Reflections of 2017

It is December 30th as I write this. 2017 is almost over and as with a lot of people, the last few days are a time to reflect on the year that has been, and to make resolutions for the year to come. In this blog post, I will write my thoughts as well as share some of my New Years resolutions.

I'm going to come out and say it, 2017 has been brutal. I thought 2016 was a down year, but 2017 said to 2016 "hold my beer". I mean this year has been challenging to say the least. I truly believe that what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger, and this has been truly been put to the test this year.

The year started out with Donald Trump being sworn in as the 45th President of the United States and in a previous blog post, I shared my opinion of DT. After a year of DT as President, my opinion is no higher and definitely lower than it was a year ago.

Donald Trump wasn't the only reason 2017 was a disappointing year though. I had high hopes for 2017 since 2016 was a down year for me. I was super excited when 2016 came to an end and 2017 arrived, but then I was met with reality early on that 2017 would be a year of challenge, loss, and what seemed like one struggle after another.

I struggled at times this year with depression, job hunt frustration, frustration with contract roles and frustration with some freelance projects. Also, frustration, and anger with so-called "leaders". I won't go into any more detail, except sometimes people's word means nothing.

Enough pouting and bellyaching though. I am a positive "glass-half-full" person and I prefer to focus on the positive and not the negative, so I will list a few things that did go right for me in 2017. I learned new technical skills, both on the job and through online courses like Udemy. I also learned to play acoustic guitar (sort of) and I read a lot, not as much as I would have liked to, but a lot. I also exercised and meditated regularly, and I drank plenty of water. I was fortunate to be creative in some interesting freelance projects, and I wrote some really good blog post this year. I also made new friends in 2017 and was a good Son, Brother and Uncle.

So 2017 had some positive moments, but are my expectations for 2018 to be the same as 2017? HELL NO. I expect 2018 to be head and shoulders above 2017. I have great expectations for 2018, and I am highly motivated after reading Jon Gordons, 20 Tips For A Positive New Year.

I know I am not alone in having a bad year, and I know I am not alone in hoping for a better year in 2018, so I say to whoever is struggling like me, stay positive, stay focused, stay present and believe in yourself. Happy New Year!!!