What I Learnt From 2018

It’s that time of year where I like to sit down and reflect about the past twelve months that have whisked by – not for the purpose of a new year resolution but with the intention of learning more and more about myself and those around me each year.

I feel that 2018 has been a quiet but meaningful year – I tamed my travel bug way too many times, I’ve made mistakes and learnt from them, I worked with so many talented people and made friends along the way. That’s not to say that all was plain sailing in 2018 – I was hurt by people and, at times, I was also the one doing the hurting, I suffered the consequences of my mistakes and I had more anxiety attacks than I would have liked. But I’m here, I’m alive, and me and the people around me, are healthy and happy – in the end, that’s all that matters.

I’ve learnt that I want to become the healthiest version of myself

Year after year, I try to make this a priority because I strongly believe that you cannot pour from an empty cup. Taking care of yourself first is not selfish, it’s essential. I learnt that by loving myself more, I have more love to give – to the ones around me, to my work and to life in general.

I’ve learnt that I NEED to budget

Ok – my boyfriend made me realise that I need to learn how to budget. We need to save up for exciting projects in 2019 and I definitely couldn’t do this with my nasty habits of online shopping. So we sat down, created an excel sheet (I HATE excel sheets!) and the new me was born. I’m still adjusting so I can’t say that I mastered the art of budgeting as yet but I’ll get there.

I’ve learnt that I’m not invincible and I don’t have to be

We can do anything but not everything all at once. This is a lesson that I’ve learnt the hard way in 2018. I found myself struggling, trying to keep up with everything – my work, my freelance work, my blog, my friends, my family, living a healthy lifestyle, walking the dog. While I know that there are so many people who can do all of this, and more – I’ve learnt that sometimes, I simply cannot have it or do it all and that’s ok. We’re all human after all and self-care is the most important thing.

I’ve learnt that I should be giving myself more credit

I seem to learn this lesson, only to forget it again a few weeks later but I’m still trying to make it a priority. I have a tendency of missing out on opportunities, simply because, I’ve never tried it before and because I think others have done it better than what I could potentially do. In 2018, I tried to convince myself that no one knows what they’re doing until they’ve actually tried. I plan to think more like this in 2019.

I’ve learnt that I have so much to be thankful for

My family, my friends, my health, my beautiful surroundings – I’ve learnt that we should all appreciate our lives more because it can be taken away from us at any second. Life is too short to hold grudges. Appreciate every single moment.

What have you learnt in 2018? Do you have any new year’s resolutions? Let me know! 

Top: Asos // Jeans: Urban Outfitters // Bum Bag: Missguided // Necklace: Sterling Jewellers