With the culmination of another year’s sequence of events comes a necessity to reflect on the triumphs, pitfalls, laughs, and tears of 2018.
As human beings we often organize the random events of our lives into patterns, as if it all actually means something in the grand scheme of things. Maybe it doesn’t, but as someone who will have to deal with at least thirty more years of life, it puts me at ease if I feel like life is progressing in someway.
When someone enters adulthood, it becomes more difficult to see tangibly the results of their hard work. As kids it was easy to see our progress before our eyes, going from grade to grade, and eventually graduating college. When you end up working the same job for 4 years in a row, it becomes seemingly more difficult to see a sense of progress. Adulthood creates a sense of routine that we are unable to get out of, unless we separate our lives into separate distinctive spheres. And so, I will now analyze the progress of my life through the lens of six separate categories.
In the realm of health, I have progressed in some ways. In 2018, I was able to transition my running patterns from running 1 mile in January to being able to run 10 miles in December (in one running). Next year, I will run my first half-marathon, which would hopefully be a precursor to eventually running a full marathon in 2020. To hallmark these improvements, I will push myself towards a healthier diet next year through a combination of cooking and exercise of other body parts.
In the social sphere, I continue to push myself towards continuing to cherish and build on the relationships I already have with friends from high school, college, and as well as previous and current workplaces. Through the Four Seasons project, I was able to push myself to go outside of my comfort zone and continue meeting more people – my biggest efforts rewarded with the amount of friends made from volunteering at Anime Expo 2018. I hope to continue to expand my horizons through continued volunteering for Anime Expo 2019, and simply being social with as many strangers as possible. Next year’s project (to be announced) will result in improved communications with all persons in my life.
Professionally, I continue to grow in the workplace. Though there have been some setbacks due to some unfortunate incidents that have happened in the prior two years, I do feel a sense of growth taking on new responsibilities in the workplace. With my first year as grade level chair, I have pushed myself to try to make the lives of the teachers easier as well as continuing to come up with new ways to improve the culture of the overall 7th grade. I hope I can continue to do so in 2019, and am ecstatic for our upcoming 7th grade field trip to Phil’s BBQ.
Spiritually, I read some books this year on Christianity given to me by a co-worker. I continue to do further research online on different world religions as I continue to find my place in the world. I don’t think at this point in my life I’m ready to settle on any given faith, and will continue exploring until I eventually do.
Romantically, I do see some upsides for me this year, even though the relationship I was in ultimately failed. I know that in a relationship, I end up becoming a “giving tree” so to speak, and I just need to find someone willing to reciprocate the same amount of giving and not just taking. I know in my heart I was willing to put in a ridiculous amount of time and investment in a relationship, but sometimes the puzzle pieces just don’t fit, and you have to move on accordingly. I’m hoping I can use these experiences to push myself further into finding the right person for me in the future, who will appreciate me for who I am.
Introspectively, I will continue to reflect on the events of my life, and push myself towards thinking more positively in the future. Life deals us certain cards (especially at birth), and it’s up to us to overcome them. I do find myself sympathizing way more with the plight of the poor and misfortune than I do with the elitists and those handed everything they wanted their whole lives. Resiliency and grit are the true foundations for good moral character, and I hope to push myself towards surrounding myself and keeping only good people in my life in the future.
I’m positive 2019 will bring continued progress and growth as I continue to seek happiness in the immediate and not-so immediate futures.
