The year in review. 2019. Wow. I’d like to say I’ve achieved every goal I set for myself but that would be a lie. I didn’t. In fact, most of the big goals were not reached. Disappointed? You bet I am. Discouraged to try again, most certainly not. 

We need to be honest with ourselves.

I like goals and objectives. I love ticking off items from a never-ending to-do list. Yep, crazy. I could be spending that time watching Netflix or sitting at the pub guzzling a cheap Shiraz.

Nope. I’ll keep going because the only failure there is, is giving up on the life you want, it’s giving up on your dreams, giving up on yourself. 

Not an option. 

Emotionally it’s been a tough year. Many things didn’t go according to plan. 

Do I blame the universe? Do I blame someone else?
I want to, I really really want to. 

But it’s the decisions we make every day that lead us to where we are today. Sure we might be influenced by others to a degree along with our misconceptions about the world we live in, but ultimately the decisions we make are our own. We need to own them. Only then, can we learn to grow. 

2019: The Year in Review

Whilst my goals were not completed, it was a good year. A fun year. An adventurous year.

• My son started prep at his first big year of school and graduated to grade 1. Super proud mum here. He learn to read and write and do all sorts of other things – and he speaks two languages. No choice there given we speak two languages at home. 

• We got comfortable in the house we built – although there’s still a lot more work and sacrifice ahead. 
• There was lot’s of socialising and having fun. Probably way too much food and wine too.

• We travelled to Poland, and my son was a rock star on the trip, loves flying, loves travelling and did all the crazy things with us like spend 18km trekking through the city in one day, obviously there were at least three ice cream stops along the way. I’d really like to include Warsaw or Poland in general in one of my future books. I’ll keep you posted how that idea is panning out.

• I published a book. Just one. I drafted many. Half will end up in the trash. That’s okay. It was a year of figuring out where I want to go with my writing.

There were tough times throughout the year. Days when I didn’t want to get out of bed. But I don’t really have a choice when there’s a five-year-old to take to school and work waiting for you to show up. Okay, there’s always a choice, I always chose the option of getting up.

We often forget how good we have it. It’s so easy to take things for granted instead. None of what we have is a right, it’s a privilage. We’re lucky to be living where we are living and have access to clean streets, parks, good healthcare, and welfare, and sunshine for at least 300 days of the year. 

Be grateful & prosper

Life is busy. It’s easy to take the little things for granted and let the moments that truly matter pass us by. It could be an evening game of Chess with your son, a stroll along the beach on a perfect sunny day, a productive afternoon of writing, a night out with friends, a delicious meal at the end of the day.

It’s the little things that matter most.

What are you grateful for this year?

I was going to make an extensive list. The who, the what, the why. But what purpose will that serve? How does that help you? How does it help me?

It’s a reminder. Nothing else. One day a year is not enough to be grateful. We need to practice it everyday until it becomes ingrained in us.

Bad shit will always happen. So will the good stuff. The problem is we focus too much on the bad and ignore the good. Did you know that one bad thing can negate ten good things? You need ten good ones to negate a bad one.

Crazy.

Why do we find it so difficult to appreciate the awesomeness in our lives, no matter how small?

Being grateful doesn’t mean not wanting more. We need to want more. We need to have goals and ambitions.

Millions of people will be setting goals right now. They’ll be thinking about all the amazing things that 2020 will bring. Some will write them out on paper, stick them on the fridge, and feel proud about all they hope to accomplish.

But there’s a more important step to take first.

Reflection.

How to set better goals for 2020?

Look back over the past 365 days of 2019. What went right? What went wrong? Are you happy with your progress? In this moment are you in the place you envisioned you’d be a year ago?

Only about 5% of New Year’s Resolutions are actually stuck to, and that’s being generous. It’s probably closer to 1%.

Do you want to be part of that 1%?

YEEESSSSSS!

Good. Start reflecting and discover what it is that you need to do to change.

What habits are interfering with your success? How can you do things differently in 2020? What’s one thing you can do each day that will bring you closer to keeping your New Year’s Resolutions and achieving your goals?

Progress doesn’t have to come in leaps. It can be baby steps that are as simple as going for a twenty minute walk each morning, writing 100 words before bed, reading a book a month, stashing $20 a week in an envelope for a rainy day, calling your grandma on a Sunday night, drinking more water, talking to one new person each week.

Think about the little things that can make your year and your life bright, happier, healthier and more successful.

Maybe you’re already happy and successful and have everything that you want. That’s awesome. Well done to you. You can still reflect, remember, and remind yourself of all the amazing things you do every day and the wonderful people that are in your life. Show appreciation.

We can all show a little bit more appreciation from time to time, for others, and for ourselves.

Related: We All Want Something

The Importance of Writing

Writing is an important part of my life. I want to write, create content, author books. In 2019, I didn’t follow through. I made goals but didn’t stick to the action plan. I feel as if my writing has suffered as a result. 

There are millions of writers who are better than me. 

That’s okay. 

It doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t write. 

There are many doctors. Some are better than others. Should those one that aren’t as good just quit? Of course not. 

The same goes for writing. It goes for anything at all.

If you love something enough, don’t give up no matter what anyone tells you. Just go for it, sooner or later, if you constantly work to improve, you are going to get what you want or at least a version of it. 

Enjoy the journey. Stop and smell the roses. Smelling the roses is really important. 

Cheers to 2019 – hope it treated you well! 

Do you reflect at the end of December and do a year in review? How was your 2019? Did you achieve your goals?