Hi! Here is the third part of my year in review, and as January winds down it's been nice to take this introspective look back at the year. I often don't make an effort to chart how I feel about any given year other than summing it up with one word or sentence. This has been a really fun experience for me and I'd love to do it again when the year is over. But I'm getting ahead of myself; we haven't even hit summer yet. Let's get to the questions!
1. What was your most common mental state?
My most common mental state was either angry, anxious or conflicted. My environment and my personal health really took a dip this year and I carried it around for way too long. My anxiety relapsed in 2016 and it got worse because of the emotional issues I was dealing with throughout the rest of the year.
2. Was there anything you did for the very first time in your life?
I did my very first yoga challenge in 2016 and loved it. I've been subscribed to Brett Larkin's newsletters for a little while, but she held a two-week challenge in early 2016 and I wanted to push myself to try something new so I took it on. I fell a couple of days short but overall, I really loved the experience.
3. What was your favorite moment spent with friends?
My favorite moment spent with friends was when I had to go over to my friend and her husband's house a couple of months ago because I needed to do a data transfer from one laptop to the other. Not only was I able to see their home and family life and get to know them as they are now, I got to spend some time with their boys, get a peek into married life as parents, and enjoy a really peaceful evening. At 17, I never would have figured that one of my best friends and one of my frenemies, who were not really friends at the time, would be married and it would be such a fun day for me to spend some time with them and their kids without really doing anything.
4. What major goal did you lay the foundations for?
I laid the foundation for a few goals during a few meetings with my mentor before the holidays. We're in my favorite stage of start-up, which is the research/planning stage. Laying the foundation work for a concept is by far my favorite part of the process. I'm not sure why, it just is and always has been.
5. Which worries turned out to be completely unnecessary?
Hmm. I have a thing with worries; I never deem them unnecessary in general, I just deem them unnecessary for that period of time. I feel as though I'd be jinxing myself to say, "Whew, glad that's off the table," because with my epically bad luck, I end up placing that worry back on the table as the centerpiece. So I'll say that my worry about not being financially able to make it through the year was unnecessary because I made it.
6. What experience would you love to do all over again?
Truthfully, I didn't have too many good experiences in 2016. This was a trying year in so many ways, on so many levels, that I'm just glad it's over. Now if you rolled this back to November 2015, I would love to experience the moments just before I broke my toe so that I can reroute my steps, not collide foot-first with a wooden shelf and not still be dealing with a broken toe now. LOL
7. What was the best gift you received?
The best gift I received this year was the seed of DGAF that I discovered on my birthday. I kept hearing that as I got older, the DGAF switch would install itself, but the older I got, it went in the opposite direction instead. Then I turned 29 and realized that the switch had already installed but it was a sleeper switch that I couldn't control yet. It flipped itself on and off at will, whether I wanted it to or not. It doesn't come on often, but when it does, its glorious. I struggle with not giving a fuck a lot. I always give too many and that's partially why this year was such an emotional experience for me. Once the switch is 'on' though, I don't really have the time to figure out if I want that or not because I don't care enough anymore to attempt an answer. LOL Now as far as the best physical gift, I'd have to give that award to my mom for buying me the Legendary edition of Skyrim, which was also a birthday gift.
8. How did your overall outlook on life evolve?
I think my overall outlook on life became much more pessimistic and cynical. So many ugly, tragic and bad things happened throughout 2016 and even though I usually have a healthy mix of both cynicism and optimism, 2016 definitely shifted it more towards the former. I struggled spiritually for the majority of the year partially because of these events and I can't say I'm fully out of it yet, especially with yesterday's inauguration fresh on the brain, but I'm trying.
9. What was the biggest problem you solved?
The biggest problem I solved....hmm. Most of the problems I solve are probably small and miniscule compared to the real problems others solve on a daily basis.
10. What was the funniest moment of the year, one that still makes you laugh aloud?
There were a ton of moments that made me laugh, but can I immediately recall any that were so funny I can laugh about them now? If I think really hard, I can remember a lie that my cousin told everyone once and it still tickles me to think about it now, but I can't recall an actual comedic moment.
11. What purchase turned out to the best decision you'd made?
The best purchase decision I made this year was my new laptop. I was running out of options very quickly and with Cookie (my old laptop) on her last legs, I was starting to get desperate. I wasn't eager to take on another bill as I already have quite a few and didn't want to stretch my already thin pockets even thinner, but buying the laptop I'm on now was so worth it. If I hadn't bought this laptop when I did, I would have been so out of luck because the morning that the laptop was scheduled to arrive in the mail, my bathroom flooded and in the process of cleaning up the room, Cookie's charger shorted out even more when it was moved and the laptop died, and I haven't been able to turn it back on since then. If my laptop wasn't due to come in the mail the same day, things would have been even more catastrophic than they already were.
12. What one thing would you do differently and why?
It applied to multiple situations that happened throughout the year, but I wouldn't have stood around arguing with everyone, trying to be understood, get to a middle ground or get someone to be accountable for their words or actions. That comes back to one of the questions I answered during Part 1 of this series, which was about what lessons I learned from the year. I learned that some people don't learn or change, and while I live my life by the credo "Do onto others," others do not and I cannot hold them to those standards. I wanted to make sure I held people accountable for their actions but if they have no desire to be held accountable, then the only person I'm stressing out is myself. If progress is to be made, then the stress is worth it. But these are old arguments and nothing's stuck so it's the same argument with different people every time. If I'd understood that at the level that I understand it now, I could have saved myself a lot of grief and everyone else a lot of time. Sigh. Families are complicated. lol
13. What do you deserve a pat on the back for?
Hmm. I don't know that I did much over the past year that was deserving of a pat on the back. That sounds bad, but I didn't really have an opening to do anything that would warrant that response. I'd like a pat on the back, though. Could always use a good burp. LOL
14. What activities made you lose track of time?
Researching blog posts I'm planning always makes me lose track of time, especially if its a topic I love. Reading usually makes me lose track of time as well once I really start getting into the book. Pinterest, however, is still the biggest time suck in my life. After six years and thousands of pins, I can still get on there and blow hours of my life.
And that brings my 2016 in Review to a close. Did any of these questions make you think about how you spent your year? It's funny how you can think certain moments are unforgettable and priceless while in the moment, but then when you're asked about it later you can't remember it to save your life. lol It dulls the impact of so many things when you still find yourself falling short of answers to some of the questions at the end of the year. Anyway, next week is a look ahead at 2017 and my expectations/plans for the next 11 ½ months. I hope you enjoyed this post and I'll see you soon!
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