I have been thinking about this post for quite a while, but it frankly hasn’t made it any easier to write. Ok, maybe a little easier. There’s so much I want to say about 2012 and so many things that I’d like to accomplish in 2013 that it’s hard to distill it down into one post (at least a manageable one).
But I got lucky. FitFluential shared a graphic on their facebook page as a guide to writing 2012 reflections.
I’m choosing not to include the 10 Disappointments, because I’d rather focus on ways to improve those through my goals for 2013 than focus on the negative. I will, however, indulge in the rest.
10 Highlights
1) Starting my blog – That’s an easy one, right? If you had told me this time last year that I would start writing a healthy living blog, I would have called you crazy. I didn’t start this blog until the spring and even then it began as a Tumblr. I took a leap of faith in June and moved it over to wordpress and very quickly thereafter decided to move to self-hosted.
2) Attending the Healthy Living Summit – One day while searching Twitter for “healthy” and “Boston” I came across a tweet for HLS ‘12. I was still very new to blogging and had no idea what I was doing. My mindset was, “At least if it’s in Boston I don’t have to pay to travel” so I registered. It turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life.
3) Running 7 races – This year I ran the BAA Distance Medley, which consisted of the BAA 5K, 10K, and half marathon. I also ran the Bunker Hill Day 8K, the Color Run, the Super Hero 5K, and an unplanned half marathon at the Allstate 13.1. It was an amazing year in running, especially compared to the 2-3 races I normally ran prior to 2012. It was made even better by the fact that my parents visited for the BAA half marathon and got to see me run a race for the first time.
4) Setting a half marathon PR – Similar to the last one, this one is all about running. When I entered Elizabeth’s giveaway for entry into a local half marathon, I never thought I’d win. I was still a few weeks out from the half marathon I was actually training for and not 100% prepared. Still, I gave the Allstate 13.1 my all and set a PR! My official finish time was 2:15:18.
5) Moving in with Joe – There is nothing like sharing a home with the person I love, but it didn’t come easy. When we decided to move in together we started looking at apartments and found one we loved. We even put down a non-refundable deposit and I was about to drop off our signed lease when I got a call that Joe’s family wanted us to stay in the apartment he had been sharing with a roommate. Needless to say, things got messy. We lost our deposit and the roommate was convinced we had been out to get him from the start. It was an unfortunate situation, but thankfully it’s behind us. Now I get to come home to Joe every single day and I couldn’t be happier.
6) Traveling with Joe – What better way to celebrate having a home together than leaving that home for an East Coast road trip?! NYC, Philadelphia, Baltimore and D.C. were all on our summer road trip and it was amazing to get away, just the two of us, and enjoy time together. Earlier in the year we got to enjoy a trip to Orlando with his whole family, which was also an amazing time. I loved Disney, Sea World, and Universal, but I have to admit that standing outside of Hogwarts was probably the best.
7) Halloween – I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about prancing around in leggings on Halloween, but I actually felt very confident as an 80s aerobics instructor and had a blast!
8) Writing my Amazing Me post – This was a tough one. I was still fairly new to blogging, but when I read Caitlin’s post I knew I needed to write my own. It is near and dear to my heart.
9) Hosting a Healthy Holidays Challenge – When I decided to do this just before Halloween, I had no idea how it would turn out (or how many people would actually want to be involved). Here we are, the final day of the challenge, and as the participants send in their final measurements and submit their final Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest photos of their healthy habits, I am blown away. All of the participants have worked incredibly hard to be healthy and find balance in their lives. They have struggled and they have succeeded. They have cheered each other on and they’ve turned to the group for support. These men and women took the challenge and ran with it. I have been continually inspired by all of them.
10) Finding out I’m going to be an aunt again – This one is very recent and I’m still giddy about it. My brother and sister-in-law announced over our Christmas celebration while I was in NC that they’re expecting another child in July. They already have a daughter, my 5 year-old niece Haylee, so I am thrilled she gets to be a big sister.
3 Game Changers
1) Making the decision to pursue a career in wellness – When I started my blog it was because I knew I wanted to include some aspect of fitness and being healthy into my career. It wasn’t until somewhat recently that I realized I want my entire career to be about wellness. This shook me to the core because at first it seemed like the years I’ve spent pursuing a career in counseling had been for nothing, but then I realized how I can integrate fitness, nutrition, and mental health into wellness coaching. Talk about a game changer.
2) Becoming an ambassador for Girls Gone Sporty, FitFluential, Greatist, and EnergyBits – There is nothing I love more than sharing the message of healthy, balanced living and these are four companies that I can get behind 100%. Since becoming an ambassador for each I have met amazing people, learned invaluable lessons, and really come to appreciate my own worth. Each ambassadorship was a game changer in itself.
3) Starting my business with Arbonne, Inc. – This is another one of those “if you had told me a year ago” things, but I’m so excited about it. When I went to my friend’s Arbonne party I was just trying to be supportive, but when I heard their mission and found out they had a wellness line, I was sold. I love their products and I love that they are gluten free and certified vegan. I have been using the protein powder every morning in my smoothies and I’m so happy I decided to start a business as an independent consultant with a company that has the same ideas about wellness that I do. Health and beauty from the inside out.
3 Focal Points
1) Finding my voice – I spent a lot of time this year trying to figure out what I’m doing and why. I am still not there 100%, but I’m much closer than I was this time last year. I feel happy about what I’m doing and that’s huge.
2) Thinking of myself as a runner – I struggled with this a lot. I run a lot and I love to race, but I had a hard time considering myself a runner. I made huge strides in this in 2012 (yep, strides, see what I did there?) and I can now tell people, with confidence, that I’m a runner.
3) Opening myself up to new people and new experiences – This year was full of wonderful new people, near and far. It was also full of trips and adventures I couldn’t have imagined.
3 Forgotten Points
1) Progress is more important than perfection – I beat myself up a lot this year. Admittedly I did so less than in previous years, but I keep forgetting that no one expects me to be perfect. In 2013 I will focus more on progress.
2) I am not invincible – I got sick this year and I got injured. Each and every time it happened, I felt like it was a personal insult. I forgot to take care of myself a lot this year and the result was not pretty. I have to do a better job of taking care of all of me, including when I’m sick and injured.
3) Money isn’t everything, but it matters – This year I didn’t do a great job of managing my finances. It pains me to say that. I’m normally pretty good about managing my money, but being in grad school and going into loan debt frustrates me. In 2013 I will still spend money on races, fitness, and my health, but I will do a better job of balancing those expenses with my other expenses.
The good and the bad not so good taken together, 2012 was an amazing year for me. That said, I know without a doubt that 2013 can be even better. To help me get there, I have some goals. OK, let’s go ahead and call them resolutions if we must.
Those are the big ones, but I’m a goals kind of person and there are plenty more where that came from, including some major advancements with Arbonne.
So there you have it, my reflections and goals. Now it’s time to have some lunch and get ready for tonight’s New Year’s Eve festivities. I hope you all have a wonderful evening and I wish you the best going into 2013.
What did you learn from 2012 and what are your resolutions or goals for 2013?
I am so proud of you Becki !!!!!!
Thank you!
It sounds like you had an awesome year! I’m so glad you decided to attend HLS – hope to see you there in 2013!!
http://justaonegirlrevolution.com
Absolutely! Count me in.