The best life is lived by the day, not by the year, yet the end of the year is an opportunity for reflection and the beginning of the new year is an opportunity for renewal. Of course you don’t have to wait for the year’s end to reflect and renew- you can reboot your life anytime! Still, there’s something to be said for marking the end of the calendar year with celebration for all the things that happened during the year while setting goals for the year ahead.
As I reflect on 2012, in all it’s triumphs and challenges, I see the great lessons I’ve learned. I shared those lessons in blog posts and the tools I used to make the best of my life. I hope you stretched, grew, and learned as much as I did. Thanks for joining me on this journey. Here are my 10 most popular posts of 2012!
The 10 Best Lessons of 2012
01. How To Believe In Yourself (Even If No One Else Believes In You)
This post was inspired by some harsh criticism I received at work. Through this experience I learned to believe in myself and give my best, regardless of what anyone else thinks of me.
02. 37 Great Life Lessons In 37 Years
I celebrated my 37th birthday in 2012 with 37 great life lessons I’ve learned along the way. These are great lessons to revisit anytime I need a boost, or just a little perspective.
03. Simplify Your Digital Life
It seems life can become increasingly complicated and cluttered as we rely on technology to keep us connected 24/7. Sometimes I just have to declutter my digital life and free up a little mental space.
04. Have a Little Patience
I’m an active individual and I sometimes struggle to simply be. This post was all about recognizing that a little patience is good for me!
05. How to Stop Comparing Yourself To Others
In life it’s easy to get wrapped up in comparing myself to others and doing so minimizes my accomplishments and my journey. For better or for worse, this is my life and I’m the only one that’s living it. I’ve got to reclaim and celebrate my own awesomeness!
06. How To Stop Overreacting To Life
The quality of my life is all about my perspective. Sometimes my perspective gets a little skewed and I think little things are really big things. The good news is I can readjust my perspective!
07. 18 Ways To Have Fun At Work (And Life!)
Work is as fun as I make it, so I make it fun! Here’s a few ideas to get started.
08. Be Happy. Give Yourself Permission To Be Who You Are
I can, occasionally, let my goals get the better of me. I may focus on where I want to be instead of where I am and when this happens I feel decidedly unhappy. Happiness starts where I am right now, not where I’d like to be.
09. Know When To Quit
It’s okay to say no and it’s even okay to say no after saying yes. I wrote this post when I realized two volunteer positions were no longer working out for me. Almost a year later and I can say resigning these roles was the right choice.
10. Living a Balanced Life
Achieving work-life balance isn’t always simple or easy, especially when I let myself get distracted by all the little things that happen day-to-day, but balance is possible! One thing I’ve learned is balance is about quality, not quantity.
I love your comments! What great life lessons did you learn in 2012?