2024 wrapped
At the end of December last year, I took a selfie sitting in a blanket on the sofa at my parents' house in Canada. I remember taking it because I wanted to look back at it in a year's time and see how different my life was. I thought to myself, a year is a long time and so much will change for the better. I had a tough 2023 and just wanted things to look up for me. I was desperate for personal fulfillment. Ironically, now I can't find that photo on my phone. I stumbled across it a few times throughout the year but now it’s nowhere to be found. I’m taking it as a sign - do I need that photo to remind myself of the year I’ve had? Probably not. Although I definitely would have analysed it a lot.
My life hasn’t drastically changed since that day even though I naively thought it would, but I have so much to be grateful for and I wanted to share three small wins from this year in the hope that you too will reflect on the experiences that might go unseen but are shaping you.
I’m saying what’s on my mind more.
Earlier this year I read about a lady who had a goal to be honest 100% of the time. At the time I remember thinking how silly of a ‘challenge’ that was because surely we all know that being honest is better than lying and it shouldn’t be difficult practice honesty as an adult. But I’ve realised that it’s the things I don’t say or keep to myself that stresses me out more. So whether it was business-related or to do with personal relationships, even if it felt uncomfortable to address, I’ve felt much better (and lighter) after saying what’s on my mind.
I’m blocking out the noise.
I haven’t mastered this but I’m getting better. I’ve noticed that when you do something slightly unconventional or a bit risky (women especially), people don’t always get it. There always has to be a plan B or a deadline to the dream. I understand that it comes from a place of wanting security for me, but it’s also nice to have people in your corner who simply support you for going for it. I’m very aware of the risks and time it takes to grow and scale a business, I’m literally in the thick of it and working very hard to make it a success. This takes the most courage in my opinion, so I owe it to myself to make the days count and block out other people’s opinions or throwaway comments. It’s up to me (and me only) to put a deadline on it and revert to my plan B if I want to or need to, not because I cracked under the pressure of wanting to fit in.
I’m learning through others about the type of person I want to be.
Running a small business is wild, and also very interesting. I’ve been on a mission this year to attend a range of networking events so I can meet people, talk about Love Your Company, and also practice doing these things on my own as I’m the sole founder and it’s kind of essential at this stage of my business. I’ve experienced a lot of personalities and people not quite matching their social media personas. Businesses copying my prompts, founders saying one thing on social media and the complete opposite offline. I’ve learnt to just be authentic, decent, kind and fair.
2024 has been a year of growth and transition for me. I’ve really had to tap into my self belief and remind myself of all my wonderful qualities. I’ll be bringing my drive, ambition and creativity into 2025 and I’m looking forward to it. And this time next week I’ll be back on that same sofa at my parents’ house. I probably won’t take another selfie because what’s the point, but I will remember that moment and reflect on the year I’ve had.