A Reflection of 2018 & My Goals For 2019

Hi my beauties, hope all is well. Can you believe we’re halfway through January already? In today’s post I’m going to look back at my 2018, the good the bad & the ugly, what lessons 2018 taught me, & my new goals that I hope to achieve in 2019.

The Highs Of 2018

I know it’s gonna sound cliche but one of the biggest highs of 2018 and every day, since she was born, was watching my daughter grow & develop into this tiny little human with a huge personality. Another highlight of 2018 was that I got a job that fits around my family & it has also enabled me to save money each month. I was also more sociable this year & made new friends which have helped me gain my confidence back.

The Lows Of 2018

2018 dealt me one of the biggest blows that it possibly could, the death of a loved one. On the 4th August, the day after my daughters 2nd Birthday came the phone call I’d been fearing there was nothing more the hospital could do for my uncle & we should prepare to say our goodbyes. Sadly he passed away before I got chance. I was really close to my Uncle as he was more like a big brother to me & was always there in my life when I needed him. I miss him every day I’ve never experienced the feeling of grief before. It’s a weird feeling grief and one you can’t really put into words how your feeling as you can be fine one minute & then blam it suddenly hits you that they are really gone. At the beginning of January, I started a new job which I felt I wasn’t the right fit for, I used to wake up each morning full of anxiety & hated going to work. I’d be in tears, luckily for me, my old company was hiring so I was able to quit and walk into a job I knew I enjoyed.

What 2018 taught me

That life is really too short & no one is promised tomorrow. This is probably one of the biggest things 2018 taught me. It’s definitely changed my outlook on life, I don’t sweat the small stuff as long as me & my family are healthy then everything else in comparison is not that important it’s just materialistic. It’s also taught me to make time for family & friends because you never know what is around that corner and that phone call you ignored could be the last time you got to hear their voice.

2018 taught me its OK to quit & accept defeat if you know that somethings not right for you & it’s affecting you physically and mentally.

I’ve always suffered from Anxiety & Panic attacks since I was a teenager, but it wasn’t till this year I realised that’s exactly what that feeling was. For me its an overwhelming sense of fear or sadness, then my heart beats really fast and I feel like I can’t breathe. For me, Alcohol makes my anxiety worse especially the days after. Rushing also causes my anxiety as I panic that I’ve forgotten to do something important like turn oven off or lock the door. This year was the worse as I had separation anxiety about being away from my little girl. A strange trigger for me is Cats so don’t expect to see me in a cat Cafe anytime soon.

Not to compare myself to others, I covered this in more depth here.

Goals for 2018 I Met

• Be More Positive – I’d definitely say I was a more positive person in 2018 as I learnt to distance myself away from toxic people & Energy. I now don’t tolerate peoples BS or Fakeness & say Thank-you Next
• Be more Social – I was more sociable in 2018 & went out at least once a week and made some new friends.
• Healthy lifestyle – I say I have quite a healthy lifestyle as I don’t eat takeaways a lot or processed food and I upped my daily water intake & walk most places as I don’t drive.
• Get a job that fits around my family. – For the most part, my job fits around us I’m at home for tea & putting her to bed.
• Save money monthly. My main reason for getting a job other than for my mentality was to have that extra income to be able to save a little bit of money monthly and I have been able to do this, it might not be a lot but every little help.

Goals I didn’t meet in 2018

• Yoga & Meditation – I tried Yoga & Meditation & didn’t enjoy them I found it boring I need something more upbeat like running & dancing. Being an over-thinker & analyzer I didn’t find meditation relaxing.
• Read more books – I read about 5 books last year & I was aiming for 12. I enjoy reading so I’m going to start reading before bed instead of scrolling down my phone.
• Personal stylist course – I decided not to do this course as it was a lot of money & being a Personal stylist is not a reliable source of income.
• Blogging goals – I didn’t meet my blogging goals in terms of numbers or sticking to a schedule but I have learnt that numbers don’t matter as long as I’m still passionate & enjoy what I’m writing about that’s all that matters.
• Move out – we didn’t manage to move out in 2018 we viewed a couple of property’s but there had similar issues to our circumstances now or were smaller. so in 2019, we will continue our search.

My Goals for 2019

• Healthy Lifestyle – I always think in terms of being healthy theirs always room for improvement, in 2019 I hope to exercise 3 times a week with a mixture of cardio & strength, eat more healthy by adding more fruit & vegetables to my diet. more homemade food not out of jars and drink more water.
• Meat-free once a week – In terms of diet I do eat a lot of meat-based produce & in 2019 I would like to not eat meat based produce at least once a week. if you have any recipes let me know.
• Eco-friendly- toward the end of 2018 I became more conscious of the vast amounts of waste that we were throwing away & the damage it doing to our planet. In 2019 I hope to consume less plastic where possible & always recycle, use reusable straws & coffee cups, slowly introduce more Eco -friendly makeup and skincare products into my routine.
• Travel more – in 2019 I would like to travel more, I don’t mean travel the world as my budget won’t allow that but just get a train or bus to a different city or village and explore new areas.
• Build a business – in 2019 I’m hoping to go self- employed and set up my own business.
• Continue saving – in 2019 I would like to continue saving money either for a deposit or emergency funds.
• Move out – I’m hoping 2019 will be the year we finally move out to a house that’s big enough, has a garden, & more importantly no damp issues.
• Make time for my partner more – Having a young child its very rare that we get time together and if we do theirs always a million and 1 other things to do like, cleaning, blogging etc. So hopefully in 2019, I plant to make time just for us two whether it’s cuddling up on the sofa watching ghost adventures, pub or the cinema or a romantic meal.

Blogging Goals

• Be more sociable – In 2019 I want to make blogging friends, maybe attend events and just be more sociable on all social networks participating in more chats & conversations with others.
• Share more – In 2019 I want it to be the year I share more of my life & personality with you the readers.
• Become more comfortable talking to the camera – I would love to become more comfortable talking to the camera & filming hauls, talking about my makeup & OOTD’s
• Be more Organised – I would love it in 2019 could stick to a schedule and have a blog post planned and scheduled in advance rather than just posting as and when.

Thanks For Reading

Nicolle ?