At the end of every year I find it so important to look back & reflect on what this year has given us, how we have grown on a personal level, and what we have learned in the past 365 days. The lessons might be small or they might be mighty & life changing, but regardless of their magnitude, anything learned is helping to shape us into the best and truest version of ourselves.
This year was a good year. One of the best to be honest. But with that being said, it was still full of little lessons (little, albeit important). If I looked around there were many things to be learned this year, and as always for that I am thankful.
Without further ado, here is what 2019 taught me. I hope it inspires you to reflect on your past year & discover how you've grown in the past three hundred & sixty five days.
Your passion and your job don't have to be the same thing.
To be honest, this is something I still have a hard time digesting, but for the most part I am confident that it is true. This world we live in today bombards us with the idea that you have to find your passion and make it your career, and if you're not doing just that, then you are doing something wrong or sacrificing your ultimate happiness. I've struggled with this over the past year, and when I feel like I have a stronger grip on it, I'm sure I will explain more. But for now, I know this - my career right now is a good one, is it my passion? Maybe not. But it is something I am proud of, although challenging at times, is something I enjoy, and most importantly it is something that allows me to pursue the things that bring me happiness & are my passions outside of work. Sometimes that is enough.
You can and should plan & book a trip two weeks out.
Bet you didn't know that the two week trip I took to France and Italy, was both planned and booked with less than two weeks before I left. It's comical now, but it was stressful at the time & to be perfectly honest, I had my hesitations. The thought of both planning & booking a two week trip to Europe in less than two weeks was daunting to say the least. It seemed very overwhelming & I found myself thinking it would be easier just not to do it. I kept coming up with excuses like it was too much work, we won't be able to pull it off, I'd rather just relax in the city, etc. Well at the end of the day, I'm just not one to say no to traveling, so we did it, and two weeks later I found myself in Paris happier than ever.
That trip was an absolute highlight of the year, was honestly some of the best two weeks ever, and quite possibly is my favorite trip to date. And to think I almost didn't go! What a fool I would have been. The memories, the happiness, and the adventure of those two weeks was well worth the minor stress leading up to it.
I think the bigger lesson here goes a little something like this ... "you can and should.. fill in the blank." Just do it. Don't come up with excuses. Our time here is fleeting, there is no reason good enough to not do something you want to do. You can do it, even in less than two weeks.
It's okay to give yourself grace.
It's as simple as those six words. As humans we simply cannot do it all, no matter how much we might want to. And we most certainly cannot try to do it all perfectly. It's just unattainable & unrealistic. There are only 24 hours in every day. Do the best you can. But more importantly, give yourself some grace.
Make friends as an adult.
This is fun! To be honest, after college I kind of assumed the friends I had would be my friends forever & that was that. Well I was wrong on two accounts there, but that's besides the point. The point is, you can (and should!) make new friends too. Step out of your comfort zone, go to events that interest you by yourself, meet friends of friends - you never know what may come of it! At the end of 2018 I went to an event by myself & walked away not knowing I had just met a girl who would end up becoming a good friend in 2019. My first true 'New York City friend'. Life is beautiful in that way.
You can love someone and they still might not be the one for you.
A heartbreaking truth, and one that I don't have any other words for.
xo. G
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