New Year Reflection Questions (and personal reflections on 2017)
*affiliate links Iām not going to sugar coat it at all. 2017 was the hardest year of my adult life. It really, truly was. I was not sorry to see it go and I have been looking forward to this fresh start for months now. Iāve got big plans, big goals, and big changes in the works and itās so needed in my life. That being said, as rough as 2017 was, I canāt deny the beautiful things I was able to accomplish and experience in between the sorrows and trials. Plus, in order to really move forward with 2018 and to feel like Iām ready to move forward, I need to take a look back at 2017, make some evaluations, and let go of some of the heartaches. It can be a little rough, but I think itās definitely needed in order for me to truly feel like I have that fresh start for this new year. Going through these new year reflection questions has really helped me evaluate where Iāve been and where I want to go and itās allowed me to make some solid plans for 2018!
Favorite Memories from this year?
- We bought our first house after a crazy three-month house hunting adventure!
- Adding another puppy to our family, our sweet Goldendoodle, Teddy
- Dubbing it the āYear of the Concertā and seeing John Bellion, Twenty-One Pilots, Bastille, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Muse & Imagine Dragons
- Making a huge decision to change companies and start a new job in July!
- Spending a long weekend in Park City, UT to celebrate Dustinās birthday
- Hosting our first Christmas in our home for my family of 10!
What went well this year?
It took me a while to figure out what really went well this year because 2017 was so overshadowed by the bad things that happened to my little family and how it affected me personally. Something that did go well, though, was my performance at my job and being able to become a valuable part of my team and office. Even though 2017 was rough all around, I am really proud of myself for not letting it affect my job performance and for being able to keep up on my responsibilities at the office.
Blog-wise, I feel like there were two things that went really well for me: I was able to collaborate with a lot of other local bloggers in the SLC area and actually gained some pretty amazing friendships out of those collaborations. Second of all, I finally feel like I got Pinterest working for me in a way that itās never worked for me before. I bought the Pinteresting Strategies eBook from Mommy on Purpose and was able to triple my blog traffic within a month of implementing the strategies. Iāve never had that kind of success before and it came at a time where I was seriously considering stopping blogging, so Iām grateful for the boost of confidence it gave me. (And I highly recommend the eBook to my blogging friends - it seriously is game-changing.)
What did not go well?
Well, there was a lot that did not go well that was completely out of my control: Dustinās emergency surgery, the health complications that followed, and our miscarriage. And going through all of those things really affected every other aspect of my life, like my health, my motivation, and my drive. I stopped taking care of myself, I stopped fighting for my goals and dreams, and there were days where I seriously felt like I had nothing going for me. I slept a LOT and watched a LOT of Netflix. I didnāt accomplish ANY of the goals I had set for my blog in 2017 and I didnāt accomplish ANY of the goals I had set for myself personally in 2017. I feel like a barely survived what it threw at me, and I really want to work on setting myself up for more success in the new year.
Blog-wise, I feel like pretty much nothing else went really right this year for me. I gave up on a lot of my goals and lost my passion for blogging in the midst of all the chaos and sadness we were dealing with. I didnāt post consistently, I had no strategies, I had no plan, and I contemplated giving up several times. However, I got through that and feel like I have a solid plan in place for 2018!
What do I want to differently in 2018?
I have a post on this coming in the next two days, but I really want 2018 the year that I focus on myself. I had a realization a few months ago that I have been completely stagnant in my own personal development. I am always working hard on learning more about blogging, or trying to better myself at my corporate job, but I havenāt done anything to improve ME as a person.
Iāve started listening to some amazing podcasts and watching some Ted Talks at the beginning of November and they have really helped me re-evaluate myself, where I am, and what changes I can make to become someone better. Iām really excited to continue this journey in 2018 and to really focus on improving myself.
When did I feel most exhausted and drained?
- When blogging felt like a chore and I was super stressed out about not being able to keep up with my blogging friends
- Having my weekends booked back to back to back with traveling, church commitments, social outings, etc.
- Not holding myself to a strict sleeping schedule and not getting enough rest
When did I feel most in my element?
- Creating new processes at my job that made huge improvements to the way my office runs
- Getting together with blogging friends and teaching them some of the lessons Iāve learned in branding and Pinterest
- Executing a makeup look idea perfectly on myself
- Listening to self-development Podcasts and applying them to my life and seeing positive change
What is one thing Iām most proud of from 2017?
One thing that Iām really proud of and happy with the progress with is my photography business that I do on the side. I donāt do any advertising (I rely on word of mouth, pretty much) and I have no plans to make it a full-time thing anytime soon, but this year I booked the most shoots ever, including my first wedding, several engagement sessions, and several big family portraits! Iāve booked enough to confidently raise my rates and Iāve really seen some great growth in the shots Iām producing and editing. Iām really proud of myself for achieving this in 2017, especially because this wasnāt even something on my goal or resolution list.
What purchase turned out to be the best purchase of the year?
My new Macbook Pro, hands down. It was such a huge purchase for me and one that was a long time coming. I knew that if I wanted to take my blog and photography to the next level, I needed an upgrade in the computer department that would actually run Lightroom and iMovie. Iām also really proud of myself for being able to afford this computer all by myself!
What day would you live over again from this year?
The day we saw Twenty-One Pilots at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. It was easily one of my favorite nights of 2017 - it was before anything awful happened in 2017, we had found out that the offer on our house had been accepted, the venue was amazing and the concert seriously was out of this world. We had general admission seats (so we stood super close to the stage) and were able to really feel like we were PART of something so much bigger while we were singing along. It was amazing.
What Advice Would You Have Given Yourself on January 1st, 2017?
You will survive all that comes your way and itās okay to take some time to rest from everything and everyone. And if you need help, itās okay to ask for it.
What is the most important lesson you learned in 2017?
That I am stronger than I think and that I am capable of doing hard things. I used to think that I ādid my timeā because I had cancer when I was 16. I survived that hard thing, so I kind of expected (and hoped) that the rest of my life would be a little more smooth sailing. I know, I know, thatās a pretty ridiculous thought process, but it was a coping mechanism I used to help me deal with the trauma of being sick. And after going through our miscarriage, I really struggled. I didnāt understand why I had to go through another hard thing and I didnāt know how I was going to survive it because I had already used all my āsurvivingā up when I was sick.
But I did survive those first few months. Iām continuing to survive that pain and those scars today. And Iām learning that I may have to survive more down the road, but that I CAN do it.
I feel like 2017 has woken me up to a lot of things that I have been asleep for. Iāve felt a huge awakening in wanting to fight for myself and my happiness again, after a year that shut my hopes and dreams down. I feel like Iām finding a new strength and fight in me and I canāt wait to follow it and see where it leads me.
Shop the Post:
Top is from My Sisterās Closet
How was 2017 for you? What was the most important lesson you learned in 2017?
And also, a huge, huge thank you to those of you who have stuck with me, who respond to me, who send me messages, who leave me comments, who have been praying for me, and who have supported me here. You are the best. I canāt express enough how much your love and support means to me and how itās literally changed my life.
