And that’s a wrap!
The year 2019 came and went, and now is time to reflect on everything i have learned this year. All these things I have learned through experiences, self-reflection, difficult times but also times where everything fell back into place for a while. There has been a lot of great things that have happened to me this year personally, with a few drawbacks – because there is no such thing as a perfect life. Admittedly, it has also been a pretty relaxed year, with no major shift in my mindset. I think I have accomplished my biggest mental and personal growth in my early 20s, and now that I am halfway through I just gotta adjust to whatever comes my way and get on with things!
THE LESSONS I LEARNED IN 2019
You can’t be at 100% every day, and that’s okay.
This year I have really learned (without big revelation, just slowly and confidently) that one should not expect to be at their maximum all the time. However strong your motivation is, your body may not follow; or one day you just wake up with big plans but no will to accomplish them at all. Instead of beating myself up like I would do some years ago, I decided to embrace the fact that no one is perfect and that whatever I don’t achieve one day, I can easily achieve another time. Save yourself the guilt and use your time to take care of yourself and get yourself back to the right place and mindset!
You will always have so many wonderful opportunities.
Here, I am talking about opportunities in any shape or form. The opportunity to meet new people, to say yes to events you would have never thought you’d experience, to visit new places just because you say “why not” and give them a chance; the opportunity to expand your horizons, professionally and personally. The me of January 2019 would never have guessed where the me of December 2019 would be – and I’m the first to be surprised at what I have seen and done this year! I decided to visit Budapest on a whim and found one of my favourite cities ever, I did a Skype job interview without any expectations, not knowing that I would end up getting the job and love it and everything it’s bringing me – and I could go on! If you haven’t had the best time recently, just remember that things change, and if you find yourself in a pit, there will be forces helping you back up again.
Sometimes, good things do come to those who wait.
I typically have a can-do attitude and always encourage people do get out and do things for themselves, earning what they get and so on, but this year I’ve realised that sometimes you just gotta wait: things you never thought would come through your own great work, will come anyways even though you may have lost all hope. Last June I was desperate for a new job. My teacher job in London was only a one-year contract and was ending soon, and I could not for the life of me find another teaching position. I applied to one that I really wanted, and didn’t get it after the interview. I got a position that, after the interview, I realised I didn’t really want to take. I didn’t know whether I would stay in London or move back to France. That time was really tough for me, because I was at a crossroads in the dark and not matter the efforts I put into finding another job, there was nothing. Eventually, in July, I got my present job in Paris – after an interview that I thought would not lead to anything. It just happened. So it’s okay if sometimes you feel like you’re just in the waiting room. A door will open eventually. Just keep your spirits up!
You never know where you will end up, so there’s no use planning tomorrow like it’s gonna be your only definite plan.
When we are at “critical” times, i.e. between jobs, moving cities or having changes in our relationships with loved ones, we may feel like the direction we’re taking, voluntarily or not, is the one that we’ll be following for the rest of our life. Like there’s no going back, changing your mind, twists and turns and new opportunities. When I was looking for a new job, instead of seeing my horizons open up, I saw them narrow down. Each idea I had for the near future suddenly blocked me and I kept thinking like any decision I was going to take then would put me in a box for the next decade. Now, isn’t that a terrible way of seeing things?
I was planning my whole life (or at least a good chunk of it) based on one choice, one move, one big change. But actually, there are plenty of other big changes, expected and unexpected, which will shape my life anyway. I will take new decisions, new directions, that may lead me to places I never thought I would be. Don’t get me wrong, there is some good in looking ahead and planning for success (otherwise, how would one accomplish their goals and dreams?) but this year I have learned that not every day, every month and every year will bring me new things, good and bad, and that no matter how much I feel like I am planning tomorrow right now, life finds its way to surprise us with what we have not planned.
Now, doesn’t that make the new year sound like an empowering adventure to take on? Let’s do this!
What are your go-to meal recipes?
Lots of love,
Julia x
