2023 vs. 2024
The last two weeks at work have been quite challenging. Picking up where we left off in December, internal changes in the team and a lot of problems to tackle have been the rule for many of us since the beginning of the new year.
In my case, my personal life also changed a lot. Right after December 31st rolled around, I decided to pack 2 suitcases and see what life looked like where my partner had been transferred to.
If you don't already know, my partner and I have a history of living together for some time, then he's transferred somewhere else for work, we ended up spending some time apart and I eventually join him if I feel like it and if it makes sense for me to go. I've written about it here and here if you'd like to know more. That's all to say that a year can change everything. This time last year I'd recently had my worst burnout crisis, was preparing to go the Middle East for the first time, was packing my house to move out of the city I dreamed of living to go to a small beach town near my family, and was just beginning my 7-month unemployment period. I took last year as a time to embrace change, to understand I cannot and will not control everything around me, to find joy in the unexpected, to rest A LOT, and to figure out what's really worth my time and energy. By the end of the year, I was (and still am) working remotely for a company abroad, went on my first international corporate trip to Argentina, met loads of amazing people, and worked a lot of skills I've always wanted to master.
Getting good vs. being an expert
I'd say I got better at many things this past year, but I'm aware I'm far from being an expert.
Last year was about the inner work, whereas this year, I feel like it will be more about putting my skills and myself out there, getting help, having examples, and sharing experiences. That being said, here is what I worked on the most in 2023:
Being better with money, paying off debt, and learning impulse control
Organizing and cleaning more my space, so my mind could eventually reflect that
Respecting my need for rest
Being more consistent with physical exercise
Trusting I can take care of myself more
Slowly getting through my toxic relationship with work
Writing to make sense of my thoughts
A single year working on these things will not make me an expert in any of them, even more so if my first time investing time and energy into them.
But, as mentioned in my last post, one year can get you somewhere different, or at least in the right direction. In my case, I became more financially stable, and the next step in to feel financially free.
I got into a habit of making my bed every day, vacuuming and mopping my house frequently, and not going to sleep with dishes in the sink (for the most part).
I started running again and lifting weights for the first time in my life.
I'm aiming to sleep at least 8 hours every night and give myself a nap break every once in a while, during my lunch hour, if I don't feel well rested.
I have leaders and colleagues I started developing a personal relationship with and who understand my past struggles.
And I'd like to think my writing has improved from the start of the blog until now. I also know a lot more about Google and social media analytics than I ever had in my life and spent a lot of last year studying the ins and outs of blogging.
Does that make me an expert?
No, far from it, actually. But that's ok.
Being an expert, a master, a pro, however you want to call it, involves a lot of investment of time, effort, energy, and sometimes money.
I'm not an expert organizer, nor the best and most stock-market-savvy person out there. I'm not the best project manager in the world, nor the best writer or the most secure person ever. But I'm getting better at each one of those things as time goes on. And that's enough for me.
I trust my intelligence, the way I learn things, and my reasoning to make the best decisions I can make. I trust that I can keep up with the habits I chose to practice, once I understand they make sense for me and I trust that I can build a support system to help with goals and skills.
So yeah, one year single might not make me an expert at anything, but it can take me far. Let's see how far.
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