And that's a wrap!
The
year 2019 came and went, and now is time to reflect on everything i
have learned this year. All these things I have learned through
experiences, self-reflection, difficult times but also times where
everything fell back into place for a while. There has been a lot of
great things that have happened to me this year personally, with a
few drawbacks - because there is no such thing as a perfect life.
Admittedly, it has also been a pretty relaxed year, with no major
shift in my mindset. I think I have accomplished my biggest mental
and personal growth in my early 20s, and now that I am halfway
through I just gotta adjust to whatever comes my way and get on with
things!
THE LESSONS I LEARNED IN 2019
You
can't be at 100% every day, and that's okay.
This
year I have really learned (without big revelation, just slowly and
confidently) that one should not expect to be at their maximum all
the time. However strong your motivation is, your body may not
follow; or one day you just wake up with big plans but no will to
accomplish them at all. Instead of beating myself up like I would do
some years ago, I decided to embrace the fact that no one is perfect
and that whatever I don't achieve one day, I can easily achieve
another time. Save yourself the guilt and use your time to take care
of yourself and get yourself back to the right place and mindset!
You
will always have so many wonderful opportunities.
Here,
I am talking about opportunities in any shape or form. The
opportunity to meet new people, to say yes to events you would have
never thought you'd experience, to visit new places just because you
say "why not" and give them a chance; the opportunity to
expand your horizons, professionally and personally. The me of
January 2019 would never have guessed where the me of December 2019
would be - and I'm the first to be surprised at what I have seen and
done this year! I decided to visit Budapest on a whim and found one
of my favourite cities ever, I did a Skype job interview without any
expectations, not knowing that I would end up getting the job and
love it and everything it's bringing me - and I could go on! If you
haven't had the best time recently, just remember that things change,
and if you find yourself in a pit, there will be forces helping you
back up again.
Sometimes,
good things do come to those who wait.
I
typically have a can-do attitude and always encourage people do get
out and do things for themselves, earning what they get and so on,
but this year I've realised that sometimes you just gotta wait:
things you never thought would come through your own great work, will
come anyways even though you may have lost all hope. Last June I was
desperate for a new job. My teacher job in London was only a one-year
contract and was ending soon, and I could not for the life of me find
another teaching position. I applied to one that I really wanted, and
didn't get it after the interview. I got a position that, after the
interview, I realised I didn't really want to take. I didn't know
whether I would stay in London or move back to France. That time was
really tough for me, because I was at a crossroads in the dark and
not matter the efforts I put into finding another job, there was
nothing. Eventually, in July, I got my present job in Paris - after
an interview that I thought would not lead to anything. It just
happened. So it's okay if sometimes you feel like you're just in the
waiting room. A door will open eventually. Just keep your spirits up!
You
never know where you will end up, so there's no use planning tomorrow
like it's gonna be your only definite plan.
When
we are at "critical" times, i.e. between jobs, moving
cities or having changes in our relationships with loved ones, we may
feel like the direction we're taking, voluntarily or not, is the one
that we'll be following for the rest of our life. Like there's no
going back, changing your mind, twists and turns and new
opportunities. When I was looking for a new job, instead of seeing my
horizons open up, I saw them narrow down. Each idea I had for the
near future suddenly blocked me and I kept thinking like any decision
I was going to take then would put me in a box for the next decade.
Now, isn't that a terrible way of seeing things?
I
was planning my whole life (or at least a good chunk of it) based on
one choice, one move, one big change. But actually, there are plenty
of other big changes, expected and unexpected, which will shape my
life anyway. I will take new decisions, new directions, that may lead
me to places I never thought I would be. Don't get me wrong, there is
some good in looking ahead and planning for success (otherwise, how
would one accomplish their goals and dreams?) but this year I have
learned that not every day, every month and every year will bring me
new things, good and bad, and that no matter how much I feel like I
am planning tomorrow right now, life finds its way to surprise us
with what we have not planned.
Now, doesn't that make the new year sound like an empowering adventure to take on? Let's do this!
What have you learned about yourself or the world around you in 2019?
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♥
