Lessons I Learned in 2019

Every one has their own lessons to learn in life, but here are a few lessons that I learned in 2019.

Don't wait for the perfect moment. Take a moment and make it perfect.

We have all heard this life lesson before but this year it hit home how true it is. This year I realised that if you wait for an opportunity to come and knock on your door, it will often just pass by. Opportunities love doors that are opened for them, so open up your damn door and call them over.

Time spent waiting for the perfect moment can be much better spent making the most of moment your created. Don't sit back and expect things to be handed to you on a silver platter, work for the things that you want and you will be rewarded for your efforts.

Don't do things at the last minute.

We have all been there, starting a project too late or postponing a work task because you think that you have more time. At the time you think that you are capable of doing it at the last minute but the reality is that more often than not you aren't. Leaving things for the last minute means a that what ever you have procrastinated is rushed and stressful. Finish the task early because it will most likey make you feel more organised.

Stop over-organising.

I am so obsessed with finding the best way to organise my life that I end up trying to many different ways of organising a single (simple) task and confusing myself. This coming year I am going to focus on analysing and trying out an organisation method fully before moving on to another to find the one that works best for my lifestyle.

Spend more time with friends.

I am very comfortable heading home after a long day and skipping after work drinks, or spending a night in my PJs on the couch flicking through Netflix. I definitely spent more time with friends this year and made some great memories but I wish I did more. In 2020 I am going to focus more on becoming a yes man and proactively inviting friends out.

Other opinions don't actually matter.

It has taken me a very long time to learn to stop caring about other peoples opinions. While I am not completely worry free I am definitely a lot more confident in myself than the past few years. I have slowly learnt to be more comfortable with who I am and in my own decisions that even if someone judges or teases me, I don't care. It speaks more about them than it does about me and I think that's the important lesson to take away from this - it's not you, it's them.

Let go of the unnecessary.

2018 taught me a big lesson - to let things that don't matter go. A New years Resolution trend that I have noticed for the past 2 or 3 years is to let go of things that add no value in your life, that are unnecessary but many don't stick to it. The year starts off strong; unsubscribing from mailing lists, decluttering contacts, closets, and crockery but this year I kept this up throughout the year.

I am not only talking about physical items, I am also taking about emotions and people. If you have someone in your life that is not adding any value then it is time to say goodbye (be nice about it though, we are all just human). 🙂

Pursue your passion.

My passion is blogging (as well as a few other creative things), and for a year I completely forgot about it. I became so preoccupied with the stress of life that I stopped thinking of pursuing my passions. Towards the end of the year I blogged as much as I possibly could because it made my life more interesting and I felt fulfilled.

I would say you should pursue your passions as much as you can and develop them into something great because it will make your life more interesting and fulfilled.

My health became more of a priority.

Starting off 2019, I had already been a vegetarian for a year but this year I wanted to focus on eating a more balanced vegetarian diet and move onto a more plant-based* eating plan. While I have not completely cut out animal by-products I am very proud of how far Dillon and I have come this year in terms of our eating plan.

But health comes in all forms, it's not just eating healthy or going to the gym. It's the doctor checkups you keep postponing, it remembering to take your medication or nutritional supplements in the morning

*Disclaimer: I get a lot of judgement for eating a plant-based in a country whose meals focus around meat, but the vegan diet is not only better suited to my dietary requirements and food intolerances, but it is also better suited to my ethical views. I am not pushing my views onto anyone else and your eating plan is your prerogative and that's the last I will say of it.

Learn to tell the truth regardless of the outcome.

The truth will set you free. How often have you heard this saying? It's true. Telling the truth makes you feel like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders.

Always sing along to your favourite song.

I don't know about you, but singing makes me feel happy. Except when I stop at a light and notice that the person in the car next to me is awkwardly watching me belt out my favourite tune.

Who cares though? Are you ever really going to see that person again. The answer is no, so it really shouldn't matter what they think of you in that moment as long as you are having fun.

Stop overthinking.

I am guilty of overthinking everything in life, and it always leads me down a dark path towards anxiety. This past year I focussed a lot on trying to find out why I overthink and how to stop myself from doing it. and I have managed to find a few reasons why. Once I found out why I was overthinking it was easy to focus on telling myself that it would be okay and that the overthinking wasn't necessary.

Do more self care.

This is an important one, and one that I often neglect. How many times do you say to yourself, "oh, I would love a go for a massage soon" and you never end up going? That's me. A busy lifestyle means that I don't have time to even think about caring for myself - I always just want to get things done regardless of the toll it might be taking on me.

Just go for that massage, or put on a face mask and grab a glass of wine, or even have a bubble bath, it will give you the opportunity to step away from your busy life and clear your thoughts.

Learn to say no.

I am an overachieving 'Yes Man'. I will say yes to anything and everything if it will make the person that is asking me happy. I spent a large part of 2019 learning about myself, and becoming stronger so that I can do things for myself, like saying 'No' when it needs to be said. Don't just say yes to something if it going to affect who you are, what you do, and how you do it. Trust in yourself enough to say no to something that doesn't sit right with you.

Take more pictures.

Take more pictures - I am terrible with this. When phones were a new thing or I got a new camera, it was cool to take a picture but the idea and fun dies down very quickly. I like to travel and the best way to relive the memory is a photo.

trust me, when you look back on some of the best moments of your life, you're gonna regret not taking any/enough pictures to remember them by. of course, im not saying you should only focus on the quality of pictures and miss out on the moment. just make sure you have some kind of a visual representation of it. also, don't take those pictures just to post them on social media, in my opinion it kind of ruins the beauty and uniqueness of the moment.

Step away from gossip.

This is a hard one. There is a fine line between conversation about someone and gossip, and often that then is so blurred that you end up slipping into gossip without even realising it. No one likes to be gossiped about, but we all love to hear the gossip.