Like most of the last few years, 2018 hasn't gone as smoothly as I might have hoped. I am not one to make New Year resolutions but, I am looking forward to 2019 being a helluva lot better on a number of fronts. When it comes to achievements and failures, I don't really know where to start to be honest as for the most part, kit just feels like a year of GRINDING. And not of the fun kind.

Perhaps I will start with a couple of failures and see where it leads.

Failures

1. Health

I have failed to get a good grip on the condition of my body which means that I have to up my treatment schedule fro every two months to ever four weeks. This sets up a few additional life challenges as the treatment knocks me pretty hard for a week or so and with a new job beginning next month, the timing isn't great. There is not much I can do to improve it but diet can help as well as exercise, two things I have neglected quite heavily in my opinion.

2. Exercise

In a few months I will turn 40 and although I am not the most out of shape person in the world, I definitely would benefit from dropping a a few kilos or ten and stretching out my body a little too. Taking our bodies for granted is in epidemic proportions at a global level and if I am going to set a long-term example for my daughter, it has to start when she is young enough to make it a natural habit rather than having to force it later. It is very easy to look at averages and say, "I am in pretty good shape", but the averages are terrible.

3. Finances

I was planning on making 2018 a year where I got my finances sorted and while it started off fairly well, just before Summer my daughter suffered from seizures and required a battery of tests which meant I was unexpectedly away from work at times I couldn't really afford to miss and the way things operate, making it up is impossible. Of course, family comes first.

4. Taxes

Well, because of number three, I had to borrow on the future which meant, I skipped some business taxes to make up for lost income and now am working to cover that too. Thankfully I had a surplus in 2017 which meant that I could offset some of it. Taking care of administrative areas is one of my pet hates and I fail often at it.

5. Pleasures

I really wanted to support @blewitt's Guilty Pleasures prompt but realised that I haven't really had much in the way of pleasure for a long time. Yes, I do enjoy the things I do but when it comes to taking time for myself just to take time for myself, I haven't been able to create enough space to do so. I don't care much for entertainment but I do think I failed to find more time.

Hmm, well that is enough negative for a little while, let's see if there are any positives.

Achievements

1. Work

I did recently get a job that unexpectedly fell into my line of sight and the timing is pretty good overall as my wife is studying full time but will lose her support next month which means I have to pick up the slack. She wasn't getting much as it was so there was already quite a lot of slack being covered. The job will add 40+ hours to my week on top of my business but I can handle the time with some concessions, cutting down on my writing.

2. Writing

If you haven't noticed, I write a fair bit and it is my entertainment these days although rarely pleasurable, if that makes sense. I really enjoy it and for me, it is an achievement considering how poor I have been as a student in my life and, how little I generally want to present to an unknown audience. I am not much of a personal brander but I am learning to put myself out there a little more.

3. Mentality

I am much calmer this year than I have been before which is an achievement considering the near constant pressures that have arrived. It is a type of acceptance of the turmoil which allows me to work through without risking getting stressed or burned out. Part of this has been achieved through my writing, partly from developing a decent narrative for the future but mostly, because of actively working toward where I want to be, not just away from where I don't.

4. Steem

This year has been quite a difficult year for some considering the pack of ferocious Bears that have mauled the markets but, I have been pretty upbeat about it all and have managed to continue to work consistently and grow adequately. I think in the last year I have managed to almost double my stake from earning and trading and in the last month I have taken about 5000 Steem off the open markets and powered it up.

5. Risk

Embracing risk has always been an issue for me, partly because I look long on things. I generally take the approach of small steps to everywhere which can sometimes lead to less risk taking activity in the moment. This year I have actively been taking more of the approach of, "What's the worst that could happen?" and backing that I can handle close to the worst if it arrives. This means that I can happily take some risks and face the fear of loss and failure.

So, while a pretty up and down year on many fronts, I have managed to fail often enough but not catastrophically, and achieve often enough but not astronomically. I feel that this year has been a foundation building year for me and that going forward I will be able to leverage it a little and bounce upon it for the future. It is no surprise that Steem plays a large part of that soft plan but it is not something I can rely on which means I have a fair bit to do across the board to spread risk to some degree and give myself and my family the best chance for a strong future. Life has been a lot of work for the last year or two and I am prepared to do a little more going forward.

The year isn't over yet, there is still time to make a difference.

Taraz
[ a Steem original ]