Two lessons that changed my life in 2022…

Happy New Year familia!

I cannot believe that I have finally published my first blog post! I’m officially a blogger now guys!

I know we’re three weeks into January already, but life has been hectic so bear with me! Firstly, I hope you had a great Christmas and New Year! Feels like a distant memory now huh? But can we rewind time and go back to New Year’s Eve for just one second? I promise there is a point to this…

Table of Contents

• Is it just me or is this a legit NYE dilemma?
• Lesson Number 1: Stop fleeing your feelings!
• Lesson Number 2: YOU are your biggest obstacle!
• They were courageous.

If you’re anything like me, New Year’s Eve is a super emotional day flooded with anxiety about the year ahead. My plans for NYE always seem to fall through as well! It’s one of those nights where I want to go out, but I don’t want to go out. But if I stay inside, I feel like I’m missing out. Or if I go out, I just end up wishing that I stayed in.

Is it just me or is this a legit NYE dilemma?

I’ll be honest, I spent the majority of NYE 2022 crying and got slightly overwhelmed during the countdown. But once I had processed that it was officially 2023 it was like time stopped and an overwhelming feeling of contentment consumed me. It replaced all the feelings of anxiety and sadness I had felt throughout the day. It was weird and something I’d never experienced before. For the first time, I finally felt like I wasn’t missing anything.

I might not be exactly where I want to be right now, but I’m blessed to have what I have and I’m grateful.

It’s safe to say that 2022 was a very interesting year! As much as I had some amazing moments, at times it got a little bit tricky. As I look back, I feel like I learnt a lot last year, in particular two basic but very important lessons. If it wasn’t for these two lessons, I don’t think I would be here right now, launching this blog and finally chasing after my dreams! So, for my first blog post, I want to share the two lessons that changed my life in 2022. I hope that they bless you as much as they blessed me!

Lesson Number 1: Stop fleeing your feelings!

Like many of you reading this right now, last year life consisted of uncertainty and some unpleasant situations that made me feel pretty shit. Instead of staying home and nursing some of the intense feelings that came with that, alcohol and a good time were more my vibe. It would make me feel worse the next day, and the day after that…and probably the day after that too, but that would be my decision and I’d stand by it.

However, 2022 has shown me that feeling your feelings is important. Why? Because feeling your feelings teaches you how to control them so that they do not control you…Read that again!

The bottom line is we all have bad days and the difficult emotions that come with these do not disappear overnight. They may give us a little break from time to time but when life gets tough, guess what? They will rear their ugly heads again!

However, what I can tell you is that since I’ve started encouraging and allowing myself to fully experience my emotions, I’ve been left with a clearer head. I’ve also been able to establish who I am and what I want. I feel lighter, I feel calmer and more patient.

Don’t get me wrong it was and still gets pretty messy and extremely uncomfortable at times. But mastering self-regulation, experiencing real joy and moving on from difficult situations requires finding the time and space to sit with how you feel. You’ve got to ride the wave that is life and that includes the good, the bad and the ugly!

Lesson Number 2: YOU are your biggest obstacle!

As a Christian, I have this thing where I automatically blame the devil for any inconvenience or obstacle I experience. (I’ll admit it…I can occasionally be a bit dramatic!) So, imagine how tough it was to accept the fact that most of the obstacles I face are self-made! Yes – I get in my way by doubting myself, comparing myself to others and having a total lack of faith. Sound familiar?

As much as it pains me to admit this, the overused phrase ‘it’s all about your mindset’ really is true! For example, I wanted to start this blog in 2020 and have followed several bloggers over the years. I witnessed their success, hard work and determination and I knew that blogging was something I wanted to do. However, it took me three years to pluck up the courage to start bringing my dream to life. Yes, you heard that right…three years!

Why did it take so long you ask? Because I let fear and self-doubt kill my dreams and ruin my confidence. Instead of being inspired by these successful bloggers like Christina Galbato who I absolutely love, I kept feeding myself a million reasons why I could never be in their shoes.

But let me let you in on a little secret!

Since launching this blog I’ve realised that there was only one difference between me and the successful bloggers who were living my dream…

They were courageous.

While I made excuses and procrastinated, they took action, faced their fears and took the leap of faith I wasn’t brave enough to.

Familia, we need to start recognising when we are the ones holding ourselves back and stop feeding into our fears. Sometimes we need to embrace fear, move out of our way, and remind ourselves that we are worthy and capable of achieving our dreams.  

If there is something you want to work on or are working on right now, I encourage you to just go for it no matter how scary it may be. You’ll be surprised just how capable and talented you are.

“You don’t have to see the whole staircase to take the first step”

Martin Luther King Jr

If you made it this far, you’re a real one and I appreciate you! I’m still getting the hang of blogging and feel like I have no idea what I’m doing, but I hope that by sharing the two lessons that changed my life in 2022, I’ve provided you with some food for thought. Thank you for taking the time to read this post. It means a lot!

Before you go, I want to take this opportunity to wish you a Happy New Year once again! I know that January can be quite daunting but hang in there! February is just around the corner. You’ve got this and I’m rooting for you! May this year be beyond your wildest dreams!

I would love to know more about you and hear about the lessons that changed your life in 2022! Feel free to drop a comment below and if you would like to know a little more about me, click here 🙂

Besos x