Learn 2016

Christmas is over and New Years is on its way. At this part of the year, it is common for people to start thinking about what is next, what their resolution will be, and if they can keep it. But for me, this is the part of the year when I become reflective. Before I can move on to what is next, I must mentally go through the ups and downs of this past year.

Call me nostalgic, or overly sentimental (which I am), but every year around this time, I look back. I take a moment—even if it’s brief—to celebrate the surprises, successes, and sweet memories. Then I remember things I thought this year would hold, but didn’t; I either grieve a lost dream or feel gratitude for what was vs what I wanted. And, I ask myself,

“What did I learn?”

I believe that every lesson must be acknowledged to really stick. So, in light of my “end of the year process,” and in hopes of inspiring you to look back on your year, for this Love Learn Lead Thursday, here are some Things I Learned in 2016:

I can work out almost every day for 90 days, and not fall apart or quit.

My husband and I kicked off 2016 by doing P90X3—a high-intensity exercise program where you work out for thirty minutes, six days a week for 90 days. Unless you count gym class, I have never worked out 90 days in a year of my lifetime, let alone in a row. But with the accountability of an equally invested partner, the motivation of a possibly intense outdoor trip in the summer, and my own curiosity to see if I could do it, I managed to push through. The real lessons I learned from this were: A. How to change my mindset from exercising to lose weight, to exercising to build strength. B. How not quitting when faced with physical challenges, can build up one’s mental and emotional strength. And C. That my body can do a lot more than I have ever given it credit for.
I can survive eight days Camping in the Wilderness.

I grew up in a family where we never went camping. So, the fact alone that before this year I had been on a few weekend trips, is a big deal. But, I married an Eagle Scout, whose favorite memories of growing up involve camping. So, when this time last year, his old scout leader asked if he and his brother (also an Eagle Scout), would want to venture into the lakes of Northern Minnesota this summer—not only did he say yes, but he said he wanted me to come. So in July, we loaded up canoes with enough food and supplies for the eight people in our group, and paddled our way into over a week with no phones, no internet, no showers, and no real bathrooms. Not only did I learn that I could survive, I also enjoyed it thoroughly. I started the week focused on surviving, and ended the week sad to see it end. Other than the mosquitoes that left welts on our bodies the size of quarters, it was a wonderful, and beautiful experience.
I learned how to make a fire.

See number 2. It’s on the list of things you need to know how to do in the wilderness.
Sometimes we need to focus on “the next right step,” rather than the big picture.

For a long time now, I have felt this inward pull towards writing. I just haven’t know exactly where to start nor have I had a vision for what it should look like. Until, thanks to a friend, I came across a series of interviews done with writers who had “made it.” In every single conversation, when asked how they got to where they were, they kept saying, “I just took the next right step (then the next one, then the one after that, etc.).” None of them had a grand vision, nor did they know exactly what they were doing or where they were going. So this past year, I have been focusing on my steps rather than vision. For the first half of the year, it looked like writing as much as I could, and for this last half it has been creating this blog and all that it entails. I am still not fully sure where I am headed, but my vision is beginning to get clearer, and I am moving forward.