10 Life Lessons Learned in 2014

It’s the last day of 2014 and I can’t help but look back at the year it has been. It’s amazing how much can happen in 365 days. At the start of the year, I never could have expected that it will end this way. I have definitely grown a lot this year and I’d like to share with you some of the most important life lessons I learned in 2014. Warning: This is going to be a long post.

On Chasing Dreams

At the start of 2014, I made a decision to focus on chasing my dreams as a writer. Writing is all I wanted to do and this year, I made sure that I did everything I was capable of doing in order to make those dreams come true.

This year, I learned to be fearless. Despite apprehensions about things not working out, I decided to take a leap of faith. Now here I am, living the dream. I’m working purely with writing gigs now. No more virtual assistant or social media gigs. I read somewhere that dreams favor those who are sure and now I believe that to be true.

On Failures

I have achieved so many things in my writing career this year but I have to be honest and say that not everything was a success. I was let go from a writing gig a few months ago. It would have been easier to accept had it been really because I wasn’t good enough. However, it was due to a colleague having a personal issue with me.

It was really unbelievable at first but I’ve learned that every failure, mistake or setback has opportunities hiding behind them. Less than 2 weeks after this setback, I actually found 2 other clients who I actually love working with. Now, I’m working with four clients. So, that client I lost wasn’t really a loss in the end. I needed to lose them because I was meant for bigger and better things.

On Opportunities

I was blessed with many opportunities this year and I think I grabbed all of them. Hahaha! But there was one opportunity that I was scared to take. I blogged about it a two weeks ago. It was that offer to write editorials for a London-based online lifestyle magazine. In the end, I took the offer and so far  I haven’t regretted it yet. Haha!

 Here’s a screenshot of my first article for the site. The site is called Indigo Memoirs and it features anything and everything about London. It gives me great pleasure to see my name on the article! Do check it out, please. It’s all about inspirational yoga books. Watch out for more articles in the weeks to come.

Being presented with this opportunity helped me learn that it’s okay to be scared. It’s okay to feel overwhelmed. What’s not okay is to let those feelings hinder you from experiencing something great. And this is one great opportunity I’m glad I didn’t miss.

On Writing

I learned so much about writing this year and that’s because of all the opportunities I allowed myself to take. Not only did I learn how to write better, I also learned what types of writing projects I like and what types of clients I like working with.

I learned that I write best when I’m inspired but that I’m also capable of writing a great piece when there’s a deadline looming over my head. I also used to think that writing two articles a day was my maximum capacity. But during the past couple of months, I learned that I can write more than that in one day, assuming of course there are no errands to run outside the house and there are minimal house chores to do that day. Best of all, writing so much this year really gave me better insight on what the future can be like for me as a writer and I’m really excited for the possibilities.

On Friendships

My relationship with some friends evolved this year. I became closer to some. At the same time, some friendships also started fading away, which I’ve learned is okay. It happens. I know I will meet other people whom I can form close friendships with.

I’ve also learned that you can find friendship from someone you never expected to be close to. So, we really shouldn’t close our doors on anyone just because we initially think we have little in common. Friendship is really all about finding the people who are your kind of crazy. That’s exactly what happened to me this year.

On Haters

I used to be a people-pleaser but years ago I decided to not care about what others think of me anymore. This year though I unexpectedly found myself a few haters and I was initially hurt by it because they’re kinda close to me but judged me (and what I said) without taking the time to understand me.

Well, I’ve since learned to let it go. I have channeled Taylor Swift and decided to shake it off! Haha! It was a quote from Rita Moreno that inspired me to move on.  She’s right. I’m not gonna die from not being liked. It has actually made me stronger and made me see some people’s true colors.

On Love

Hubby and I have experienced many tests in our relationship for the past 6 years but there’s nothing like this one major test we experienced this year. It had the potential to break us apart and for a while, I was afraid it would (and I know there are some who hoped it would).

However, it didn’t. Instead, I believe it made our bond stronger. It reinforced our love for each other and made me realize just how strong his commitment is to me. I learned to trust our bond and our love and discovered just how strong we really are together. Best of all, I learned to love him more.

On Motherhood

One of the things I’ve been struggling with as a mom is learning to let go. My girls will be off to live with their dad starting the summer of 2015 and so this year I’ve been preparing everybody for that transition. I know it will be incredibly hard for me because I worry about my girls. But this year, I’ve learned to accept that I can only do so much as a mother.

No matter how hard I try, I can never teach my girls a life’s worth of lessons before they leave our home. I had to remind myself that there are things they can only learn from experience and that their leaving our home doesn’t mean they’ll be gone forever. We’ll still see them every weekend. I will still have chances to fuss over them but this is also going to be my chance to let them spread their wings a bit and trust that I’ve equipped them with values strong enough to lead their way.

As a mom to my son, I’ve learned patience. I’ve learned that boys will really be boys and that I have to allow my son to do whatever boys do. He has helped me become a more relaxed mother. At the same time, it has been a joy learning more about the world through his eyes.

On Family

I’ve learned that we can never be a perfect model for blended families and that’s okay. We have many things to improve on but at the same time we have also come a long way. The important thing is that we keep learning together in order to be better. It’s really all about the journey.

What I know for sure is that there is genuine love here. No matter how unconventional our situation is, we are and will always be a family. That’s what matters most.

On Myself

I learned so much about myself this year. I learned that I’m stronger that what I think. I learned to speak up and stand up for what I believe in no matter the consequences. Although I still have insecurities and experience moments of self-doubt, I realized that I am capable of achieving anything I want as long as I really dedicate my heart and soul into it. I learned that I’m capable of loving more.

2014 was a year of self-discovery. I have grown so much and have come into my own. At the same time, I know I still have a lot to learn and I look forward to the lessons that 2015 has yet to teach me.

I hope that you all learn from these lessons as well. Do share with me what you learned in 2014 and join me in welcoming 2015. Happy New Year to all!!!