2018 was a very challenging year across the board for me. Personally, professionally, mentally, physically. When the ball dropped and we moved into 2019, I really had no idea what was in store. I had just started a new job in December and told myself I didn’t have time to set specific goals because we were still very much navigating a new life with a very different schedule. That turned out to be a much needed way to start the new year.
No pressure for resolutions. Space to just live and see where the year took us. Now, as we are closing in on 2020, I look back at this past year as one of my most transformative. I grew as a person. I found ways to give myself permission to let go a little. I took risks. And I learned a whole lot along the way. 2019 definitely gave me a lot of lessons that will shape how I approach this new year. So, what did I learn?
- Marriage counseling is not a hail mary…it is an investment in your relationship and should come before a problem presents itself. It is hard. And not always fun. But it helped us reconnect and remember where our love comes from and what we need to make it do to grow further.
- Do what scares you. I left a job with a company I grew up in and the flexibility of working from home. It renewed my fire for my career and changed how I process work stress completely.
- Take the trip. Travel with your kids. We went to Europe on a 10 day vacation with our 3 girls, my cousin, and my parents (post on this to come!) and we have memories to cherish forever now. The decision was anything but calculated and I am so glad I let my heart overrule my head on this one.
- 4th grade is hard. Like really hard. Why did they change math?!
- You don’t have to be 100 percent all the time. Take a nap. Take a mental health day. Skip that social event. The world will keep on turning.
- Focus on gratitude. I spent a lot of 2019 learning to move past this expectation of where I thought I should be and just started appreciating exactly where I am. It is SO freeing.
- Prioritize sleep. As a mother, I know this is not always in our control. But, if you can find ways to make sleep more consistent, even if it just means an extra 30 minutes a night, your body, mind, and sanity will thank you.
And perhaps the biggest lesson learned is that a whole lot can change in a year. It is easy to get caught up in the landslide of negativity when you face a lot of adversity, especially if it comes all at once. I called upon this quote a lot:
“Sometimes when you are in a dark place, you think you have been buried, but actually you have been planted.”
-Christine Caine
2018 left me feeling pretty buried but it allowed me to bloom in 2019. Those challenges helped me find a new level of mental strength, further revealed the power of a true support system, and reminded me that a pity party really doesn’t serve any purpose but to keep you in the problem for longer. 2018 and 2019 looked and felt dramatically different from each other and though when I was in it, it seemed like the progression of time was slow, looking back, things actually moved quite fast. So, if you are closing out a hard year, I encourage you to be open to the change that can come over the next 12 months. It might not be overnight, but there are lessons to be learned in both the good times and bad.
Cheers to 2020! May it be good to all of us.
