This is question #13 of the Year End Countdown Challenge held in Dec 2012, where we count down to the new year with 13 reflective questions. The challenge is now over but you can do the tasks in your own time. Visit the overview page for all the challenge tasks.
Welcome, welcome, and welcome to the 2013 Countdown Challenge! I’m Celes and I’m your host for this challenge. Thank you for reading this and being on board with me! :D140 180 official participants (and counting). So why can’t you join us in this wonderful end-of-year reflection and 2013 countdown?I look forward to seeing you sign up. :D Again, sign up here:
https://personalexcellence.co/blog/2013countdown-challenge/#signup
Welcome, welcome, and welcome to the 2013 Countdown Challenge! I’m Celes and I’m your host for this challenge. Thank you for reading this and being on board with me! :DHave You Signed Up Yet?
Just because you are reading this or receiving this email does NOT mean you are signed up for the challenge. You have to officially sign up by way of the three steps here: https://personalexcellence.co/blog/2013countdown-challenge/#signupWhy sign up? I know from past challenges that some “participants” do not sign up. Instead, they observe the challenge by the wayside, skim through the daily tasks (since they are on the newsletter), pick the ones they feel like reading, and jump in to post their comments when they feel like it.I can understand such behavior, but I don’t feel it’s good participation etiquette. I always feel if you want to do something, you commit yourself all the way. That’s what I do, and that is why I consistently get great results for what I do. If I do something, I commit myself 100%. If I decide not to do it, I will not do it. As simple as that.Wishy-washy, half-baked efforts will give you wishy-washy, half-baked results. Full commitment will get you to where you want to be. Pledge yourself for this 13-day countdown challenge and commit yourself to the 13 questions that are coming up. I’ve already committed myself to being in this challenge with you in the next 13 days, and so have over13 Days of Countdown, Starting Today! (Dec 19)
For the next 13 days, starting today (Dec 19), I will be posting one question a day pertaining the year of 2012 and how it has been for you. Your role is to reflect on this question each day and post your answers within the day itself.To mimic the countdown fashion, I will be posting each day’s question with a number. The first question will be numbered “13”. The second will be numbered “12”, and so on and so forth.. all the way till we reach “1” (Dec 31) and finally “0” (the final roundup day of the challenge).If you don’t know what I’m saying, no worries. Just reflect on and post your answers to the question I post each day. You’ll know what I’m saying soon enough! :DPlease Sign Up First Before You Proceed
Once again, please sign up at https://personalexcellence.co/blog/2013countdown-challenge/#signup before you proceed to the first question. Sign ups are 100% free. Signing up is something you do for yourself and also to the community as your pledge of commitment will spur others to commit themselves to this wonderful initiative too!2013 Countdown, Starting with Question #13…
The first question of the 2013 Countdown Challenge is:How has your year of 2012 been?
Your Task
- Reflect and answer today’s question. There’s no word limit – whether minimum or maximum. Write as few or as many words as you want. It’s all up to what you want to express!
- Share your answer. After you are done writing, copy and paste your answer in the comments area and post it there.
- Check out other participants’ answers. Other participants will be sharing their answers too, so feel free to read and reply to their answers. This is a community challenge, so let’s support each other in these 13 days leading up to the new year! :)
(Images: Field, Wheat field )
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Its been quite different from all my previous 18yrs i felt as if i was used by selfish ppl all around who never actually cared me….i don’t know till i realised that actually something like this can happen to me….
Huhh…bt m glad m out of it….nw i feel its adventurous to tackle with such cunning ppl…..i managed myself to get out the blind folded friendship confining it just to formalities….I’m feeling a bit matured now….this is the very imp thng tht i learnt in 2012!
Apart frm this I’ve gone through some ups and downs in my academics and learnt how to work it out
and i recently lost 1 of my dream opportunities to become a secretary in my hostel where i tried my level best but lost the chance due to lack of interaction with my seniors which i then realised how important friendly social interactions are….which i nvr felt so imp….hmm I’ll try to keep them up now
all these years i have been soo rude and angry with the people whom i felt were selfish mean nd etc bt cld nvr see their positive side nor tried to be tolerant abt their behaviour bt i realised my mistake NOW
hmm last bt nt least…..with all my experiences and realisations this year m able to keep my parents very Happy with my efforts not to be angry and depressed anymore (part of d credit definitely goes to ur anger series)
this will be a memorable year fr me
2012 has been a very hectic year – mainly good, some bad.
Good: I managed to achieve some things I never thought possible. I completed my TEFL, moved and worked abroad and went travelling around some places in Europe! I feel very proud of that and all I’ve achieved.
Bad (or, in some ways bad) – I left a relationship that wasn’t right for me, which of course is “good” in the long run, but was also very difficult. I ended up rebounding into an even worse relationship, and I must admit it was difficult for me to adjust to being single. It took about three months to adjust, and now I am very happy and comfortable in my new status – even preferring it, as I’m planning to travel and teach in 2013 too!
Sounds like you had a good year overall. There are sometimes bumps in the road, but these bumps are lessons.
Sounds like a bit of a rough time. Breakups are never easy. :( But sometimes for the best. Congratulations on your achievements!
Everything in life happens for a reason. Good luck with your future endeavours
Awesomesauce! That pretty much sums it up. Met some wonderful people :love: , joined some amazing groups :hug: and went to countless events :clap: . Summer was a bit of a bummer but what I’ve learned this year has been invaluable. I’d say what matters is how it turns out in the end and right now I’m the happiest I’ve ever been :) :angel:
Wow, sounds like you’ve had a really great year :) Congratulations. Lovely to see people so happy about their life :) Most people I know (including me ;) are always complaining).
My 2012 was a year filled with changing relationships and huge personal growth. I wanted to grow my business and the two people I had running the operation did not want to go in the direction I wanted to go, so I told them to leave the company. I had two more people later on the year do the same thing, they did not want to get with the new program and I told them to leave the company. Now all the people I have left are committed to the new plan for growth and opportunity. I also had a girlfriend who I truly loved and still do, however, we were and are not good for each other. With much pain and grief and still comes and goes, I also decided that I had to again change yet another relationship and again affecting my emotional life greatly. And still does, but I know we will both be happier people sometime in the future. I still cherish this person and I pray for her every day. And there is one more, my CPA of some 16 years, I also terminated this relationship because she was not property thinking and always grumpy. I am on a new path. There was and still is pain associated with the changes but the pain would have been worse had I stayed the course. I am ready for 2012 to be behind me and looking forward to a happier 2013 for everyone in my circle and influence. :rolleyes:
Hi Tom,
I’m not sure whether it applies to you here or not, but I’ve an interesting concept for you I’ve heard “instead of firing people out of the business fire them into the business”. What that means quite simply is find ways of inspiring and motivating them.
Hey Bob! That’s such an inspiring idea. Thanks so much for sharing it! :D
Well done Tom, i thinks its very hard to let relationships go, especially close or long term ones. But i agree with you that sometimes its for the best. Especially if it’s your business. I guess you really need your people to be reading off the same page as you. That’s just my view anyway!
Saying that though, I do believe that if you can REALLY get an employee to change their thinking to more along your way, then they can end up being your strongest supporters for life! Plus its better to have staff who will give their honest opinion on something. Better than YES MEN who just agree with everything and never offer new ideas and options. I’m talking myself round here!!
Best wishes for 2013
2012 has been a challenging year.
The big things that stand out: My husband was in the hospital four times; he almost died in November, and spent months in a wheelchair. Our son had nearly continuous symptoms of psychosis – and his wife left him and he returned home and his birth mother began to phone us when she was worried about him and then she began to phone because she apparently has no other friends.
We were able to travel some – to London in July, to Chicago in September. I continue to have work I love and to do it well. I had helpful people this year that made a big difference in how I coped, and I am sooo grateful for them.
My heart goes out to you. I hope your husband is recovering well. :(
Hi Everyone,
I’ve learnt more in the last 12 months that I have probably in the rest of my life.
Human relations, I have recently come to the conclusion thanks to Celes, that it is better to nurture relationships over a period of time and think of them as longterm lifetime experiences. Not only that, when I speak I try to contribute something that is worthy that adds value, building up a person or situation rather than the opposite.
My beliefs, are therefore my actions have lead me to where I am today. I have realised that they are quite restrictive and don’t help me at all in some areas of my life. I’ve been far to casual and not thought of the consequences of my actions over a period of time. I’m slowly correcting this by observing them on a daily basis.
Emotional maturity – age and maturity do not necessarily match. I have been following a way of behaving that comes from how I’ve been brought up. ie not to think or question just be a zombie or sleepwalker.
Active learner – by participating regularly in PE, I have not only increased my knowledge but gained useful insights on how others perceive ideas and concepts, especially Celes, thank you. I am now working on how to become as Active Learner as possible, I was really inspired by Celes’s article on “How To Increase Your Learning Multifold with This Simple “Hack” and the CONE OF LEARNING.
From PE quotes – Don’t walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don’t walk behind me I may not lead. Walk beside me and be my friend. – I love this quote, I am making it become part of me. There are plenty of gems in the quote section which I like to refer to often and each time I pick up a new perspective and a deeper insight.
These are just a few of the things I’ve summarised so far. Thank you Celes for being such a wonderful inspiration and having such an incredible website!
Bob, you are such a wonderful angel. You have been such an incredible pillar of support for me and the PE community and I’m really grateful for your presence and also your great hospitality when I was in Cambridge / London. Thanks for bringing the family along to both PE meetups in London – I still hold the London mug very dearly in my heart!! This has been such an incredible year for myself in part due to your existence and the others’ readers’ presence, so I really want to thank all of you for all that you’ve done, being there/here with me and all!
You are welcome Celes,
It was a pleasure to meet you.Thank you so much for being you Celes, with your deep insights, your love and your support.
Sounds like a year of great insights and growth, I had one of those last year and it’s really amazing what a difference those insights can make. Thank you for your inspiring comment :)
Pretty great actually. Left a workplace I wasn’t enjoying, find myself having more time to think about the future and have bought a big whiteboard to plan my short, medium and long term goals!
I have had some brilliant years in my life and whilst this wasn’t the greatest (neither was it one of the worst), it has helped me plan for future great ones! :)
For my 2012, it’s probably the most hardest decision making year of my life. This year I got a divorce from my wife, something I should have done a long time ago. Actually looking back at everything that has happened in the 20+ years we were together or the 9 years we were married, there were signs every few months that this was not a health relationship.
Unfortunately it took all this time to figure it out, but to be honest, I don’t think I would change it. Yes there are regrets, but things happen for a reason and I don’t want it to change how I became who I am today.
There are experiences that I have gone through. People I have met that I might not have, and I don’t what to even think about my life without some of the people I have met.
I am learning to let my past go, enjoying the good times I did have with my ex-wife, but those things will remain a memory. I am looking forward to making new memories from now on. Knowing what I have learned the the past is the best knowledge I can use to shape my future, to reach my goals in life.
Eventually the end will come. I’m not a reglious person, but who knows that happens when that time comes. But I have to live the life I want to live now, enjoy every minute of it, because right now, the way things are, I can’t think of anywhere else I want to be. Heaven, or the path to enlightenment, etc just doesn’t seem to be as good as the life I live right now.
Interesting, to say the least. This year has probably one of the most amazing, and developmental, years of my life, and will probably continue to be.
First of all, I found a relationship I truly feel I belong in. I can connect to her, understand her, and have begun to feel like we’re connected by blood. It’s an amazing feeling, and has actually led me to be modest because I want everybody else to be allowed to experience such an amazing thing as love, even if it isn’t necessary to be happy.
Secondly, just recently I discovered my purpose. For years I have been debating what to do with my life, and now I think I’ve finally discovered it. I want, truly desire, to help heal as many people as possible. I’ve always felt at ease when I knew someone was safe, and found joy in helping someone at a physical loss. Now, I know it’s more than just something about me.
Lastly, finally I realized that life isn’t all about physical desires, or how smart you are, or what people think about you. I learned that life is about being you, doing what you’re made to do, and enjoying it the entire time. I learned all these things thanks to my friends, family, and this site.
Overall, 2012 is already my favorite year yet, and hopefully these next few days will continue that thought.
Its really great that you found your love and as well as purpose of our life in the same year. Thats something good and great :) Keep up the good work and Rock on and All the best for the coming New Year 2013. :D
Congratulations on finding true love :) I’ve been in a fantastic relationship for just over two years now and it really is wonderful to have someone you connect to so well. My boyfriend has been a pillar of strength through difficult times and I love him beyond all else.
It’s so wonderful to hear about people who are truly happy together, there are so many disfuncional relationships around me :( Nice to hear of someone who’s struck gold :)
The year 2012 has been a year full of happiness, growth and faith. These last couple of months have been full of rain. I am a type 1 diabetic and got hit with a random staph infection in my foot on September 20th. It then moved to my arm and then my hand! Each one had to be cut open and left as an open wound until they each healed on their own. They are all closed now, but that just happened last week! I spent a week in the hospital with my foot and arm, then home for a week, then back to work for a week, then the next week was in the hospital for another week because of the foot! I was gone so much from work that it was best for me to leave my job that I loved so much. Then in November I was driving down my neighborhood street and another driver skipped her yield sign and ran right into me. My car had to be totaled and I cannot afford monthly payments on another one, so I am getting it fixed. I have gone through a few moments of sadness and feeling sorry for myself, but through all of this I have learned to do my best to remain positive. Even when I was in my darkest times (which I am still sometimes experiencing as I am still in the midst of all this) and have laughed at the notion of a rain cloud over my life, since I think it feels more like a torrential downpour, I have done my best and tried my hardest to ALWAYS find the positive. It’s not just a saying. There is ALWAYS something positive. The torrential downpour is slowly becoming a light rain with a rainbow in the horizon. :)
I hope you can get back to your job, or a better one, soon now that you are healed! Your positiveness is inspiring.
Thank you! I am actually starting my own business. :) And, I learned a few years ago about the positive / negative ratio. ;) I only just began implementing it this year. :)
Incredible how positive you are. Thank you for sharing about your year and know that next year can only get better when you have such a wonderful mindset :)
Right back at you, Helen! :D
Have you seen “Forks over Knives”? It’s quite an interesting documentary based in part on the China Studies by Campbell. There was a (I think Type II) diabetic who was able to reverse the effects of his illness and get off his medication through a vegan diet.
I’ve struggled with what “healthy nutrition” is for the past few years and have come to the conclusion that no one has all the answers and for now have settled for “everything in moderation”. However, if you have a serious condition, maybe it would be worth checking the movie out? Don’t know if it’d work the same way for Type I, but maybe it’s worth a try?
It’s an interesting documentary, whether you decide to follow the advice or not.
I may watch that. Thanks! While at the beginning stages of Type 2 Diabetes, it is sometimes possible to reverse it through weight loss, diet and exercise. However, Type 1 Diabetes is actually a completely different disease and there is no reversing it at all…unless you get a new pancreas. If you are interested in reading about the differences, here is a link to a good article on it.
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/02/21/whats-difference-between-type-1-and-type-2-diabetes/
The easiest way I have found to explain it is this:
Type 2 Diabetes — Pancreas makes insulin, but the transmitters just watch it flow by and do not react to it. They are snobby to the insulin.
Type 1 Diabetes — Pancreas is altogether snobby. ha ha It doesn’t like to work either. It just sits there really, lazily putting out insulin until finally it just says, Forget this! I’m retiring! And hence, quits producing insulin completely.
But, you know, it could always be worse! I have had it for nearly 22 years and until these staph infections, have had no complications. :)
Yeah, I’m afraid I have no clue how the diseases are different. Thanks for the link, maybe I can clear up my ignorance on that topic. :)
Anyway, the movie is an interesting watch, whatever :) Just wondered if it might be of any value :)
My Dad is a Type 2. But, I enjoy documentaries, anyway. :) Thanks again!
My 2012 has been… strange. In some areas I feel that I’ve made tremendous progress, but in other areas, I’ve searched for ways to stretch myself and always come up short. I never believed that there were things I couldn’t change with effort, but the effort of trying to change those areas of my life made me more anxious, non-self-satisfied, and lacking in confidence than it improved them.
Biggest improvements: 1. I’ve been able to take more pleasure in others’ accomplishments and the beauty of nature, worrying less about myself. I’ve been able to adopt Celes’s “oneness perspective” more. 2. I’ve made progress on projects outside of work that I was just too exhausted to work on previously. 3. I’ve overcome some personal fears and attachments.
Biggest worries: Should I focus on my strengths and make the most of opportunities I have, or should I forfeit the opportunities I’ve worked for (by moving, changing jobs, etc.) so I have a chance to improve my life in areas where I’m dissatisfied?
2012 was a pretty good year for me. For one, I got the best report card I ever had in ten years. I also discovered the food revolution, recieved an iPad and an iphone, dated a really cute and sweet guy, and went to a No Doubt concert, as well as my 1st prom. On the other hand, my cat died, I lost my MacBook, I didn’t do well in my ap history class, and ended my relationship with said boyfriend. But all in all, it was a good year. :)
How has 2012 been?
Hmmm well. In many ways 2012 has been the most important year of my life, but it has also been very, very painful. For at least the first half of the year I was sleepwalking through life – these last few months have been incredible and insightful for personal growth.
At the start of this year I was also several months into a relationship with the man I’ve loved the most in my whole life. Our relationship was undoubtedly (looking back) turbulent and unhealthy from the start, but became steadily worse between January and December 2012, when we finally parted ways.
I was horribly bullied in primary school, but I think I cried and felt worse about myself this year than all my primary years put together. My ex was often cruel, controlling and emotionally abusive and we would break up and get back together almost every week for almost a whole year – no, I’m not exaggerating.
But the thing is, I grew so so much as a person. I have matured and learned more this year than in my whole life. I don’t think my ex is a bad person, in fact I think he is a really wonderful person with a lot of issues and a horrible past to process. And I will always feel grateful for his starting my path of personal growth. His methods were bad, but I know the future will be good because of what I went through.
This year I learned and was taught to be 100% responsible for myself, my attitudes, my actions and all aspects of my life (relationships, career, studies, finances etc). I began to properly think about who I am and what I want and who I want to be. I learned how to love someone fully with everything I have, but also what is not acceptable in relationships and what I would never tolerate in the future. I found inner strength and became empowered by myself and what I’m capable of. I got another year of teaching experience and became more aware of what exactly I loved about my job. I learned to put myself honestly on the line and experience the kindness and openness I got back. I made mistakes and learned from them. I learned more about the kind of people I want to be friends with, and those who I may well end up drifting away from. I started cultivating good habits and chipping away at bad ones. I learned to be kinder and less selfish. I learned to feel attractive and comfortable in my own skin.
I’m indescribably grateful to Celes. I can’t even put it into words. While my ex’s words and behaviour kicked me into action, it was this blog that gave me so many ideas, encouragement and hope for the future and also enabled me to find myself. Steve Pavlina’s blog is also excellent, but Celes’s writing seems much more accessable and down-to-earth. She is like an angelic friend who puts her arm around your shoulder and encourages you to keep moving forward – thank you from the bottom of my heart.
So, to clarify, this year has been horrible, painful, difficult and heartbreaking. There have been days when I’ve felt so depressed that I’ve thought about ending it all. However, this year has definitely been significant in terms of growth and change. It is a year I’ll never forget and never regret. Especially as I know 2013 will be so much better! :)
Good for you, Helen! Your story is amazing!! :)
Helen, you are such a beautiful soul. Thank you for your kind words; you don’t know how touching they are to me. *Walks over to hug you from the side* :hug:
Wow. What an inspiring comment. You sound like an amazingly strong person to me.
I was stuck in an unhealthy relationship for 2 1/2 years, and felt it nearly destroyed me, but overall I think I came out of it a stronger person. Overall I became a lot clearer on what I did and didn’t want and what I was able and willing to tolerate.
Sounds like something similar happened to you. :)
Congratulations of setting yourself free and growing so much as a person.
You sound like a wonderful person and you deserve to be happy. Your words are so inspiring and I’m so impressed you’ve managed to embrace responsibility for your own life so much, something I still struggle with on a day to day basis.
Horrible childhood experiences do tend to cause much pain later on as well. But – once the worst is over, it only gets better :) Thank you for sharing your story, many hugs to you and may your growth journey bring you much joy! :hug:
Thank you all of you for your kind words and support :). I feel truly blessed to have found and become part of such a wonderful community :) :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: (one hug for each of you ;))
Big love :D
Fantastic in many ways.
In terms of physical challenges: I completed a half ironman in May, something I thought I could never do, and enjoyed the training and development so much I did another one in September and beat my time by a huge margin. I ran a great half marathon and 10k and have seen a lot of improvements generally in my running. I have also learnt a LOT about nutrition this year, and although still experimenting with different diets I lost 10 kilos and feel a lot better in myself and my body.
Mental challenges: Still working on this. I did some meditation and yoga and started to appreciate the importance of gratitude. I worked hard and have gained a good reputation at work, but let things slip a little towards the end of the year, but I have learnt from the experience. I want to do some serious further study, and have started investigating, but need to lay more groundwork for this to happen.
I’ve maintained and built on my great relationship with my partner, and as I’ve grown and developed he has too, and he continues to impress me with his can do, no nonsense attitude and how well he’s adapted to my changes and taken some new ideas on board. I spent some time organising our wedding and laying the groundwork for starting a family which is very exciting.
I also spent some wonderful time with my mum when home and on holiday. This was a really special holiday, and I’m looking forward to finishing the year where I started, at home.
I’ve met some really positive people who I train with regularly and I’m proud to call my friends. I’ve helped some other friends be more positive too. I had some great experiences with my partner and built lots of good memories. I realised that I really enjoy my job and have some great colleagues there I can learn a lot from.
I think this is the happiest I’ve ever been – I’m very fortunate and fate has been shining on me :)
It sounds like you’ve had a fantastic year Beth and it will only improve in 2013 :)
Thank you – I hope so :)
Wow, congratulations on such a fantastic year D: I’m bloody impressed with your half-ironman. That’s awesome :D Sounds like you’re on a roll girl, keep up the fantastic work!
Thanks for your kind comments :)
How has my year been? Full of changes to me personally. Have been working on my emotional problems. Immediate family(other than my hubby) are finding it hard to cope with the new me but they will just have to get used to it. I am not going back, only heading forward.
2012 was a year of challenge, laughs, some crying and learning about myself. I’m the type of person that enjoys being single and my solitude. During 2012, I often wanted to connect with people and wasn’t able to. I had lots of high moments: my youngest sister had her first child, went to the Essence Music Festival for the first time. I caught some good movies over the year. I fell in love with Anastasia and Christian. I’ve lived through financial difficulty and managed to hold unto my stuff. I examined my self-talk; decision making process and management of money. I went with my daughter to vote for her first time. Caught some great baseball and football games. I learned to let go of some childhood dreams and pick up some adult goals. I’m working with my daughter as she applies for colleges and navigate her senior year of high school. My 2012 showed me that I am stronger than I thought. It showed me that I could still encourage others while I face adversity. In some cases, I learned to encourage myself.
Amazing! I started the New Year with applying for and getting a new job, which is truly what I love doing! Then I saw my daughter achieve her dream of getting into Vet school, graduate and get married. My son got engaged to lovely girl and graduated from Army basic training. I feel closer to my husband of 16 years then I have in a
long time. I have firmly established some very important friendships that mean the world to me. I feel incredibly blessed! It seems life just gets better and better!
The first week of 2012 came with an abrupt intrusion. I found myself like the wheat and the tare. I was doing goal workshops while in the process of moving . I started a new business helping people to accomplish their goals and dreams while simultaneously packing up my own vision boards on a U-Haul truck. We moved from 2200 sq feet to 900 sq ft to 300 sq ft -along with 2 storage bins. I just finished writing a full post on it at http://ow.ly/gcFwy
2012 brought me 3 wonderful additions to my life. Everything and Anything I could ask for. Jay, Alyssa, & Jaxson. Taylor is an A+ honor roll student and is doing outstanding in her gifted programs. She’s also an Orange Belt as of this Friday! I’ve met new friends and learned so much about what I’m all about with the help of Jay. 2012 has been nothing but absolutely good to me! :heart: :heart: :heart:
A mixed bag….. lots of highs and many really low points. I suppose that would be a very average response. But my step up this year has been to keep a distinction between my personal and professional lives. Highs in personal life have given me the strength to go through the lows in professional and vice versa. I see my personal growth in being able to concentrate more on highs than lows.
Hi Celes,
2012 was good for me, had many exposures in both personal and professional life…had many self-realization…am able to achieve few of my goals such as weight loss and improved on the way I carried myself to others etc.,
And most memorable which I cannot forget is my trip to Paris and Switzerland…really awesome days in my life…had real good fun and enjoyed my days with my hubby…but still few in the list is not achieved due to my less attention and no proper vision and correct action plans. So planning for better 2013 with good step by step strategies and vision board :angel: to achieve my goals of 2013.
Pretty good, overall, even though I was unable to accomplish all the things I set out to do. That is okay, because I grew on a more personal level. This year, I:
Learned more about the kind of person I am, and want to be.
Enjoyed bringing happiness to other people.
Stood up for myself to the one person who is the most toxic person in my life. Even though I cannot delete her from my life entirely, I made it clear that I am done with her ignorant behaviour.
Was able to spend more time with my daughter who lives up north, and spent time with my daughter who is in college.
Felt true happiness :) A very difficult thing for me.
Got to know knew people.
Expanded my skills at work, and received two pretty good raises.
Joined the NaNoWriMo Challenge and wrote more than 50,000 on my second book of short stories.
Edited (mostly) my first book of short stories.
I went down a whole clothing size :)
I built my confidence level a little higher.
And I have decided that I like myself. I am basically a good person.
I have things that I was unable to accomplish, though I truly wanted to:
Freelance wise, I did not get far, and the money from that venture dwindled. I had not nearly enough online time to keep up with everything.
I am still looking for the man I want to share my life with :)
I have a person in my life that really pushes my buttons, and I have to learn how to not allow her to do so.
I still have some work on not letting negative thoughts in.
I have put a lot of work into me this year, and still have a ways to go.
What a great attitude you have toward unaccomplished goals! Your outlook is quite inspiring. I didn’t achieve all my goals, either. Hopefully we will both be able to move ahead down our paths toward excellence in 2013! Good luck, & thanks for being so cheerful — truly made my day! :)
My year of 2012 was eye-opening. I experienced different situations where I had to make important decisions, which I was never really use to, that would affect more than just me. In addition, the year of 2012,fall, was also my new journey as a college student, which I learned a lot about myself and what I want in life and my goals and that procrastinating and pushing it to the side won’t get rid of the task at hand. I really appreciated this year because I experienced failure and guilt which I’ve never felt to the extent in which I did and as crazy as it may seem, I gained so much from it. I think the hardest part now is applying what I have experienced and learned to next year and the rest of my life….which I believe is possible through God and PE :D :dance:
You sound as though you have a good head on your shoulders. Making decisions never gets easier, regardless of age & experience, when it comes to those which impact others. I am certain that, since you are so introspective, you will not forget the lessons you have learned this year. Go into 2013 with an open heart and a mind set at ease with the knowledge that you have done your best! That’s all any of us can do. *cheers*
Thank you I really appreciate the advice and I will most definitely apply what you said. I’m looking forward to the New Year to obtain more knowledge and I hope you are as well. Thanks again.
Kelli :dance: :dance:
I am very happy to report that I have survived another year with a full bill of health and a new passion for life that has stemmed from getting to know myself on a whole new level. :dance:
This year has seen many adventures, the places I have been and the people I have met alone has contributed to one of the best, most memorable years to date.
Most of my life has been spent just taking it as it comes, working to make money and living from week to week. This year my life has changed dramatically, every day I wake up excited for the day ahead and I have great expectations and plans for a prosperous future. Most of which has all been inspired by reading the Personal Excellence blog– thank you Celes for helping and influencing me to be the best person I can be.
Through reading almost all of the articles in the blog and applying the lessons learned to all different aspects of my life, the way that I look at things has completely changed for the better.
In 2012, I went from being crippled by my own self induced limited way of thinking, being an angry impatient person and being a victim of my own self sabotaging behavior with a low self esteem, to a person that is consciously striving to be the most confident successful woman I could be.
Being a shy person in the past, I let so many opportunities go, I was just not confident enough to be myself, nor smart enough to see that I deserved the things that I could have had. Not to mention that I was so cranky, rushed, anxious to get things done, that I would take over everything and not enjoy the ride, even hurting peoples feelings in the process. I’m afraid I had tunnel vision with the wrong goles in mind and a morbid outlook on how to achieve the “perfect” life.
Earlier this year, I decided that I would no longer let limitations get in my way and that I would no longer let anxieties manifest or be displayed, from then, I have never looked back. I now face any situation in front of me with confidence. I am so much more aware now of how my behavior reflects back into every outcome in my life. Now that I am calmer, assertive and positive, I am attracting exactly that frequency back into my life. I now have a new re-assessed vision and set of goles, with a new attitude to get me there.
From taking part in the kindness challenge earlier this year I learned so much about myself and life in general. Especially from writing letters to my loved ones task, I went all out, I let all of my friends and family know everything I admire and love about them. The feelings that flooded out, were reciprocated so strong that it flowed through all of my friends and family. Now, it is a part of my life as a rule, I always speak my mind and share the wonderful thoughts I have of others.
Now, every single day, I do everything in my power to generate kind feelings and share love. The tasks I did in the challenge have now turned habitual, like picking up rubbish at my local park, giving strangers genuine compliments, giving up my seat for someone else and speaking to people I usually wouldn’t go out of my way to speak to. I love that by pushing those limits and stepping out of my safety ground has had such a lasting effect on not only me, but my friends, colleagues and family.
So all in all, this year has been incredible. The lessons I have learnt have been so powerful and rewarding that I will always remember it as the year my life transformed. The biggest most impressive part of the year for me (which is a realisation that also came from an article on PE), has been coming to embrace my life purpose and becoming one with my inner thoughts and desires.
I am an artist and curator who absolutely loves inspiring people, creating new work and learning about new concepts and techniques– this I have always known. But learning how to believe in myself and having advice to generate ideas and ways to structure my own business using that passion, has opened up a whole world of possibilities. I passed my passion off as a hobby and let my pre conceived judgements stand in front of me, through the guidance and inspiration from Celes, I am aiming towards becoming very wealthy and incredibly happy in my own field of expertise.
I hope that Celes is reading this because you should know that my life has transformed in such a way that I wish you millions of blessings.
My 2012 has been one of great lessons, trials and tribulations, has been full of wonderful people and great changes. I owe you so many thanks that I could write all day about the ways in which you have encouraged and inspired me to be the best me that I can be.
Thank you,
Best wishes and kindest,
Kylie
2012 has been an emotionally difficult year for me. After having made peace that having a baby might not happen at my age (46), I found out I was pregnant for the first time Easter weekend. Sadly, I miscarried the day before my 12 week ultrasound. Not knowing if this will happen again but having felt so close to the possibility is truly difficult with holiday gatherings coming up – nieces & nephews all under 3 yrs old. Wish me luck that I keep it together. Then last month my company had a layoff and I got caught in the riff. But, I’m alive and hoping 2013 is much happier.
So sad to read about your baby. I hope that 2013 will be much better for us than this year :)
Thank you so much for your kind words of support JT!
Hi Karen,
Thanks for sharing your post. I’m really sorry for the loss of your baby. I wish you a blessed holiday season, and may 2013 bring you the fulfillment of your dreams.
Maximilianah
Maximilianah,
Thank you also for your kind words of support! Perhaps reaching out will help after all : )
Karen
Honestly, 2012 has been mostly a downer. At the end of 2011 I decided to leave a job I loved and a boss I loved because the boss really changed and seemed to be moving in a direction that didn’t include me. Or I seemed to be moving in a direction that didn’t include him? Maybe we were both growing in different directions, I’m not sure. At any rate, for most of 2012 I have battled with depression. There have been so many days that I could barely get myself out of bed, let alone shower or prepare my own food. At the same time, I had managed to apply, interview and get accepted into a master’s in counseling program. Thankfully that got me out of bed many times and has gotten me moving in a better direction. I am on my way to personal growth, to healing from this setback that is really a blessing, and to moving toward my personal goals. I will have a Master’s degree in a few years and will be able to practice and help others heal from their pasts as well. Many lessons have been learned upon reflection of decisions made and I am beginning to piece together what story I tell from those experiences.
The Year 2012 was challenging, Happy, Misterious, Healthy, wealthy and all put together for me.
This year we got a car, moved to new 2 bed room apartment, my husband got placed in a new company as Manager which we didn’t expect to happen soon ;) But all this just happened in this year :D
I did went to my home country and had good time with parents as well. After a year of thinking, gave a exam on IFRS successfully and looking forward for good results in Year 2013!!!! :D Giving this exam was very challenging for me as i have to some how find time to study in between my office hours and household chores..Ahhhhh… atlast i gave my exam successfully!! :) :dance:
I got myself introduced to this Personal Excellence blog only this year. So this is also one of the ironic matter for this year 2012!!! :bow: Got lot of new friends this year and looking forward to get lot more in the coming year.
Had lot of misunderstanding with my hubby, which in turn helped me to understand about him and as well as myself a lot and it also taught me how to handle that particular situation in a normal way. Over all the year happened to be good and great.!!! :D
Thank you so much celes for starting the challenege with such a beautiful question as it gives chance to each every one of us to think and reflect upon the events happened in this year and it very good and i feel really good while writing this post!! Thank you so much for that :bow: :D
2012 taught me that though i think i can do a certain job, and am excellent at convincing others that i can, it just might still not be the place i want to be, or the job i want to do for the rest of my life. Not only did i notice that it was not meant to be, i realized that getting a dream job is by far not a prerequisit to being happy. In fact, it might just be the opposit: i couldn’t be more miserable. So my biggest realization is: better get to know myself again, and dig out those natural talents, and put them to good use. I now believe that i am on my way to finding true success and true happiness:)
It’s been great! Mostly in a self-discovery sort of way.
Because my husband got a job overseas I rediscovered self-sufficiency. I also realized that I enjoyed the distance because it gave me the space to just focus on myself and do my own thing. I love the freedom of making my own decisions, albeit small in scale. I am a type-A, (a bit of a perfectionist too) and my husband is quite the opposite, so you can imagine how liberating the space (brought about by the distance) is. :D
I discovered that health, fitness and vitality are important to me and perhaps my biggest achievement for 2012 is the fact that I got myself on the fitness track. I discovered that I enjoy exercising and have been able to do it consistently since I started. I also made some small but significant changes: switched to brown rice from white, finally kicked the coffee habit, eat more vegetables & fruit and switched to organic products for my personal care.
Having postponed the idea of starting a blog for over 2 years, I finally started one despite feeling very anxious about ‘going public’. As well, I was able to systematically get rid of a few beauty problems that plagued me in years past – yes, I am a bit vain! :love:
Visits to my husband abroad meant travel time for me and our daughter – travel being tops on my list of must-have life experiences so, this is def something that added a lot of oomph to 2012 for me.
In parallel, being ‘on my own’ also served to make me realize a few things that needed to be improved, mainly in the areas of relationships and experiences. I am an introvert who prefers solitary activities and who, for the longest time, sought to get excitement from my job. Unfortunately, my job (or generally speaking, most any job for that matter) ceased to be ‘exciting’ after 24 months. To make a long story short, I realized that what I needed to do was expand the life I have ‘outside’ my job. Hopefully in so doing, I would also come to form new, quality friendships with people who are dynamic, smart, positive and fun-loving – something that I feel would also raise the quality of my life. This realization is important to me because I believe that knowing what the problem is, is already half of the solution. :)
2012 has been a great year for me and I am happy with what I have achieved and done this year. The main parts of my life I am happy about is my studies, personal growth and improved relationship with my parents.
My results have improved tremendously, a result of committing myself to work harder and produce better-than-lacklustre work (which I felt was the only type of work I produced last year). Overall, I have improved about 40 marks from last year’s first exam, which I feel extremely happy about. :D
Thanks to Celes, I am also doing more of what I like (writing) after realising my passion. I try to write at least 30 minutes per day (usually in the morning) and I feel much more energised and ready to get work done than ever (or, more appropriately, studying!). I also feel more relaxed. :)
My relationship with my parents have improved slightly. I find myself being able to speak my mind (well, almost) to my parents as they have been more understanding (and vice-versa, except for the ‘children-are-not-mature-enough-yet’ subjects).
Then again, my relationship with my brother have stagnated. I continue to suspect him feeling I am an ‘enemy’ because of my academic achievements (cough) as my parents have been nagging him to put in more effort in his studies (3 years older than me and constantly failing one subject), sometimes even comparing him to me.
There were lots of ups and downs, struggles and success too…The problems I faced forced me to take steps towards what I wanted to do but was afraid of approaching it. Many things are still unsettled (probably it is continuous process) and the year just passed away.
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