Stephylately at Kololi Beach in Gambia
The year is pretty much ending and amongst the festivities and hopes for 2019, I think it’s important for me to look back over the past twelve months. Not only to give myself a pat on the back, as we all deserve one of those for getting through another year, but to look at the lessons I’ve learned before I start to jump head first into what I hope 2019 will be like.
SHOP THE POST
It’s always a huge mixture of feelings for me towards the end of a year. So not only do I want to see what lessons 2018 has taught me, I want to sit back with a hot brew, take a deep breath and allow myself this time to look back over a successful year before celebrating the start of the next!
I HAVE A LOT TO BE THANKFUL FOR
Life is great, and I really do have an abundance to be thankful for. For a safe warm place to live, for friends and family that offer me unconditional support. This doesn’t mean I don’t have the right to have ups and downs, we all experience a rollercoaster of emotions and nothing should ever undermine the way we feel in that moment, but perspective is always a beautiful thing. One thing I’ve done this year, that I would like to give myself time to do even more so in the next, is to have a brief moment at the end of a day to think about what I’m grateful for. Even the most basic of things can lift you up and make you realise just how great life is.
SELF DEVELOPMENT IS KEY
Inspired by my Mr, I started listening to a handful of self- development books on audible. Now, unlike most people, reading physical books for me takes longer than listening to them so when I got onto audible, I managed to listen to 3 books in one week. The first book which was an eye-opener was “The Chimp Paradox”. Why? Before listening to the book, I had a vague idea about how my brain works. However, after The Chimp Paradox, it was easier to understand how my mind works as the author simplified it into 3; Human, Chimp and computer.
One of the secrets of success and happiness is to learn to live with your Chimp and not get bitten or attacked by it. To do this, you need to understand how your Chimp behaves, and why it thinks and acts in the way that it does. You also need to understand your Human and not muddle up your Human with your Chimp…I won’t spill the beans so why not get the book and be amazed at what you discover about your mind.
THERE IS SO MUCH MORE TO ACHIEVE
Graduation was indeed an achievement, but the journey doesn’t end there. The journey is never-ending. Starting my career is another journey that I
YOU DON’T NEED SOMEONE TO FULFIL YOU
I love my family, boyfriend and friends. However, something I did realise this year is that you really don’t need another person in your life to make you whole. I used to be and still am a little bit, scared of going to events etc alone but you really don’t need to have someone by your side all the time. With boyfriends too, you really don’t need someone. It’s nice to have someone, but you are full and enough without them. Remember, you are your own person.
I used to wait for my wholeness to be defined by connections, now I choose to be a whole despite them. Who is in my life and who decides not to show up, does not reflect how full or empty I am. The keys to my wholeness are firmly in my grip.
What has 2018 taught you? Can’t wait to discuss this with you!
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