With the new year quickly approaching, I’ve spent some time in the past few days reflecting on 2013:
I welcomed 2013 with good friends and a fun night out.
In February, I purchased my #Sochi2014 Olympics tickets and committed to a crazy adventure.
In March I fell in love (again) as our family welcomed my niece into the world. She is adorably beautiful and the love I feel every moment I spend with her fills me with joy.
I had a bad fall in the spring, and spent the time while I recovered rediscovering myself and my strength. There were some rough days, but I appreciate every moment of that challenging time.
In July we celebrated my dad’s 70th birthday (any my nephew’s 5th) with a family reunion, including some family who came from Holland.
In August, my parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary, a truly inspiring reminder that life-long love exists.
I spent the summer discovering new places and new experiences. I made a commitment to try something new or go somewhere new at least once a week. It was a great way to discover this beautiful place we live in!
In late summer I regained a friend I thought I had lost, and let go of someone else I had hopes of repairing things with. It was an interesting and freeing breakthrough to realize that some things just aren’t meant to be, and holding on to them only taxes your well-being and emotions.
In October, I made a huge life choice and purged most of my possessions, moved out of my Vancouver apartment, put the stuff I had remaining into storage, and booked a plane ticket!
In November, I got on that plane to Costa Rica to begin a new life adventure focused on freedom and living my life for me, living a life I love!
I returned from Costa Rica in December with a new outlook of what I want life to look like. (It does not include a daily commute to a 9-5 job in a cubicle.)
I joined a gym in 2013, and worked my butt off to get into the best shape of my life. I had a few injuries throughout the year, which set me back, and stopped me from achieving my one fitness goal of the year (to run a half marathon), but it felt amazing to feel what my body is capable of with a little push and determination.
I’ve spent December planning my upcoming travels and adventures in Europe and Russia and cannot wait to tell you all about it as it happens!
I launched a fundraising campaign with a team of journalists, to help us get to Russia to report on the fan and cultural experience of the Sochi 2014 Olympics. See the campaign at bit.ly/TheRealSochi.
It has been an incredible year with tons of personal growth and life changes. I’m so excited to see what 2014 will bring in the months ahead! I look forward sharing my photos and experiences with you along the way and hope to inspire more of you to live a life that you truly love!
What are some of the great things that you experienced in 2013? And what are your aspirations for 2014?
The past has brought me great things, it has made me who I am. And the future is a clean slate and can bring me anything I want! Step one is to visualize it, and step two is to take the actions to make it happen!
I was thinking the other day about what habits I’d like to break in 2013. Aside from being healthier and more fit, and other usual resolutions, my thoughts landed on spending more quality time with the people I care about. When analyzing why the quality time feels like it’s missing, I came to the realization that over this past year, I have done far more communication by electronic means, like text, WhatsApp, or Facebook chat, than actually spending time and physically talking with my friends/family.