It’s January 2018 and whilst I’m keen to look at what the year ahead may hold, just for a moment I want to talk about the last 12 months.
A few things I’ve learned:
Happiness starts with me
I’ll hold my hands up and openly admit that I do still stress about the little things that I perhaps shouldn’t; don’t we all to some extent? But I definitely learned over the last few months that I am responsible for whether I’m happy or not. Yes others can influence this, but I have to choose to be happy myself. I need to be my own biggest fan and do things that make me happy.
It’s okay to say no
It’s too easy to burn yourself out if you’re trying to do too much and it’s okay if sometimes you can’t make it, or indeed don’t want to. Knowing when to say no and to stand by your morals is an important quality to have and something I’m definitely going to work on this year too.
Things won’t always work out how you expected and that’s okay
It’s also okay to feel upset when things don’t go how you planned. Sometimes friendships do end and I’ve learned to not blame myself for that. Whilst some friends have gone, new friends have arrived and a few of which I’m already pretty close to. You might doubt yourself or even blame yourself for friendships or relationships ending but give it time and it’ll work out. Good things tend to happen when you least expect it!
You can change things
I guess relating to all the above points, if something isn’t going how you’d like it to, then change it. Leave that job, stop trying to please everyone, buy the shoes… Whatever it is. It starts with you. I’m particularly proud of this post about positivity.
This time last year I set myself some goals and whilst we’re reflecting on the last twelve months, I may as well check how I got on with them. Would have possibly been a good idea to review them halfway through the year, but here goes…
Be Happy
I think for the most part I’ve succeeded in this. Obviously there’s been some ups and downs but I’m in a better place now compared to where I was at the beginning of the year.
Travel
Well, this didn’t quite go to plan, given that my passport saw no movement all year. I did visit London a few times and spent a week in Edinburgh, with the odd day trip thrown in for good measure too. That being said, there’s something in the pipeline pretty soon that should solve my itchy feet syndrome. Exciting.
Learn To Swim
Yes! You betcha, this girl did learn to swim, even if I did keep it pretty quiet until now. It’s one of my proudest achievements of the year. I should probably set a goal for this year to keep up swimming and go to the pool regularly.
Spend More Time Outdoors
I’d say I’ve done pretty well on this front too. Whether it’s been a trip over to The Lake District, or one of my many drives to the beach to sit and watch the waves, I’ve tried to spend a little more time outdoors where I can.
A few honourable mentions:
– Meeting new people, some of which have made a lasting impression.
– Finally going to Greenwich Park and walking up to the observatory (next time I should wear trainers)
– Walking up Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh and sitting at the top just taking everything in.
– La La Land – I loved it! There’s too many more films I could list too.
– AW17 was the season I was converted to turtlenecks
– I finally went strawberry picking with my sister. Definitely making that a tradition!
– Working on some fun campaigns with brands and having some amazing opportunities through Hello Freckles. From spa trips to sleeping in a museum underneath a T Rex – the dinosaur fan I am really enjoyed that!
– Ice Skating!
I did plan to keep this brief and so I guess I’d like to get a little soppy for a moment. I’d like to thank you, yes you reading this now, whether this is the first post you’ve read or you’ve been reading Hello Freckles for some time. Whether you follow my blog, or any of my social channels. Thank you for the support. I appreciate it!
Happy New Year!
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