Goodbye 2018

Well okay, not yet, but we are just a few weeks away from 2019.

Now that the year is coming to an end, I wanted to do a review of what I wanted my 2018 year to be versus what actually happened.

On January 29th of 2018, I got together with my friends and did my vision board. I took legit hours on my vision board. It was colorful, beautiful, pink, and pretty. It was basically me, but in collage form.

What I wanted in 2018 as reflected by my vision board

Living in NYC or at least continuing to live a NYC lifestyle
Getting an ant farm
Continuing to build my relationship with my partner
Becoming more of a social media influencer on Facebook, twitter, and Instagram
Completing my alpha sapphire game
Playing more tabletop games
Working at NYCC
Going to Bermuda
Going to Chicago
Going to San Francisco
Spending time with my cat
Enjoying more coffee and coffee shops
Participating in NaNoWriMo
Redesigning/revamping my home
Discovering my personal style
Going to the Christmas Spectacular Radio City Rockettes Show
Working on my business, 15 Minutes of Creativity

What actually happened in 2018:

I am still working in NYC and have made my first year anniversary working alongside Red Sapiens and Above PAR Advisors. Together we have impacted several businesses big and small to achieve their business goals and to grow.
I got an ant farm. This was gifted to me by my boyfriend. This ant farm housed fifty worker ants who gradually passed away after 3 months due to a lack of a queen. The experience and satisfaction of having my own colony was awesome and I’ll probably try to get a queen next year.
My boyfriend and I have continued to communicate and develop our relationship. It is by no means perfect, but we’ve been working through everything like a team. A big highlight is that he was able to spend Thanksgiving with my family which is a Thanksgiving miracle in my eyes.
My social media has grown just a little bit, nothing worth noting, but perhaps I’ll pull some stats and update this blog post for the curious minds.
I created a YouTube channel and experimented with Let’s Play videos. However the videos are now hidden from public eye due to audio issues.
I created a second blog, Carprincess.com to focus on my growth, this is the very same blog you are reading from right now!
I continue to go to have board game nights with my friends. We’ve gone from werewolf, to werewords, to red dragon inn! Lots of short but sweet games.
I worked at NYCC and wrote my thoughts about it as well. I might even go to San Diego Comic Con next year or in 2020!
I went to Bermuda with my significant other and my friends. It was such a great experience and a greatly needed break from work. This allowed all of us to do a hard reset on our minds as we relaxed and came back to the US refreshed
My cat turned 19 and is still kicking! She continues to be my precious little kitten and I love her so much!
I’ve begun my minimalism adventure and did a deep clean of my kitchen this year
I revamped my website for 15 Minutes of Creativity and did a branding workshop by Engage which helped me talk about it with others with more clarity.
I’m going to go see the NYC Rockettes for the Christmas Spectacular at the end of this month

Unexpected Events in 2018:

I went to Connection Camp this year in the early summer. It was an experience that was unlike any other and I look forward to going there again in 2019.
I enrolled and participated in the Landmark Forum, as well as, The Forum in Action, Advanced, and now finishing up with SELP. These self development courses have been instrumental in my growth in the latter half of the year
I was in the DaVinci Mindset podcast this year! It was something I was terrified of doing but I’m so glad I did it anyway. It was out of my comfort zone, but now I am much more confident and am looking forward to do more next year.
My boyfriend gifted me my first deck of tarot cards whom I have named Miami. A few months after, my friend Maria gifted me my second deck inspired by cats.
I created Take 15 which is an awesome productivity tool inspired by tarot cards. It’s function is to provide guidance for individuals who go through ‘analysis paralysis’ when they have free time.

What I Did Not Do in 2018:

I did not move to NYC, nor do I think I will next year. It’s just too expensive, so I may need to stick with an apartment near a train station instead as a compromise
Become a social media influencer on Facebook, twitter, and Instagram. I honestly need to dedicate more time and energy into this going into 2019.
Completing my Alpha Sapphire game. This may need to be a game to complete next year, I got up to 5 gym badges and now am too busy playing Smash Ultimate and Let’s Go Eevee to finish it.
Chicago. I may go there in 2020 if all things go as planned. It’s a trip I definitely want to take, even if it’s just for a weekend.
San Francisco. This one was a long-shot when I created my vision board, but I’ll continue to wish for a brief vacay in the west side of the country.
Enjoying more coffee and coffee shops. I consider this half completed. I did go to a couple of new Starbucks in NYC and Jersey, but I did not explore enough smaller coffee shops that are scattered in the TriState area.
Participating in NaNoWriMo. I was too enveloped in creating Take 15 to focus on this task, however my very good friend managed to cross the finish line for this and I’m so happy for her!
Discovering my personal style. I still feel like my hair is having an identity crisis. Do I grow it? Do I keep it short? Do I dye it? The questions go on and on which means I still need another year to think about my ‘signature look’

Final Notes about 2018

2018 I believe was a year of personal growth. I feel like I needed to do a lot of ‘growing up’ before I could grow my business, or even grow my relationships with others. I did a mixture of traveling, self evaluation, and personal development courses to really reflect on my relationship to myself, my word, and others.

As for my favorites of the year, feel free to read more about it!