2018 Wrap-Up

Happy 2019!! I want to keep with tradition (that I started last year) by doing some fun lists/reflections, but at the end, I still get a little more serious. It's still in list/questionnaire form, but the topics are a little heavier. I'm glad that I decided to turn this space more like a digital diary than a serious blog with curated pictures. I'm glad it reflects my highlights now, and things I did with friends, family, and loved ones that warmed my heart. In 2019, I'm excited to make my new reading list and see what comes. Cheers to 2018, and welcome to 2019. Let's do this thing!

FUN SECTION

Top Adventures

1. Roadtripping to/from Florida - this also includes going to the Dry Tortugas, one of the most adventurous things I've done.

2. Walking around Chicago by myself. So much fun, but I had to work up a lot of courage to do it.

3. Starting my own Coaching business!!

4. Pretty much every day I started a conversation with my co-workers.

5. Going hiking with my friend, Julie. We hadn't hung out in over a year, and it was nice to reconnect with her.

Top TV Shows

1. Into Alaska

2. The Goldbergs

3. The Crown

Top Movies

1. Bohemian Rhapsody

2. I Feel Pretty

3. Hostiles

4. Only the Brave

5. Coco

Top Songs

1. One Foot by Walk the Moon

2. No Promises by Cheat Codes feat. Demi Lovato

3. All Night by Big Boi

4. I Like Me Better by Lauv

5. I Fall Apart by Post Malone

6. Happier by Marshmello and Bastille

7. No Brainer by DJ Khaled feat. Quavo, Justin Bieber, and Chance the Rapper

8. I Like It by Cardi B, Bad Bunny, and J. Balvin

9. Stay a Little Longer by Brothers Osborne

10. Superposition by Young the Giant

The following questions are taken from Melissa Ambrosini, and are part of the SERIOUS SECTION.

For 2018

What were the 3 best things that happened over this past year?

1. Learning how to love myself better.

2. Being moved out of an office and into a cubicle.

3. Choosing to be more active.

What have you achieved/what are you most proud of?

- I took the plunge and started my own Coaching business through Beachbody. That was a huge step in and of itself because it asks me to post and show up on social media every day. I am accountable not only to myself, but to those who are cheering me on in my health journey.

What have you learned?

- I've learned that I've tucked who I really am (a super bubbly, super weird person) deep, deep down as a way of fitting in or making myself go unnoticed or coming across as smarter or as a way of taking up less space, etc. Once I realized that, it was a little bit of a struggle to come to terms with it, but I've also been trying my best to reconnect with that super bubbly, super weird person and not apologize for who she is. It's something I'm continuously working on, but that's also exciting too.

What have been your top 3 biggest realizations/lessons?

1. I need to reconnect with who I really am.

2. Being patient and kind can really change the outcome of a tense situation.

3. Baby steps are important and deserve recognition.

How have you grown?

- I used to think that the only progress was the kind of progress where you saw massive differences, whether that be getting on the scale and seeing a loss of three pounds in a week, or cutting what you ate in half, etc. But probably one of the biggest ways in which I've grown is realizing that baby steps are really, really important. In doing workouts that are heavier on cardio, I would stop within 10 seconds of starting or I would skip them altogether. But even just being able to make it five additional seconds started becoming a huge victory to me, even though it's small in the overall course of my day. NOW, every little forward progress is a reason to celebrate. I've grown in other ways too, but this is one way that particularly sticks out.

What do you want to let go of? For example, an old limiting belief, a job, a person, a situation, a

pattern, a painful memory, resentment, hurt or a behavior you are still holding onto?

- I want to let go of guilt I have about a specific situation that I'm not going to go into detail about, but it's been weighing on me for probably a year a more.

What limiting inner Mean Girl beliefs do you want to let go of?

- That I'm not pretty enough.

- That I'm not funny, or cool, enough.

- That I'm too weird/too awkward to fit in.

- That I'm not smart enough.

- That I'm not athletic enough to wear certain clothes, do certain activities, be certain places.

What would you like to stop doing from last year?

- Hiding myself/trying to go unnoticed.

Describe 2018 in 3 words?

1. Challenging

2. Uncomfortable

3. Supportive

What are you most grateful for from this year?

- Coming to a better understanding of myself through A LOT of effort and time and reflection. It felt almost like a selfish year, but I think it was completely necessary as I enter my thirtieth decade to be comfortable with myself and aware of who I am/what my standards and ideals are.

For 2019

What are 6 words to best describe how you want to feel in 2019?

1. Strong

2. Present

3. Focused

4. Loving/Loved

5. Grateful

6. Patient

What are 1-3 health goals you would like to achieve?

1. Be able to do burpees for a minute without feeling winded.

2. Be able to do ONE pull-up.

3. Limit my portions/continue working on intuitive eating.

What are 1-3 career goals you would like to achieve?

1. Make at least two rank advancements in my Coaching business.

2. Set up a table at one local craft show and sell canned goods.

3. Get a title change at my office job.

What are 1-3 financial goals you would like to achieve?

1. Pay off another credit card.

2. Have more in savings than one of paychecks.

3. Implement the 30-day wait period before purchasing things.

What are 1-3 self love goals you would like to achieve?

1. Instilling more deeply that my worth does not equal how I look.

2. Instilling more deeply that I am loved regardless of my size.

3. Instilling more deeply that the approval of others is not needed for personal fulfillment/happiness.

What are 1-3 relationship goals you would like to achieve?

1. Become more comfortable with my co-workers.

2. Become more emotionally available to my in-laws.

3. Talk more to God.

Do you want to travel this year? If yes, where do you want to go? Be as specific as possible.

- I do want to travel this year. I'm not sure it will happen, but I would love to go to Maine/PEI/Boston during the summer with my husband. I also want to visit my sister-in-law and her husband in Chattanooga this summer. I would love to go to Niagara Falls. Side note: I also want to get my passport updated with my married name, and get Robby one too.

What are 2-3 hobbies that you would like to explore and make more time for next year?

1. Learning Spanish.

2. Hiking.

3. Yoga.

What will you commit to not doing in 2019?

- Overeating.

What will you make more time for?

- Family.

How do you want to do things differently next year?

- I want to break up things that seem really daunting into smaller, easier-to-accomplish tasks so that I can achieve them without feeling so much intimidation.

Create your 2019 Self Love Menu. What are 10 things you can add to your self love menu to fill yourself up?

1. Go for a walk.

2. Do some Yoga.

3. Forgive.

4. Sit still for 10 minutes.

5. Take a bath.

6. Call my mom or my grandparents.

7. Hug my husband or my pets.

8. Be grateful.

9. Cook a meal using fresh ingredients.

10. Water the plants.

What does your ideal morning routine look like? Be as specific as possible.

- I wake up around 4:30-5 AM, make my pre-workout or coffee, change into my workout clothes, and do my morning devotion/journaling, and personal development. Do one to two things around the house, like loading/unloading the dishwasher or cleaning a part of the bathroom. Exercise, walk Chip, then shower and get ready for work.

What does your ideal day look like?

- Ideally, I'm working from home on a flexible schedule. I have time to go for an afternoon walk with my dog, pick up my house, and run errands whenever I need to. I can shut off for the day by 4 PM.

What does your self-loving night time ritual look like?

- Putting my phone away at least an hour before I go to sleep. Reading. Snuggling with my pets. Following a better nighttime skincare routine.

How can you give more to yourself next year? What would that look like specifically?

- Tightening the reins on my spending so I can pay off debt, and reading books I already own. Spending more time outside in nature. Using my hands to continue growing/cooking/making my own food. Reading more things that lead me to God.

What is one word you want to describe 2019?

- Love.