What I Learnt in 2017

I remember last year I did a resolutions posts on my old blog. I was planning to revisit this post and do something similar this year but I knew what was going to happen. I was probably going to look at this page and be disappointed by all the things I promised I would do and did not achieve – when in fact, there are so many things I did that I am proud of in 2017 that weren’t even planned. So here’s what I learnt in 2017.

So I decided to scrap that post idea and think of something better. It took a while because I’ve been running low on inspiration (and time) lately but it’s back and I’m back. As most of you know, I spent most of 2017 living in Glasgow and I feel that this has helped me grow on so many different levels.

I’ve learnt not to make a big deal out of little things. You’ll obviously be disappointed when things don’t go your way. I don’t want to sound like I’m preaching here but I’ve learnt that there are so many things in life that you can be thankful for that it’s not worth crying over split beans. There are so many people who have real and troubling problems that, most times, my small, materialistic troubles seem insignificant.

My true fitness enjoyment is spinning. I’m a huge believer in finding what you enjoy doing and sticking to it. I do a lot of things at the gym but spinning is my passion and I feel all the stress and energy just flow out of me when I’m in a spining class. I should thank Pure Gym, Charing Cross for that. For a whole year, I went to their amazing spinning classes and they’re the reason why I’ve completely in love with the exercise. I searched high and low for similar classes in Malta. The award definitely goes to Fort Fitness. Thanks to them, I’m spinning my heart out on this tiny island as well.

Being in a financial crisis helped me to grow and be creative. The first few months in Glasgow, I was barely earning any money. I could only buy the bare essentials. No extravagant trips to Urban Outfitters were allowed. But that was a good thing. I didn’t realise it then but I know that now. I figured out the difference between want and need. I learnt that there are sacrifices that you need to make when you’re living on your own. It also helped me take my career a step further and think outside of the box. I might have missed out on a lot of fashion trends because I couldn’t afford to buy them but I gained so much insight and knowledge in return.

I learnt to be more social. The main thing that I miss about Scotland are the people. EVERYONE was so friendly and you could talk to absolutely anyone. I miss the feeling of being able to start up a conversation with a random barista at Starbucks. I’m not saying people in Malta are unfriendly but, let’s say, that sometimes they’re a rare species to find. I’m sometimes guilty of being in an introvert mood too but I’m trying to be more aware of it and be more friendly to people. Start up a conversation with a stranger. Even a random smile (but not the creepy kind) will do the trick. There’s no harm done in being kind.

Finally, I’ve figures out the importance of finding yourself. I’m not going to bore you with this one because I’ve talked about it here and here. Basically, I can’t stop stressing it enough. Make the time to think about yourself and what YOU need. It’s so important to start loving yourself. So, if it’s the end of January and you’re still thinking about your resolutions, make this your NUMBER ONE priority.

Did you make any resolutions this year? How are they going? I’d love to know!