someone, not knowing their true intentions or understanding why they might not be giving 100%. Not everyone is toxic and shitty. Sometimes it’s you for writing them off too quickly. That’s just my lesson learned.

What does 2020 hold?

I re-evaluate my goals and accomplishments every few months, re-calibrating as necessary. On the whole, I think I had a lot of things to be grateful for and proud of in 2019. But there’s still room for more good things in 2020.

• I want to get back into volunteer and stay in it (I briefly did a stint at an animal shelter in early 2019). I’m discussing a really special opportunity with an organization that I’m really excited about! Volunteering has so many good benefits; it’s a great way to enrich your life and someone else’s. In my case, I’m going to use it as a way to strengthen skills and get experience in a field I’ve been missing out on. Fingers crossed!

• I’m narrowing down my passion focuses. All my interests and hobbies can fill a page or two, but I’ve found that by focusing on everything, I have not accomplished anything. I’ve done things here and there, as the mood strikes me. But I have nothing to show for that. I’m going to buckle down and focus on one or two things at a time before moving onto the next thing.

• I’m going to get out there more. I want to do things that push me to the edge of my comfort zone. I want to make new friends, do cool things, and just enjoy life. Attending a real-life yoga class has been on my mind since I’ve moved, so I think that’s my first stop. I’d also like to go on more outdoor adventures and maybe even join a special interests group for writing or photography.

• Continued focus on mental health and self-improvement. This is super general, but everything is affected by mental health and a complacent attitude. I want to keep my mental health in a good spot. It’s not a one-time fix. You have to keep devoting time and attention to it. Same with self-improvement. If I’m going to stay disciplined and productive, I’m going to need the appropriate skills.

Let’s go, 2020! What accomplishments are you proud of from 2019? What are you eyeing in 2020?