My 2017 Achievements

One thing I look forward to at the beginning of a new year is reflecting on my past achievements.

I always like to look back on what goals I’ve hit to propel me forward and keep motivating me on those “I don’t feel like it” days. Doing this has done me wonders and has taught me to learn to celebrate more.

I started writing down my goals, but honestly, I feel like I can never finish my new year’s goals until the previous 365 days are 100% complete.

Now, I’m not writing this blog post about my 2017 achievements to show off. The sole purpose of this post is for me to look back one day, see where it all started and the progress I’ve made both personally and professionally.

I feel like I’ve achieved a lot more this year than previous years.

My focus on staying consistent and keeping things simple really paid off so here are my 2017 achievements:

1. One of my top achievements this year was purposefully staying off social media for the most part and being more present in my own life. It’s funny because my best friend’s family asked me during our Christmas get together where I was on Facebook this year. For people to notice really says that I really focused on being present. To me, being present is not just about being present with others, but being in the moment with myself.
2. I stepped into who I am. As I studied more and more of God’s word, I started to really understand who God made me to be. Now, I can’t say that I’m there 100%, but I will say that I’m way more in tune with who God says I am than ever before.
3. I kept things simple. When it came to my goals, I decided to scale back on the amount of goals to set to keep myself from feeling overwhelmed. And keeping things simple paid off. I stayed focused, consistent, and hit goals like I never imagined.
4. Clearing my life of clutter was so helpful. I kept myself from logging on to Facebook too much for the very reason that so much of my news feed is full of negativity. In addition to protecting my mind, I cleared out physical things. Living with less stuff feels SO good.
5. I didn’t beat myself up for missing days at the gym. Going to the gym consistently didn’t happen for me until October. I kept myself from feeling guilty all year by being extremely aware of my emotions. Knowing I did my best and the fact that I didn’t guilt trip myself helped me to stay consistent.
6. I intentionally took steps to learn and grow. Attending a stewardship class and conferences on identity and healing in addition to reading personal development books and Bible plans fed my mind, healed my heart, and empowered me.
7. Trusting myself in making professional decisions with my blog was a huge accomplishment for me. Many times, I felt uneasy and wanted to say yes to every opportunity that popped up in my inbox. However, I wanted to remain true to my voice and brand. I said no to a lot of opportunities that didn’t fit the SSD brand.
8. Putting myself out there to meet new people was another personal achievement. I love blogging, but I have a hard time with the meeting-new-people part of blogging. Actually, that part is hard for me in general. If I’ve interacted with someone online before, it’s easy to meet them in person. However, if I don’t know the person, it’s hard to strike up a conversation. I also know this has to do with my self-confidence. This year, I made it a point to take baby steps and started volunteering at church in the guest welcome area. I wanted to push myself to talk to people I didn’t know and practice asking questions to keep conversations interesting. Meeting people with confidence has gotten easier for me, but I’m not there 100% yet.
9. I refrained from buying a lot of things. This is a big thing for my 2017 achievements. For me, it’s big because I’m learning about quality over quantity and need versus want. With all the sales that happened this year, I’m proud of myself for dramatically reducing my impulse buying.
10. For my first year of blogging, I partnered with many brands and businesses such as Clotheshorse Anonymous, Smile Brilliant, Metal Mingle, CORE Water and Talbots. I’m so blessed to have been able to work with these brands and thankful for them giving me a chance!

For my first year of blogging as a professional, I’m so proud of my personal and professional growth. I cannot wait to see who I meet, what brands I’ll work with, and what all great and positive things 2018 will bring!

What are your 2017 achievements? I’d love to hear it in the comments below!

Inspiration for today’s post, goes to my favorite vlogger, Lydia. Her most recent blog post really inspired me respond to her post and take an assessment of my own achievements. Most of all, I learned that it’s okay to be proud of myself and the work I’ve done and achieved.