Wonderful things happened in 2014: I finished my first semester of graduate school, and I learned so many new things. I went to Washington, D.C. and Costa Rica for the first time, which satisfied my wanderlust for the time being. I planned a wedding with Cason, whom I love dearly. Our precious nephew was born. Our time away in Texas made our visits with family even sweeter. 2014 was by no means a “bad year,” but it was difficult at times.
Despite all the wonderful things that happened this past year, the overwhelming theme of 2014 was “the never-ending to-do list.” No, it wasn’t all bad, but there was certainly a constant feeling of taking two steps forward and one step back. I felt it with my school work, my graduate assistantship, my practicum work, my relationships, and within myself. I constantly has something I needed to get done, wanted to do better, or wish I had time to do. Yet, it never seemed like things were finished, even for a moment, an evening, a weekend. To say that 2014 was a busy year would be an understatement. Perhaps I let little things get to me more than they should have. Perhaps there were just a lot of changes to adjust to. Regardless, the hope is that 2015 will be an improvement upon 2014.
One thing I learned this year is that expectation is everything. When expectations are too high or fail to match reality, stress builds. In the next year, my ultimate goal is to manage my time better and carve out specific time to be intentional with personal growth and with Cason. During the latter part of this year, I spent loads of time stressing over things (mostly school) and not actually doing anything (studying, anyone?). I stressed out about things so much that I was no longer productive. The goal this year is to stress less over school and manage my time so that I will maximize productivity. Better time management and increased productivity in school allows more time to devote to Cason, to family, to friends, and to myself.
Wow, talk about a new year’s resolution. Time management is a huge task to take on, but I have lots of plans in the works to manage my time wisely and prioritize the things that need more of my attention. Realistically, there are many more things on the to-do list for the upcoming year, but I want to find joy in all of those things. I want to learn to set realistic expectations and helpful timelines for myself. My goal is to grow personally in this area this year, and I hope you’ll stick with me as I walk down this path in 2015!
Don’t forget about my 101 in 1001 list as well! It runs through 2017, but there are plenty of exciting things that I will be updating about in the upcoming months!
Happy 2015, y’all!
a thousand new paths 