Monday 9 January 2017

2016 Wasn't So Bad - 40 (ish) Achievements

The Earth has orbited the sun 40 times since I joined the celestial party.


Around this time last year, I set myself a challenge - a mini 'bucket list' of sorts. I listed 40 things to do before I was 40.

I wrote about it HERE: 40 Things to Do Before I Reach 40

I had to think of things that were realistic and achievable without breaking the bank.

Here's how I did:






As you can see, I only managed 11 of them. However...

There were a few that I crossed off in the year for various reasons:


  • Skiing and White Water Rafting - we had 2 holidays in the year and neither gave us the opportunity to ski or go rafting.


  • Tie a message to a balloon and let it go, also,  let go of a floating lantern - I didn't want to create unnecessary litter. 


  • Wear coloured contact lenses for the day - several people told me horror stories about people who had caused permanent eye damage from using these.
In the summer, it became apparent that I wasn't going to complete the 40 challenges, so instead, I started recording the awesome things I did:

my #BuckListWin's!

Travelled First Class. Okay, so it was only from Bristol to Taunton by train, but I've never done it before!

Swimming in the Black Sea. A holiday to Bulgaria, the weather was scorching and we spent the weekend at Golden Sands.

The Blue Lagoon, Iceland. This one had been on my bucket list for a long time.




Rowing the Kennet and Avon Canal. A gorgeous sunny afternoon, midweek, we both took the day off work and went rowing.

See The Northern Lights. Also on our holiday to Iceland, this was a fantastic experience, again, it's been on my bucket list for ages!

 

A screen free day. Our few days in Bulgaria - no phone, no TV, no internet, no computer. Bliss.




Speed boat along the Thames. A family day trip in the summer.

Jeep Safari in Iceland. A day of exploring the tundra, seeing geysers, waterfalls, and glaciers.




A pro- photoshoot. I now have a collection of great business images, thanks to the expertise of Lidia at Visuable, that I use for all my marketing.




A styling session. I may not have lost the weight, but thanks to a styling session with Gosia Scarrott of GS Styling, I can now dress for my shape. At least I look like I've lost weight!

I'm still self-employed. I may not have met my income goals with the business, but I have managed to be in profit from day one and haven't had to concede defeat and divide my time by working for someone else.

Completed a Speaking Circuit. I took my 'Storytelling for business' talk to Women Mean Business networking groups across the South West and made the decision to join the formal networking club in 2017

Finished the Sheridan and Blake Series. A trilogy that turned into a quadrilogy, finishing my first series of books is a significant milestone in my career as a writer and means I can now move on to other writing projects with pride. I compiled all four into a bumper 4 in 1 eBook Boxset


 
Published a 'Blogging for Business' book, which is proving to be a great 'gateway product' and 'premium business card' into further consultancy work.

 

Watched NYE fireworks from the rooftop of an eight-storey building.

Made lots of new friends and found my tribe. I realised this when the people who came to my Gabriel's Game book launch party and to my New Years' Eve 40th Birthday party were a completely different bunch of people to a year ago.

So, all in all, it may not have been 40 things, but 2016 wasn't all bad...

What did you achieve in 2016?



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