The Worst Year of my Life?

Ever had one of those years where it feels like everything goes wrong? It feels like the world is against you and as soon as you manage to pick yourself up from one disaster, you immediately get batted down by another one? I?ll be honest, this is what 2019 often felt like for me, and by the end of August I was regularly declaring to anyone that would listen, ?This is the worst year of my life?. But, there were a few problems with that sentence?

Firstly, I found I kept waking up every morning waiting for the next thing to go wrong. I kept saying to myself, ?this has been such a terrible year, something else is bound to go wrong soon, and I just can?t wait for 2019 to end?. This negative focus really dragged me down, and constantly waiting for the next problem or negative event resulted in me missing out on some pretty amazing things that also happened this year. I wasn?t letting myself enjoy those moments because I was too busy living in the future, waiting for another disaster.

Secondly, I found myself starting to rely on external events to change how I felt. For example, I caught myself thinking one day, ?You know what, 2020 will be better because of this trip and that holiday and this event.? Don?t get me wrong, it?s nice to have things to look forward to, but if we?re always living in the future, waiting for that next holiday or whatever to make us happy, will we ever be content in this moment?

Lastly, I actually learned a lot about my own strength and resilience. For example, in the face of a difficult life event, and against all odds, I still finished my masters and graduated with a distinction when I really didn?t think I could. This isn?t me trying to brag, but me saying how amazed I am by the resilience of human beings, and this is something I see on a regular basis on our courses. It is amazing what humans can overcome and achieve, even in the face of much adversity.

So here?s me lifting my glass to 2020, but not because 2019 was ?the worst year of my life? and I want it to end. 2019 taught me some important lessons and allowed me to grow so much more as a person; and if I?m taking my negative hat off, some great things also happened this year that I am extremely grateful for. So now I enter 2020 one year older, and definitely another year wiser, ready to face whatever the next year throws at me!

I hope you have a wonderful festive period, and a happy and healthy New Year.