2016: A Year in Retrospect

2016 has been memorable for a number of reasons. Whether you’ve had a good year, bad year or one roller-coaster of a year – let’s make the next one a brighter one, regardless.

Photography: Frozen Visions

This time of year is always so bittersweet.

We enter January full of hope and motivation that the coming months will be better than the previous few, a cycle we repeat year after year. And while some of us turn New Years Eve into one big party, celebrating the good with the not-so-good, some simply prefer to ignore it. I definitely sit in the middle. As much as I enjoy raising a glass or two with my loved ones and singing Auld Lang Syne on the strike of midnight, I’ve found that looking back on the year when you haven’t reached those unrealistic New Years resolutions can turn you into a bit of a party pooper. I don’t want to be that person anymore. Instead, I’m choosing to see the good from every bad situation in 2016 and will indulge in some self-praise. I talk about this more in my next post so make sure you’re following the blog to be the first to hear about new posts. 

For me, this year started with extraordinary highs. I started a new job and began driving lessons – two goals of 2016 already ticked off within the first few weeks of the year. I was on a roll, I felt happier than I had felt in over a year and assumed that life would be brighter than the previous few months had been. Fast forward to the end of summer and I felt that my world had fallen apart again. Nothing that major happened, but my expectations I had at the start of the year seemed to crumble so I did what I have always done in this situation. I put a smile on and my best foot forward. I wasn’t going to let anyone or anything cloud my sunshine.

Sometimes when things don’t go the way you planned, it can turn out to be the best thing to happen to you. Looking back I wasn’t as happy as I probably let on, and I needed a gentle nudge to remind me to move on and do something different. Life can be funny like that. We’ve all been in situations where we paint a perfect picture to outsiders, almost like a filtered version of reality, when the truth is anything but. While I’m certainly not where I thought I would be at this time this year, I’m going into 2017 feeling more inspired and more determined than ever before.

In 2016 I passed my theory and practical driving test first time, I relaunched the blog last month with a new layout and with that I’m now learning to be a self-hosting pro… and I have an amazing network of friends and family who have supported me through the highs and lows. I couldn’t be happier with regards to my personal life, and sometimes that’s all that matters.

 I decided to look through my Instagram feed today to remind me of some of the happier memories from the year that I may have forgotten about, had I not captured the moment and shared online. That’s one of the great things about social media, there is always evidence that most grey days are followed by sunnier ones. I saw one of my favourite musicians Jack Savoretti perform live, visited the Amalfi Coast for a second time, I finally met my favourite author Lindsey Kelk after months of Tweeting and Snapchatting – the list could go on!

Why not spend a few moments (after reading this post of course) to look back through your camera roll or Instagram feed and reminisce on some of the highlights from 2016. You could even choose a photo or two that represent a special moment between yourself and a loved one and send it to them with a message attached. End the year with your happiest memories in mind and look forward to all the new ones you are about to make.

It’s amazing what can happen in 12 months, and the only thing you can really do at the end of each year is look forward to making the next 12 even better!

Happy New Year!

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