A 2019 Review & A Different Type of New Year’s Resolution
It’s that time of year where people are reflective on the year that’s about to end as we allow ourselves an opportunity to consciously reset with January 1st approaches. I thought that I would reflect on my 2019 whilst also discussing my outlook on 2020 and let you know something I will be doing to replace a typical New Year’s Resolution.
I think the overriding theme of 2019 for me has been the fact that I’ve been fortunate enough to meet some of amazing people this year whilst deepening friendships I truly care about. I started the year a bit lost in terms of what was the bigger picture for my life.
After the previous year being a mixed year emotionally; even though I took big strides with my physical health, I felt like I had stagnated as a person. It was the first time that I started January with a personal sense of urgency. I needed to do something bigger than show up to work and my workouts. The primary goal was to finally set up my podcast and produce 10 hours of content.
With the fact that I’ve spoken about Guards of Eden recently, I won’t bore you too much with the specifics of it, but that initial goal felt pretty lofty when I wrote it down. I had no idea what it was going to look like, and I definitely didn’t plan for 26 hours of episodes across an 8-month period. It’s hard to not highlight it as the biggest achievement of my year personally and I’m grateful that over 4,000 times, someone made the decision to click on something and invest their time and attention into something that I’ve built. In a field where I compete with the very best everyday, I was still able to find people both as guests as well as listeners to look at me and have faith in me to make their investment worthwhile.
10 of the 23 guests on Guards of Eden were people I met in 2019 and I got to learn what has led to them being who they are now, which was an amazing, surreal experience. I’ve met some truly sensational people this year and it’s encouraged me to grow as a person along the way.
The way that I felt this year has changed me the most would be the fact that I’ve learned to appreciate the process and journey rather than being focussed purely on the destination.
I’ve found the idea that it doesn’t make you any less ambitious to be present and enjoy the here and now something incredibly humbling and settling. I know what I want to achieve one day. It doesn’t mean that I want my dreams any less because I understand it’s going to take time to get there. The fact that ambition isn’t driven by intensity has been a revelation for me this year.
Overall, I’m happy with how my 2019 went. I started the year in a low place and as the year progressed, I grew as a person. I was fortunate enough to go to New York, Spain to see my family & Boston and allow myself to reset amongst the madness. I spoke about the social anxiety I experienced in a group exercise setting as well as reflected on a tough time in my past when it comes to dropping out of university whilst sitting down and speaking to people about all kinds of topics throughout the year. I got my Level 2 DISC Personality Profiling & Level 2 Fitness Instructor certification this year with the hopes to be able to create a life one day that revolves around helping people find themselves. To put it simply, 2019 has been a blessing.
As I look towards 2020, I do have a few small goals which I’m going to keep to myself for now, but the overall feeling I have for 2020 is positive and it’s something I’m simply enjoying rather than overanalysing. After speaking to The Fantastic Trisha Barker, I’ve decided on a two-pronged attack for my 2020 New Year’s Resolution and it would be awesome if people gave it a go.
2020 New Year's Resolution Method Number 1: Pick a Word To Guide Your 2020
Trisha introduce me to this and I loved it! Her word of 2019 was connection for example and it steered how she went about her year by focusing in on what she wanted to manifest for herself in 2019. We’ve discussed our plans for our word for 2020 and after wrestling with a couple, I’ve settled on Evolution as my word for 2020. Evolution to me will mean that anything I’m working on will evolve whilst I will continue to focus on evolving myself personally as well. I want to say this time next year that I am an evolved version of who I once was. A person who can add more value to the world and continue building a life that allows for evolution.
2020 New Year's Resolution Method Number 2: Write Your Future Self A Letter
I did this earlier in the year and the value that came with verbalising where I was when I wrote my letter and what I was hoping for in the future was incredibly powerful for me. All I did was mention the space I was in, how I was feeling and what I hoped would be the case when I received the letter. I didn’t read it until my birthday in that case, but I’ll be doing it for the year of 2020 too.
I used this particular website (https://www.futureme.org/) which did it via email, but I’m going to list a few possible other ways you can do the same below:
Write a letter by hand, put it in an envelope and leave it somewhere for you to open December 31st, 2020. You can set a reminder in your phone for it to help.
Find someone to write your letter with and give each other your letter to open at a later date.
Create a separate email address and send it as an email so you can log in and look at it next year.
Write it as a document on your computer and leave it on a memory stick until next year.
I believe in the power of verbalising your goals and getting them out of your head as you can surprise yourself when you realise what your goals are when you allow them to leave your subconscious.
So, to wrap this blog and the year of 2019 up, I want to thank everyone who has been a part of my 2019. I can’t wait to see what 2020 has planned for me and the people around me. Let’s start the decade in the best frame of mind that we can <3.
One love, 2019 Luca :) x