At last, it's a wrap for this year. Well...almost. We still have Christmas to get through, obscene amounts of food and alcohol to consume, time needed to recover from it all and 'New Year New Me' posts to scroll past on social media while rolling our eyes BUT...
Just before I sign off on this year and give my batteries a much needed recharge...
I want to leave you with something...
Look, maybe it happens every year and I've never been aware of it until now? Because I know that while every year around this time, plenty of people lament on "how quickly the year has gone", I haven't felt that way, this time around. Probably because this years' been such a long, (often tiring) haul and I've been looking forward to its' end for a while now? And that's the thing- I've noticed a few videos like this one doing the rounds:
Just before I sign off on this year and give my batteries a much needed recharge...
I want to leave you with something...
Look, maybe it happens every year and I've never been aware of it until now? Because I know that while every year around this time, plenty of people lament on "how quickly the year has gone", I haven't felt that way, this time around. Probably because this years' been such a long, (often tiring) haul and I've been looking forward to its' end for a while now? And that's the thing- I've noticed a few videos like this one doing the rounds:
I know that 2016 hasn't been like this for everybody, though. If you support Leicester City FC, the Cavs, the Western Bulldogs, Cronulla, the Chicago Cubs or are from the USA and voted to 'Make America Great Again', then this years' been a memorable one for you, no doubt!
For me? I wouldn't say it's been a bad year, but...
Pretty much since January, this year has felt like a constant climb. I've stumbled, grappled and pushed onwards up the side of a mountain whose peak is a mystery hidden away beneath the mist. Not only that, but I've had barely any time to stop and take a breather. For most of this year I've been back and forth 6 days a week, often up into the solitary, quiet hours of the morning doing whatever I felt needed to be done before I could flick the lights out and go to sleep.
I wouldn't say it's been a difficult year, but a trying one.
Yet despite this, it's also been a year in which I read a lot.
I studied a lot.
I learnt a lot.
I had a surprising number of revelations- and not all of them just relating to work (thankfully!)
I held my first workshops, where my lucky attendees discovered the process for brainstorming, writing, editing and posting a regular blog- just like this one.
It was also the year where I spent 10 weeks sweating it out, improving my jabs, slips and crosses, taking hits- all so I could learn to 'Fight Like a Pro'. There were a few times I thought "Stuff it- I don't need to do this! I'm done" and thought of walking away from it. In an unexpected number of ways, those 3 months were a parallel to what was going on in my life every week. But I kept on training, and wound up walking through an auditorium packed full of people, slipping through the ropes and stepping foot into the ring to fight. By the end of the year, I'd done this twice. My ribs are still sore from my last bout at the end of November, but that's another story...
So for me, it's been a year of sowing. A year of toiling. Not a year of great loss or upheval, but it's still been a real slog. January feels like a long time ago. And now, at last it's over. I'm happy to take it easy for a couple of weeks. I'll be back soon, full of energy and ready to keep on climbing towards the peak.
Anyway, that's enough about me for now. What about you? Has this been a year of toil or a year of triumph? A year of reflection or a year of revelation? I'd love to hear more about your "year that was"...
In the meantime, Merry Christmas. This is me, over and out for 2016.
See you on the other side of the New Year!
For me? I wouldn't say it's been a bad year, but...
Pretty much since January, this year has felt like a constant climb. I've stumbled, grappled and pushed onwards up the side of a mountain whose peak is a mystery hidden away beneath the mist. Not only that, but I've had barely any time to stop and take a breather. For most of this year I've been back and forth 6 days a week, often up into the solitary, quiet hours of the morning doing whatever I felt needed to be done before I could flick the lights out and go to sleep.
I wouldn't say it's been a difficult year, but a trying one.
Yet despite this, it's also been a year in which I read a lot.
I studied a lot.
I learnt a lot.
I had a surprising number of revelations- and not all of them just relating to work (thankfully!)
I held my first workshops, where my lucky attendees discovered the process for brainstorming, writing, editing and posting a regular blog- just like this one.
It was also the year where I spent 10 weeks sweating it out, improving my jabs, slips and crosses, taking hits- all so I could learn to 'Fight Like a Pro'. There were a few times I thought "Stuff it- I don't need to do this! I'm done" and thought of walking away from it. In an unexpected number of ways, those 3 months were a parallel to what was going on in my life every week. But I kept on training, and wound up walking through an auditorium packed full of people, slipping through the ropes and stepping foot into the ring to fight. By the end of the year, I'd done this twice. My ribs are still sore from my last bout at the end of November, but that's another story...
So for me, it's been a year of sowing. A year of toiling. Not a year of great loss or upheval, but it's still been a real slog. January feels like a long time ago. And now, at last it's over. I'm happy to take it easy for a couple of weeks. I'll be back soon, full of energy and ready to keep on climbing towards the peak.
Anyway, that's enough about me for now. What about you? Has this been a year of toil or a year of triumph? A year of reflection or a year of revelation? I'd love to hear more about your "year that was"...
In the meantime, Merry Christmas. This is me, over and out for 2016.
See you on the other side of the New Year!