My intent for this post was to write about what I had learned in 2018. Hours later, I’m still at my laptop, starting to wonder if it may be easier to share what I haven’t. The year has been that transformational.
After all of the time spent reflecting and editing, here are my 2018 takeaways from a year defined by change:
- The journey is yours, and yours alone. Not everyone will understand why you must do what you are doing, and why you need to do it now. People who you knew would support you without question, won’t. People who you thought would never get it, do. It’s an unexpected gift.
- Transformation is slow and boring sometimes. Unbridled enthusiasm is not rewarded. Dedication and consistent steps forward are. It feels weird and scary almost daily. Stick with it and choose to trust the process.
- You will lose people. A harsh light gets focused on every connection in your life and not all can handle it. The flip side is that life will begin to surprise you in a kaleidoscope of meaningful ways. Embrace it.
- You will cry and second-guess yourself. You will have days when the rug gets pulled out from under you. It will be up to you to decide if you want to stay fallen. Remember, you can always stand back up and walk on the floor. Who needs the damn rug?
- Trust your gut. Always.
And at the end, you’ll find that you wouldn’t change a moment of it.