Looking Back at 2018
As I spend time reviewing the past year, 2018, and planning for 2019, it really led me to reflect on the importance of the things I was doing. It led me to really consider the value of the things that I do.
During this article, I’ll talk about the things that I did throughout 2018. Throughout Thursday’s piece, I will go more in-depth about what I am going to continue and what I am going to cut out.
As Hugh Heffner said, Life is too short to be living someone else’s dream.
The first thing that I really focused on in 2018, as many know, is books. The average CEO is said to read 50 books annually while some sources place that number at 60. My goal was originally to read 100 books but then I ended up increasing that goal to 120. I know I don’t want to be average so my goal was to double the reported average. I ended up completing 118 books for the year, though I am midway through a couple others while 2019 is now beginning.
My number ended at 80 audiobooks and 38 print books. Most of the time that I was driving I have been listening to audiobooks and I also often would while eating, cooking, or cleaning. As for the print books, I made it a purpose to read 20 pages a night before sleeping.
The first thing that I have done every morning for about a year and a half is a personal journal of mostly a day’s summary and things I have learned or done. What I added to that during 2018 was a gratitude list. I would write down the first things that came to my mind which would sometimes be 5 things or sometimes 15.
Following that, another thing I incorporated throughout 2018 was prayer journaling. I began my mornings with a prayer and journaled them as well. The intention was to be able to review the things that I have been going through and understand where God has been working in my life. I began this in September and did this every morning since then. Some days the prayer would be quick like a minute or two, sometimes I would spend more time listening to God and be there for 15 minutes or more.
The next thing I focused on was a goals journal. I wrote down the 5 most important goals to be achieved in the next 6 months or 5 years. I did this also, every morning. I wanted to focus on the things that mattered most to me and keep the achievement of them as the primary daily goal for each day.
All these were things that were easy to do and also easy not to do. My overall intention was to spend time doing the things that would enable me to succeed in the way that I want to. I’ll next take a look at evaluating what those things did to take me in the direction I’m desiring to go.
Read books that fill you. Listen to music that moves you. Keep company that uplifts you. Engage in positive self-talk. Be your best self — Alex Elle