11 In Blogging/ Life

Reflections on 2014 + Aspirations for 2015

It’s that time of the year when we are all recapping the last year and looking forward to the new year that has just started. One chapter just closed and one just opened. Hence why I thought that today I would share reflections on 2014 and aspirations for 2015!

looking back

Let me start by saying that 2013 was a great year. It took me through 8 countries, I lived abroad on my own, met the amazing Mr. TTIACF, started amazing friendships overseas, finished writing a dissertation I am so proud of and graduated from one of the top universities in this country. It’s a year that I look back on with much fondness.

Then 2014 came along – and it was a tough one. Definitely a year that I am very happy to leave behind.

It was a year of long distance – with friends and the boyfriend. A year of missing people and places so much it physically hurt. It was a year of deep anxiety. A year full of uncertainties and pressures thanks to visa issues, moving issues, starting to pay back my loans issues, trying to find a job issues, etc.

However, 2014 was also full of victories! This year I am proud of myself because:

— I grew closer to my parents —
— Completely cleaned up my life in Canada —
— Became more confident as a person and woman —
— Reunited with friends and realised that time apart doesn’t change true friendship —
— Moved abroad. Again! And survived. Again! —
— Moved in with the Brit —
— I got a job! —
— I visited 5-6 new places this year —
— I founded this blog and kept with it! —

The small and big victories really make me happy when I look back on them. The concept of the reverse bucket list is dear to me because it always means looking back only to the awesome things I have accomplished instead of feeling sad about the difficult things I have encountered.


looking forward

As for 2015 – well I pride myself on not having new year’s resolutions – but I will say that I do have goals. Every 1st January marks a new chapter starting and always wish to accomplish a few things in that new year.

Finish the first draft of my book.

As you all know, I’ve been working on a book inspired by my experience in St Andrews. I wrote nearly 50k words this summer but have since hit a bit of a writer’s block. I would love to be able to finish the first draft this year.

Design and relaunch my blog.

This one is coming very very soon. I purchased hosting services and a new domain and will be redesigning with the help of a friend and hoping it will all be live before the end of the month. It’s very exciting and I hope most of you will follow me in this new endeavour.

Visit at least 5 new places.

They say you should always aspire to see new places. This year they were all very local – whether in Canada or in the UK. I’m hoping to keep that going so I can discover more of this wonderful adoptive country. But I’m also hoping to be able to hop around Europe a lot more as well!

Visit home again.

I don’t really need to explain this one. I’m hoping to spend a few weeks home next summer! My parents are already excited!

Reunite with my person.

I haven’t seen my person since we had a tearful goodbye after our graduation from St Andrews. We are constantly talking on Facebook, Skype, Whatsapp, etc. but I miss her so bad and I hope 2015 brings us a reunion!

Reunite with a best friend from Australia.

I met this lovely Aussie girl back in 2008 when we were both working for the athletics department of our undergrad uni. After our graduation in June 2011, she moved back home and I haven’t seen her since. We’ve been talking and we’re hoping to arrange a reunion sometimes in the spring. So exciting to be reuniting 4 years later!

Bake/Cook more.

The more I blog and the more I visit restaurants – the more I get interested by food. In the recent years I have started to bake quite a lot and have become obsessed with the show Masterchef Australia. The more I settle in with the Brit too, and the more I want to become a baking goddess and try new things. I’m hoping to widen my set of skills in the new year.

Read at least 36 books.

I started this challenge on Goodreads a bit late last year and made it only to 26/30 books (although to be fair I did reread HP 4-5-6-7 with the Brit over the year, so technically I did make it 😉 ). But pushing myself to read more this year with this challenge really gave me the taste for reading for fun again. I enjoy checking books off my list so much too! So I’m setting myself up with 3 books a month/ 36 books for the year 2015.

Put myself out there (i.e. auditions + selling my skills).

This is one of my 30 before 30 goals. I think I’ve become increasingly better at dealing with rejection and being told no – and although it still hurts, I think it’s a necessary evil. If I never go to audition or if I never pitch my blog to companies then I will never know. All you gotta lose is a little time – but again the personal growth will 100% make this time spent worth it.


Yesterday, Melyssa of The Nectar Collective wrote that 2014 had been a year of learning and was excited for 2015, to be a year of blossoming. Well this truly fits for me as well and even though 2014 was a rough year, it laid the foundation for 2015, which will for sure be a good one!

What are your aspirations for 2015?xx

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