Another year has come and flown by (really fast) and here I am, writing my traditional year-end reflective blog post.
If I were to come up with a few words for 2018, it would have been a journey of re-learning and an opportunity for new experiences. I say this because this year has taught me so much, and in the process, I've often found myself in those short moments of self-doubt, only to be followed by a really nice moment of clarity and purpose. Have you ever experienced in life those moments, whether big or small, wherein you find yourself re-examining your beliefs and self-learnings, only to find that there is so much more you can discover when you try to re-learn something? I think that's how my 2018 has been--a chance to see both my self-accomplishments and mistakes in a new light and to do some re-learning. This was true in my effort to focus and balance the different aspects of my daily life--work, social/relationships, spiritual, recreational, etc. There were times I've stumbled along this road to balance everything and manage to finish everything that's on my plate. There were those idle moments, those moments I was exhausted from keeping up to speed--though in doing so, I've learned that there's no single way to balance your life. It's really all about the choices you make, and one of those choices is to be able to let go of everything that went bad and good for the previous day, and finding the courage to get through a new day. There are times I find myself thinking that Nike motto "Just do it" when my willpower refuses to cooperate. That healthy balance only comes when you get the chance to tell yourself to just keep going, and to make time for the things that matter most to you. In this case, I've re-learned the value of shifting priorities, and it was a constant reminder to focus when focus is really needed. I realize day by day how time always becomes the most valued resource, and in my case, I've been teaching myself to plan ahead (the reality here is, I'm no futuristic person--ask me what I want to do in 5 to 10 years from now and I would probably sit deep in thought in response) planning ahead in baby steps has been a practice this year. Honestly, I'm really happy for this personal achievement as I'm getting better at it, and sooner than later I hope to be able to dream bigger. Another concrete way that my 2018 was a chance to allow myself to break things down and re-learn them was Chinese painting class. I enrolled in the class believing that I had a bit of know-how as an aspiring painter, only to find that Chinese painting is a completely different discipline from what I've already learned in art classes before. As I've mentioned in previous blog posts, my laoshi (teacher) and classmates in Chinese painting have helped me realize that there are so many things I've yet to learn about art. It's such a humbling experience to observe and to learn to be patient with myself during the times I stumble and fail to produce a decent painting. It's a journey built by patience and a lot of hard work, and it's tough, though I find myself looking forward to the lessons because of what my experience has been teaching me. It's been a wonderful ride so far, and I see 2019 as an opportunity to learn more. Another great milestone for me this year is that I've been able to sustain the habit of intermittent fasting and weekly exercise. I'm grateful to have the time to develop my body strength and create some good habits along the way, which I hope to keep up even more this coming year. I'm happy as this turned out to be a week-by-week and day-by-day effort, which I look forward to developing consistently this coming year. 2018 would also not have been complete without re-learning the value of relationships, and realizing just how many people I look up to and cherish and respect in different ways. And in this way, I'm so grateful because God's given me the chance to see the good in people and believe in their capacity for love, growth, and potential, whether up close or at a distance. I'm one of those people who draws inspiration from the people around me, whether or not I see them all the time or a few times a year. I feel grateful for every chance I'm given to learn from someone or impart to them what I've learned as well. And that's an everyday miracle I don't always get to mention, but here I am now reflecting. It would be so cliche to reference Catriona Gray's Q&A during Miss Universe this year, but she's right--find the silver lining and be grateful. To be honest, I've paused and backtracked a lot while writing this post since 2018 has been really memorable to me in ways I can't even begin to summarize or mention. All in all, it's been one heck of a year. Looking forward to 2019, I see this coming year as a chance to start re-focusing on a deeper consciousness of life's purpose and continuing the best practices I've established this year 2018. Year 2019 will have its own set of challenges and lessons to learn, all in good time. I look forward to another year of memories, greatness, everyday inspiration and new experiences!
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Nonsensical whimHi, I'm Ashley. This is my blog on journey towards discovering art and documenting my learning experiences. (Particularly Photoshop, Digital Painting, Sketchup/V-ray, Interior Design, fun tutorials I've discovered and the like). wordpress:TUMBLR:Archives
December 2018
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