My 2017: Achievements and Failures - A Year of Faith and Realizations

renalexis (51)in #my2017 • 7 years ago (edited)

A year is coming to an end again. Only two more weeks and then 2018 will be upon us. This year has been a roller coaster ride of emotions for me. The beginning has been great, in the middle of the year, I came to a down low, and then towards the end, I am seeing the light and beginning to come back up again.

The struggles have always been present in our lives, it just had become more relevant to me now because I'm in the first stages of adulthood. I had a hard time when it came to adult-ing. I've always wanted to become independent but when I achieved being fully independent, I realized how hard it can become. You will become solely responsible for your own life. You will have to earn for yourself, you will have to manage your finances well, you are responsible for paying your bills on time, and you need to work hard to achieve the life you want.

This year, it has been a long journey of ups and downs. But as someone who always wants to perceive the glass as half-full, I would like to count all my achievements first before dwelling into my failures.

Achievement #1

I left my first corporate job last February to pursue an online career. It wasn't an easy decision, I have thought it over and over for months and I had to save up to take care of myself for the first few months of being unemployed. It became an achievement in itself as I left my comfort zone to venture out into a different path. It was scary, but I persevered to make do with my decision.

Achievement #2

I finally made my long-time plan of having an online shop for real! ElyseenPH is a Kbeauty online shop that aims to provide only the best for those who seek to have their own skincare routine. I am a skincare junkie myself so I personally curate the products we sell. I do a lot of research and put a lot of effort to promote our little online shop to attract possible clients. I co-own this shop with my best friend, KC, and would you believe it if I tell you that we only started out with a capital of 700 pesos each?

We started by selling sheet masks and later on started selling samplers and full-sized products. I initially thought we'd only sell skincare products but today, we also have Korean Makeup and whatnots available. I was super happy when our shop reached 2000 followers! It was a milestone and I hope it just gets better and better.

You can follow our shop in these pages:

Instagram & Facebook

Achievement #3

Despite my struggles with money this year because of income instability, I was still able to travel! I got to see Siargao Island, Boracay Island, and I also got to go to Dipolog City to see a friend!

My favorite travel destination this year is definitely Siargao and I was blessed to have visited it twice this year. The first time with my best friend and then the second time with my best girl friends! I had a blast in the island and I would love to go back again!

I went to Boracay with my college buddies and had a grand time, too. I just didn't love the island as much as I loved Siargao. Both islands are beautiful but I love the vibe in Siargao more than in Boracay. I'm not that into partying, so maybe that is why? Hehe. We (my close college friends and I) made a tradition to travel together every year. Last year, we got together in Samal Island, this year we went to Boracay. I hope next year we can keep up with this tradition and travel again to a beautiful destination. We haven't made plans yet because we don't know where to go next. Some say we can go to Baguio, some says Coron. I don't know, I'm okay with wherever they want to go as long as we can all see each other again, hehe.

I also got to travel alone to Dipolog City to visit a friend who was migrating to the US. I got to see two of my closest college friends again after 2 years and it was really memorable. I won't be seeing them for a long time especially the friend who is migrating so I really made an effort to see her last August.

Achievement #4

I went boxing! Sadly I don't have any photos to show for it. This happened sometime in April to May, before the Marawi Seige happened and Iligan City was put into the state of Martial Law. I didn't have the chance to go back again after. I hope to go back to boxing next month, it's part of my resolution, hehehe. I love sweating out the fats, it makes me feel healthier and I just can see changes in my body. As we all know, exercising does great things to our body.

Achievement #5

My blog opened up new opportunities for me and I am just so thankful! I got writing gigs from foreign clients, I got sent PR stuff from beauty companies, I was able to write sponsored posts, and it really strengthened my portfolio. I put a lot of work into it since starting it last year so the hard work paying off was really gratifying.

I also became a member of the Iligan Bloggers Society last July 2017 and met new friends! And through this organization, I was able to attend to various establishment openings and socialize with more people who share my interest - blogging!

I hope this just continues to go on. I will always be doing my best!

Achievement #6

Lastly, I finally let my HP laptop of 5 years retire! Last September 2017, I finally got to buy a new laptop! I was soooooo happy to have saved up for it and seeing that I finally have this fruit from hard labor. I only dreamed about buying a new laptop last year and now that it came true, I couldn't be happier! I'm so blessed and sooooo thankful!

I would love to end this post here but as much as I don't like to dwell in my failures, I need to face them to not have to repeat them again, hehehe. Let's get on with it, shall we?

Failure #1

When I was still working at the mining company, I was able to give some money to my parents every month to help them in little ways. But when I shifted to online jobs and freelancing, I wasn't able to give to them as frequently as I used to. I feel like a failure as a daughter. I know that they don't look at me and depend on me to give them money but as their eldest, it feels like it's one of my obligations. My earnings the past couple of months has only been enough to pay all my bills and support my living here in the city so I wasn't able to give back to them. That is why I am working hard to find more jobs to earn more so that I can start giving back to them again. I'm thankful I stumbled and got to know about #Steemit. This is a wonderful sideline. I love writing and earning from writing is just amazing. I hope to succeed here. 😊

Failure #2

My boyfriend works in Masbate and he only gets to come home after every 4 weeks. After 4 weeks of work, he gets to spend time at home for 2 weeks. Not a bad working schedule, right? And we get to see each other every month unlike the other LDR couples who can only have the chance to see each other once every year. We're lucky to have this kind of arrangement. We told each other we wouldn't let our work and the distance keep us apart, and we should keep our communication running.

It was okay last year when I was still employed because we had the same schedule of work which is 7AM - 5PM. We go to work at the same time and get off work at the same time and we get to tell each other what happened to our day and how work was. We were able to relate to each other's work dilemma because we were both Metallurgical Engineers and we were both employed in a mining company.

But when I quit my job, my schedule naturally changed. I wake up late in the morning and sleep late at night, and we don't get to have the same work experiences like before. Sometimes he gets tired from work and sleeps early so we won't be able to talk on the phone because I would be busy with my online work. He can't call me in the morning (6AM) before he leaves for work because I would be asleep by then. (Also we can't contact each other when he's on duty because phones weren't allowed inside their plant.)

My biggest failure this year is to be a good girlfriend to someone who loves me so much, he makes all the effort to make me happy. Don't fret, we didn't break up. We just had a moment of weakness because we got tired of communicating by phone.

This was what we have talked about the last time he came home. We promised each other to make time to talk every night, no matter what. And I think it's working and the spark has been ignited again. I hope this keeps going on, I will be doing my best.

================================================

So I think that would be all... ❤️

Thank you so much, @anomadsoul for hosting this contest, I love the concept and you are very generous with the prizes! I'm keeping my fingers crossed and pray that this entry will have good results. 🙏🏼

If you want to join in the contest, join quickly because this one ends today! Check out this post for more information.