A lot has happened this year…I mean A LOT. I don’t even know where to begin but I guess a good starting point would be to go by months. I am hoping to do something similar for next year but hopefully have pictures to include for each.
January
Oh boy…this month literally felt like it set the tone for a good portion of my year. Most people do view it as what you can expect the rest of the year to encompass and, in a way, it did live up to that expectation.
This is the month that my two year relationship ended. It was a learning experience and while the last six months were horrible the other year and a half taught me a lot about myself and what I am looking for. Some of the good things that came out of this relationship was going to college for the first time because of his encouragement and pursuing the things I enjoyed doing.
Some things I learned about relationships:
- It should never be boring
- Always talk to your S/O about stuff that is bothering you
- NEVER be anyone other than yourself
I also talked to my sister about wanting to get back into shape and to live a healthier lifestyle. So she set me up with her trainer and we set a “start date”. I also quit eating fast food, candy, and stopped drinking soda.
February
This month I was miserable from the events that occurred in Jan in relation to my breakup. I would definitely have to say it was the worst month I had this year, so all things considered I am kind of happy this was my “sadness” month.
I do have to thank a really good friend, he knows who he is, for helping me get through all this mess. This was also the month that I took charge and demanded change in my life.
One great thing is I started on a set workout schedule with my trainer this month and we worked on a plan and areas that I wanted to concentrate on to get myself back in shape. At this point I weighed close to 180 lbs.
March
This was my “fresh start” month. I quit my job at Blockbuster, one I had been at for over 7 years, and started working at a resort. It was definitely a change of pace as I had been used to a job where I was only working for 20 hours a week at random times (day or night) to a job where I was working from 8 – 5 Tuesday through Saturday (40 hours a week.)
It was good to be working with a good friend and to get into a different industry. It was also the month that I realized that good things can come from me taking charge of my life.
I ended up having to go to just one day a week with my trainer due to how my schedule shifted.
April
I started streaming on Twitch.tv but was still quite a noob at it. I started streaming a play through of Final Fantasy 9 and started working on more artwork at this time.
May
Started contemplating going full-time with my artwork. I also signed up for a gym membership to workout with my friend and to make up for not going to my trainer for a short time (days off changed.)
June
I gave my notice at the resort and set July 14th as my last day at work to pursue being an artist full-time. Also went to visit my best friend for the first time EVER. We have known each other for over 8 years and had never met in person.
I also went to visit a gentleman friend for a weekend and had a wonderful time doing that, especially because it was so last minute.
July
This month was filled with prepping to start my dream career as a full-time freelancer. I also planned another trip to Orlando to see my BFF to celebrate me going after my dream and her birthday.
August
This was a chaotic month but so much fun. This was full of renewed passions for my work and what I want to do in the future and filled with joy with old friends and new.
I had the pleasure of being the one to marry one of my good friends and her fiance. I was really nervous about doing it but I still feel so honored that they asked me.
I also got to make a trip to San Antonio, where a lot of my family from my mom’s side lives, to work for Ubisoft at the Game Stop Managers Show. Directly after that I made my way to Seattle to work for Ubisoft again at PAX Prime.
This years PAX Prime was probably the one I had the most fun at. I actually let loose and had a blast every night with friends and made newer ones while working the event. I even got to meet friends that I had known online for years, which was a blast.
September
Things started to slow down and I started concentrating more on school work and client work since I knew that October would be a busy month for me.
October
I started taking a class that I failed back in July so I didn’t take on any work during that month so I could concentrate on my school work. It was a pretty low key month, but I did hit over 400 followers on my twitch channel.
November
The month of my birth! I picked up work again and I met someone new. It was still a low key month though but there was a lot of emotional growth.
December
This is definitely a month that I will remember:
- Things ended with the new romance I had found (thus I became single once again.)
- I brought my GPA back up to over a 3.0
- I rekindled a friendship with an old friend.
- I started outlining plans for what I hoped to accomplish within the New Year
- I was able to work on some really neat artwork
- I became a YouTube Partner
- I got down to 160 lbs
- I ran, and completed, my first official 5k at the Biggest Loser Run Walk held in Panama City Beach, FL (I came in 245th out of 510 people registered for the 5k and finished with a time of 36 mins 28 seconds.)
New Years Eve
I look at today as a day where we reflect on the things that happened within the year and decide if we are going to let the bad stuff that happened define us or if we will continue to reach for the stars.
I have big plans for next year and I hope that you will all be with me as I take on this journey. I will be posting a new video on the 1st talking about my goals for the year but for now I leave you with this question:
What is the one accomplishment that you are happy you achieved this year?
