Happy New Year: 2018

New Year's header

Goodbye 2017, Hello 2018

If I had to sum up 2017 in one word, it would be fast. It went by sofast. But that is not my word of the year… Each year, I take a pause and reflect on the year behind, and set my intentions for the year ahead by choosing a word. Here’s my word for 2018 and a personal reflection.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! And great 2017. I’ve picked a word to keep top-of-mind the past few years now, and I’m still loving the idea. It’s less of a resolution and more of a general attitude shift for the year. It must be catching on; I found these neat customizable bracelets to get a daily reminder. Would be cute for both guys and girls.

Anyway, looking back at my last year’s entry, a few things strike me. First, I think I handled the year’s challenges extremely well. I made an effort to focus my attention on the positive, and didn’t let negativity get in my way. I still wish I had a better morning routine, but such is life. I made good on my 2017 word on the whole. Here’s my list from the year. Let’s see what happened and what didn’t.

2017’s Bucket List:

    • Start an Etsy shop  

No thank you. I realized I would get overwhelmed and tired of filling orders like a robot

  • Be more strategic about the craft shows I participate in.  ✅  Yes! I said no to venues I knew would be a waste of time, and doubled down on one of the best craft shows ever. Proved to be a very rewarding experience.
  • Be more collaborative and meet other entrepreneurs and makers in the community. ✅ I started selling my crafts in a local shop, which is a dream come true. It’s helped me find ‘my people’ and get connected within my community.
  • Take some pottery throwing classes. ❌  This is still on my list for 2018 😩
  • Travel more. ❌ Always on my list
  • Grow vegetables. ❌ Only herbs again
  • Supplement my income in multiple ways, diversify with investments etc. ➕ I made small steps, but would like to do better
  • Pay off one student loan and make one additional house payment. ❌ Double no. Totally doable
  • Join a book club. ❌ Again, on my list
  • Work on my photography skills. ➕ I could get better here. We got some new equipment for Christmas (thanks Lexi!) to help. I’ve been playing with Instagram this year which helps me improve a little.

2018

New to the list:

  • Kickboxing — I dabbled in some hardcore kickboxing this year and want to find another open gym that offers it.
  •  Redesign Blog — I’ve been putting this off, but I’d really like to redesign this blog layout for better search and navigation, with a clean look and feel.
  • Skiing — I want to do some more skiing this winter. I have a pair of skis and really enjoy the sport.
  • Church — I want for us to find a church home where we both enjoy going each week. I would like to join a small group and get involved with some volunteer opportunities.
  • Appraiser’s License — I’d love to get my appraiser’s license to become more knowledgeable about the real estate market and property values. It’s so hard to find someone in the industry to shadow in order to get the certification hours needed, but it’s a dream of mine.

2018’s Word

I really thought my word for this year was going to be something different. I had a nice, neat easy one all picked out. But this word Assertive has been creeping into my mind lately. And this is not a word I like or would freely choose, but I can’t quite shake it. Assertive makes me cringe. It sounds pushy, competitive and aggressive. Which I am 100% not cool with. But I have been in certain situations lately where I’ve been called to rise to the occasion. So I looked up the definition and got this:

confidentself confidentbolddecisiveassuredself-assuredself-possessedforthrightfirmemphaticauthoritativestrong-willedforcefulinsistentdeterminedcommanding;

 

 

 

 

 

2017 Reading List

New for this year, I’m attaching my reading list from the past 12 months. Here’s a breakdown of the genres, and I have a brief explanation for each title below.

Spiritual: 9

Business: 6

Psychology: 6

Fiction: 4

Health: 3

Historical/Autobiographical: 2

Science: 1

 

 

Virtually a classic at this point, revolutionizing the way we think about the stuff we own.

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