A few things I’ve learned from 2017

I swear I say it every year but where has the last year gone? It doesn’t feel like a year since I was writing about 2016 but once again I’ve managed to fit a lot into the last year. Looking back there have been highs and lows but 2017 will be a year that I will always remember, especially the last few months when I’ve been travelling. How did it compare to what I was hoping to get out of the year though?

2017 has once again involved a change of job and change of location. Whilst this is exciting, it also means leaving behind the colleagues you’ve just got used to and friends that you’ve made and having to start from scratch again. I took a leadership course which was inspiring and made me think more about myself and what I want. James and I have been reunited which makes life an awful lot easier – only seeing each other once a month was pretty tough and I’m glad that’s now behind us. I’ve also managed to fit in quite a bit of travelling over the last year… As well as my big trip to New Zealand I’ve also been to Copenhagen, the South of France, Birmingham, Oxford, Cambridge, York and more. Not bad!

 

I don’t want to give a run down of everything that I’ve been doing (you can read about most of it on my blog) but here are few things that I’ve learned or feel appropriate to the last year.

1. Your happiness can be massively affected by just one thing. Once you’ve pinpointed that thing then you can make a small change which could have a huge impact.
2. Sometimes you have to throw caution to the wind. This is something I’m not very good at but practiced when we booked our trip to New Zealand.
3. Friendships change over time. It doesn’t mean you can’t still like each other, but your relationship might be a bit different.
4. Complete strangers feel obliged to make marriage comments when you say how long you’ve been together for.
5. The more you see of the world, the more you’ll want to see.
6. Sometimes you just need a break.
7. Sometimes you need a break from certain people.
8. Comparing yourself to other people does nobody any good.
9. Everyone is their own type of leader.
10. People have a habit of telling me important news when I’m not in the country.
11. Distance between people is hard but it doesn’t have to be a barrier to relationships or friendships.
12. You might not ever feel ready to let go of something but when the time is right you’ll know.
13. Christmas should be cold. Selling Christmas trees and paddling pools in the same shop aisle is just wrong.
14. Memories and experiences are so much more important than things.
15. There’s nothing quite like having a proper book in your hands.
16. Travel will make you appreciate the strangest of things.
17. There is never enough time to do absolutely everything you want. At some point you have to prioritise.
18. Podcasts are a really productive way of spending long bus journeys.
19. Sometimes the unexpected is truly wonderful.
20. Dark sky zones seem to almost be cloudy.

Happy New Year everyone! And thanks to everyone who has been part of my 2017.