The last month of the year is one of those months that seems to zip by without hitting the breaks. I was under the impression that I still had plenty of time before the end of the year, and realized that I am leaving to Denver on Friday. FRIDAY. Weren’t we just celebrating the beginning of 2016 last month? I swear summer was last week. Like they say, time flies when you’re having fun, and fun I did have.
In addition to the annual freak out I have over how little time is left, the end of the year always brings me to reflect on my goals, progress and improvements. How did I really do this year and where do I want to be next year? Overall, this was a good year, but it did have its challenges. D and my relationship withstood the test of time and distance and we made it to our second anniversary without so much as a scratch. I feel my like long distance relationship update is a post for another day, but I feel like it is one of my main sources of joy, which is where a relationship should be. Work has been work, but the prospects are really looking promising as we are in the middle of constructing a new site. Having a bit of an input on how the final thing will look like has been really motivating. This summer, I ran the Hull 10k again and beat my time and I have made the gym an actual habit, rather than a dreaded task. I didn’t travel to any new countries, but I did get to visit Alicante a few times as well as other bits of the UK. I joined a walking club and really started investing time in learning how to take nice photographs. Overall, this blog has been a source of pride as well as passion. It is my favorite hobby. I love writing about my adventures, my thoughts and displaying my photos.
With all the positive things happening, there are still a few things I would like to work on:
1. Tackle my ever growing pile of books – I must admit I have a bit of a problem. I kind of have a book-buying addiction. I will buy books, while I’m in the middle of a different one, so it seems like my pile of books will never go down to a manageable level. I am also easily distracted. I want to finish one book at a time but I end up putting one down half way through just to pick another one after, and finish neither! There are so many half-finished books in my collection, and I would really like to actually have read them.
2. Stop ignoring pain – I am one of those people who gets an immense sense of pride from being tough. I’m not naturally a tough person. In fact, I probably can cry quicker than a baby begging for its bottle. However, I am really tough when it comes to pain. I’ve been living with chronic back pain for years and while I may shift in my seat a lot or need to walk around every 30 minutes, I don’t really do much about it. I am a queen when it comes to suffering in silence where physical pain is concerned. This upcoming year, I decided, I’m actually going to do something about it. I want to tackle my pain, because at 28, I have a long life ahead of me and I shouldn’t be conditioned by this pain now. Some of the things I’ve started doing was buying a few Groupons for massages. I’ve also started stretching more and drinking loads of water. Recently, I discovered a place called Physology in Hull, and the first session was incredible. I highly recommend this place, especially if you live in Hull, Leeds or Manchester. I think I have an appointment booked in January. The hardest part for me is how easy it is to ignore a problem, rather than actively seek to resolve it.
3. Learn to say no – Whether it’s for that extra assignment at work that I know I don’t have time for, that enticing brownie on the counter, or even that unnecessary cup of coffee, I struggle resisting. Self-control is not my strongest suite, and I really have to seek it out. I’m an ‘all or nothing’ kind of girl. I either eat all the cake, or eat none of the cake. I’m never quite settled with just the one piece. Contrary to my own personal choices, I do believe self-control really helps live a meaningful and highly productive life. All of the successful people I admire display generous amounts of self-control, and it’s a quality I demonstrate occasionally, but I would love to demonstrate more.
What are happy about, coming to the end of 2016? Are there areas you want to change? Do you think you need a bit more positivity, self awareness and self control?
{Images from Shutterstock}
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