Looking Back Over The Year
How many times do we breeze past the in-between moments of life? The highlight reels of this experience are so beautiful yet the reality and the challenges that came with them are where the real magic lies. There are whole platforms for these highlight reels. The aesthetically pleasing, perfected dream life is everywhere. Yet what we miss are the little victories along the way.
As my debut novel Attached is now out in the world. I finally have a moment to look back.
Going from the idea of writing a book to actually having a physical copy in your hands takes many many small and large steps. Chasing your dreams comes over time and sustained effort yet we only tend to see the big moments that we miss the smaller moments that lead us there.
These steps are so quick and immeasurable yet most of us are doing them every day.
The very courage to proclaim your dream, your goals, and your wants are part of the progress and is a lesson in and of itself
It takes some serious grit when you have never done something before. For me to announce to the world, “I am going to write a book”, took multiple layers.
That very proclamation started out as a whisper. A silent dream inside. Then it ended up in my journal. Then I trusted my sister and told her. Then it went to a life and career coach. Then my family. Then the world.
You see, even in the process of proclaiming a dream you have to overcome so much. The very commitment of saying you are going to do something is huge. So when you get to the other side, it is easy to forget how much it took to just start the thing in the first place.
As I created a reel for Instagram I had to scroll back over the last year and past all the life I lived in the process of writing this book.
So much life, love, grief, and milestones happen all while chasing a dream that I was too scared to even admit to myself at first.
Today, I took a moment to look back and it brought me to tears. Yes, actual tears of joy and appreciation. To have grown, changed, and overcome is the act of living in my opinion and I finally feel like I am living my own life.
Over the last year and during this process, I have felt more alive than ever. Part of it was because I was following my dreams of becoming a published author of course. But the other part of me was because I was documenting it along the way.
I honestly wish I would have snapped more photos or videos of the hard times because there were a lot of them. It is no easy feat to write and publish a book in one year's time. However, when the storms hit it is harder to slow down and capture those moments too.
Yet really the moments where we break are the moments that create the greatest change.
Being present is the key I think. Through it all. The good, the bad, the hard, and the easy. It is just human nature to capture the good and bypass the hard.
Looking back over the last year reminds me of the value of life and living it on your own terms. All while also still being in a relationship, a job, working on health, my own wellness, boundaries, infertility, and marketing a book.
We all do so much at the same time and it is easy to miss the immense energy and drive it takes to want more out of your life while also living the one you have.
Remember how far you have come.
This pause for appreciation forces your attention to your gratitude for the life you created.
Break it down even more. Remember what you dreamt of as a kid, in your teens, 20’s, 30’s, or even last year; what would your younger self be so in awe of that is now just a part of your current self’s reality?
Did you complete the degree?
Did you marry the love of your life?
Did you have children?
Did you write the book?
Did you pay off the debut?
Did you get the dog?
Even if they are not exactly what you want, wouldn’t you agree they are closer to where you were before?
You have created movement and direction in your life. Now you can continue to grow, shift, adjust, or simply savor where you are now.
What are three things in life that you have now, that past you would be so excited for?
Where can you pause, just for a moment, to acknowledge the progress you have made?
Taking moments out of your year, especially after large milestones, to really appreciate and give gratitude for where you have come allows you to be more at ease and at peace with where you are now and where you want to go.
So much love,
Terece
