8 Life Lessons From 2017

2017 was a strange year, it threw us a few curve balls, not as many as some of my dear friends but a few anyway.

It taught me more and more about how to navigate through tough times, or seemingly tough times.

Sometimes You Have To Wait

How many times have you tried to push forward with something only to be held back by circumstances or events?  My husband says, ‘you can’t open a closed door’ and he’s right.  Sometimes you just have to wait for ‘things’ to align and for things to fall into place.  It’s hard to do this as you’re often desperately trying to figure out where life is taking you and wanting things to happen at your own (frantic) pace.  It can be frustrating.  I’ve learnt that you have to take a step back sometimes and let life unfold, in its own, sweet time.  Sometimes you have to do nothing.

Shit Happens All Together

The saying goes something like this, ‘when it rains, let it rain’.  In January, we had 3 shit things happen in the space of 2 to 3 weeks.  At times like this, I want to actually hide away from life as I’m scared of what will happen next.  However, as much as we like to control the events in our lives, often we can’t and we have to just sit tight.

Shit times don’t last, great times don’t last.  Enjoy the great times, weather the storms.

You’ve Got To Put Yourself Out There

2017 was the year of many firsts for me.  I put myself out there!  My new business started in the summer, I went out of my comfort zone most days.  It felt scary; I felt vulnerable.

I decided to just approach things head on.  If I felt nervous about doing something, I did it anyway.  Everything that scared me, I began to slowly master.  Taking small steps, I learnt, is key.

Nurture Yourself

With setting up a business comes the desire to spend every waking second on it but this leads to utter burnout.  Self-care has become much more important to me.  Time out to stop, pause and re-boot.  Learning to say ‘no’ more often and learning to prioritise where I need to spend my time are big learnings this year.

Celebrate The Small Stuff

I had a mentoring call with a lovely lady who asked about what I had done this year.  I focused largely on what I hadn’t done and not on all the amazing things I had done.  She asked me to take some time to focus on my achievements, no matter how small.  So, I’m asking you to do the same thing.  By all means, keep creating your to-do-lists however create a ‘Done’ list and relish in the moment.

I’m Not Always Confident But That’s OK

The same lady also said I was lacking in confidence in some areas and I replied, ‘but I have a blog about confidence!’  And I then realised that it’s ok to not always feel sure about yourself all the time and to admit to that.  We’re all learning as we go.  We all have moments of utter self-doubt.

Life Doesn’t Turn Out As You Expected

This is one of my favourite things about life.  I remember when I was younger thinking about what I was going to be and going to do, when I was older.  And it never really turned out as expected; often life turned out better.  This year has been the same (bar the curve balls).

I started out in one direction and ended up going another.  I realised the direction I was going and had planned to go in, wasn’t probably the right route and I had to do a ‘life-detour’.

Be Thankful For Your Health

I’ve had a few health issues this year that have thankfully turned out to be nothing.  I feel as though I’ve had many parts of my body prodded and poked!  Some of my lovely friends have been seriously ill and have had such a hard year.  My heart goes out to them.  So, be thankful for your health, make the most of it, look after yourself but have fun as well.

Goodbye 2017, hello 2018!