IT'S ALMOST THE NEW YEAR! There's 3 days left of 2017 - can you believe it? This year absolutely flew by! It was an interesting year. I turned 18; I started writing my second book; I began volunteering at the library and at my church; I FOUND A CHURCH, FINALLY; I began making new friends, and I grew as a Christian! YAY! I feel as if I grew a lot this year, and I'm happy with the person I'm becoming.
SO! Every year I make goals and resolutions. I like having goals to work towards: goals that will challenge me, push me and motivate me. I like having something to work towards; I like feeling as if I'm getting somewhere, and I like having things I can measure my progress against. I made several goals this year, and I actually accomplished most of them. WHO EVEN AM I?! I'm so proud of myself!
I tend to make the same goals every January, but this year I feel as if I actually made an effort to accomplish them throughout the year, and I did (mostly). In 2018, I will have these same goals, but I will chase them even more so then I did this year. What were the goals, you ask? It was this:
1. Be a better Christian ✅
2. Get As in my exams ✅
3. Improve my anxiety ✅
1. It's only the past two months I feel as if I'm really becoming the Christian I always hoped I'd be. I'm nowhere near where I want to be, but I feel as if I'm on the right track. I've always wanted a close relationship with God; I've always wanted to be involved in a church, read my Bible more and live more like Jesus. And you know what? I'M DOING EXACTLY THAT! YAY! I've made Bible study a priority in my life. So every day, I'll either use a Bible study method to work through a specific verse and then read a few chapters; or I'll listen to a sermon to help me understand the book in the Bible I'm currently studying; or I'll do some Bible reading and writing in my prayer journal. I'm absolutely lovely delving into the Word and getting to know God more. We also found a church (thank you, God!) and I LOVE IT. I've made a few friends there, and I volunteer at their cafe every Tuesday - it's wonderful!
2. Well, I half accomplished this. Although I didn't get an A in my maths exam, I'm still proud of my mark. I know I put in a lot of effort, and (after receiving my exam paper back), I know that it was mainly method marks I was losing. I understood the work, and I was getting the right answers, but I wasn't answering in the way the examiners expected me to; hence, I lost marks.
I got a high mark in my English paper, though, that I'm so proud of! I spent a lot of time on past papers, writing essays and then perfecting the areas that needed work. I'm happy all the hard work paid off.
3. My anxiety has improved so much this year. I went to a homeopath who gave me natural remedies to take, and they have helped so much! At the beginning of the year, I couldn't walk to town without having a panic attack. Now? I walk to town every day and actually enjoy it. At the beginning of the year, I couldn't do cardio workouts, because it triggered my anxiety. Now? I do ballet once a week as well as boxing workouts at home. I'm able to walk around town with my friends, stay on my own and go to places without my parents...I couldn't do that last year. I'm so incredibly grateful that I'm feeling much better! I still get bad days (in fact, I'm really struggling with my anxiety at the moment) but I'm so much better and that makes me very happy.
I also resolved to do certain things in 2017...and this is where things go slightly pear-shaped.
1. Eat less sugar ✅
2. Get back into pilates ✅
3. Meditate ❌
4. Get to sleep earlier ❌
5. Create a blogging schedule and stick to it ❌ (hahahaha, wishful thinking at its finest)
Okay, so I didn't do as great here...but 2018 is a chance to try again, right?
1. I've definitely decreased the amount of sugar I ate this year, especially the past few months. *tries not to think about all the mince pies and Christmas cake I've consumed the past few weeks*
Besides this month, I've done pretty well with controlling my sugar intake. Instead of eating milk chocolate during the week, I have one or two blocks of dark Lindt chocolate. On weekends, I try not to eat too much normal chocolate. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I don't. In 2018 I want to try to control the amount of sugar I eat on weekends, because sometimes I go slightly overboard when Friday hits.
2. I HAVE ACCOMPLISHED THIS GOAL. This year, I've not only done pilates but I've also started doing ballet and cardio workouts. I do 45-60 minute boxing workouts at home, as well as other cardio workouts. I'M SO PROUD OF MYSELF. I tend to slack towards the end of every month though, so next year I want to try to exercise consistently every month.
3. There were months I was good with this...but they were few and far between.
4. LOOOOOOOOOOOL. I think I need to accept the fact that I'm not an early sleeper. I DON'T LIKE SLEEP. That being said, I will still try to get into a decent sleeping routine next year. As long as I'm trying that's a good thing, right?
5. I've been saying this since I first started my blog nearly 6 years ago, BUT I'LL KEEP TRYING. Maybe next year will be the year I get all my mess together, but I won't hold my breath. Especially as I'm going to be super busy with studying the first half of the year, and (hopefully) super busy working the second half of the year. Oh well, may the odds be ever in my favour.
So, all in all, I'm really proud with the goals I accomplished this year! I'm so ready to make 2018 a year filled with personal growth, accomplishments, happiness, family and friends. How did you do with your goals in 2017?