Looking back: 2014

Hello there little lovely soul, happy 2015! I hope you are feeling pumped and ready to go for another year, and if you’re not, I hope things will get better for you soon. I am being proper excited for this year, I have a feeling it’s going to be a good one. Today I wanted to talk about the lovely 2014. A little reflection on the past year, so that I won’t forget the marvellous things that have happened in 2014. This post is going to be about me, with a lot of rambling and a lot of personal information, so if you’re not up for that you should probably leave right now. If you are one of those drama-suckers, feel free to leave your 2014 story down in the comments ;).

I could talk about all the bad things that have happened this year. All the friends I have lost, the bad things my family went through, and the insecurities I felt. I don’t want to do that, though. I believe that if you focus on the good part of life, good things will come to you. Obviously, life isn’t always cotton candy sweet. If you enjoy the little things however, I believe you can learn to enjoy life more, even if things don’t go the way you’ve planned them.

This is why, at the beginning of this year, I started making lucky stars and put them in a glass vase. At the inside of the stars I’ve written happy little moments I noticed or remembered. They  are completely random, both personal and general. I have probably missed a lot of moments, since the vase isn’t nearly filled, and I haven’t folded all of the slips of paper into stars yet, but now is the time to read them all back, and I thought why share some of my favourite moments on here! I wanted to make beautiful photo's of each slip of paper, but they are all crinkled so much that isn't possible, so I will just quote them, if that's alright ;). 

“feeling quite comfortable around strangers.”

This is a big thing for me. 2014 has been a year of exploring my boundaries, and finding out that I can sure as hell enjoy the company of strangers. I got a job at a running store, where I talk to strangers for 8 hours straight. It tires me immensely, being an introvert and needing my time alone, but I also find myself energised in a way that can’t be described as actual energy, but just a mental state. I still worry a lot about what other people think of me, and the anticipation towards big events with lots of strangers still makes me anxious, but a little corner in my head has opened that allows strangers into my life.

“Needing to keep a journal.”

The past year has probably been the busiest year I’ve had in ages. Joining the athletics team, finishing my first year at uni, making new friends.. let’s just say that I haven’t been taking it too slow in 2014. This meant that I really had to keep a journal, to keep my mind organised. And I love it. I love having a busy life, even though it’s something I had to get used to in the beginning. There have been many crying nights because of the social stress, haha! I adjusted, though. I can now keep a journal and plan ahead and it’s a really nice feeling.

“Letting go of people who don’t make me happy.”

I can’t stress this one enough. The most important thing in life is happiness, in my opinion, and to stay happy, you should surround yourself with people that make you happy. People that make you feel comfortable, while staying through to who you are. I realised this when I realised that the people I hung out with, were causing me more stress than joy. It was really, and I mean really, tough to say goodbye to these people, and it still hurts me sometimes, but I honestly believe that it has been one of the best decisions I have made this year. You don’t need to stay around people that make you feel bad, even if these people have been best friends. You live for yourself, and your own happiness, in the end.

“Lazy Sundays at my parents’ home.”

Being an introverted, quiet person, I can only stay happy and energised around other people for a couple of weeks on end. My parents’ home has been a safe haven for the whole of 2014. A place where I could rest, get some work done, feel loved, and just didn’t have to worry about what I was saying or wearing or doing or whatever. My family has always been very supportive, and I love going back there on the weekends to get back on track for another busy week at uni.

“Running in the sun.”

Running has been one of the biggest constants this year, and a huge source of happiness. Joining the student athletics group has been one of the best decisions I’ve made in 2014, since I found amazing friends and amazing times at NSAV ‘t Haasje. Running is something I’ve always loved, but never have I dedicated this much time and energy in it. I love seeing that I’m improving, that I’m going faster and that competitions are going well. I even joined the board of the team, being the treasurer, which is a responsibility I never thought I’d be able to handle. Running will probably always stay a part of my life, but I am really glad that I took the change to properly reintroduce it into my routine this past year.

Obviously, there were many more little notes with days and moments that have stayed with me in 2014. I am not going to write any more down, but I highly encourage you to do something similar to this. Whether you just write the moments down and fold the pieces of paper, or you write them in a notebook/your phone, it’s really nice to look back on your year and see all you’ve done and accomplished.

This year has been a hectic year for me, with loads of changes and load of new adventures. I can’t wait for 2015 to bring me even more lovely moments to put into a notebook. I decided that this year I am going to do a “one line each day” inspired project, where I will write down one thing I’ve done in the day for every day of 2015. This way I can use these notes to compare my days of 2016 with the ones I will be having this year.

I hope you have an amazing year ahead of you, with lots of love, giggles and adventures. Feel free to leave anything down in the comments, I’d love to hear what you’ve done in 2014, or any resolutions you want to achieve in 2015.

Lots of love and luck for 2015,

Janeri xxx