Happy New Year all you beautiful Sun -Kissed Souls hope the year is off to a good start for you all! I know we a month into the new year but we about to enter into the Lunar New Year/Chinese New Year as we call it in Korea Soellal. (The Year Of the PIG.)
I am currently back in South Korea spent my first month on a dream holiday In Bali and then I went to Laos to do a short term mission trip. My trip home and all over was extremely exhausting but so good to be traveling and exploring again after a very hectic time back home. ( Posts on all the travels coming soon.)
Don’t get me wrong I love Cape Town my family and friends just after not being home for 2, and half years it’s a lot to do and people to see and family life to deal with all at once. My time at home was great. It taught me the importance of family especially through really trying times. Last year I lost my dads mom my Gran, and in December I lost my grandad my mom’s dad, so it wasn’t the most relaxed trip home, but it was the reality check I needed.
Last year was my most transformative year to date. People always told me there’s a shift between your 20s and 30s I didn’t believe it until I started feeling it. I turned 30 life still stayed the same until I could feel my head, heart and my soul just not align anymore. There was a battle within, and it was my soul talking to me telling me to do more, be more, and I am worth more than my late party nights curing hangovers hooking up with strangers and eating shitty food.
That lifestyle that I believed was living my best self was actually taking the best parts away from me I had to make drastic changes and stick to them. So I started by eating better figuring out what makes me happy again getting back into writing and connecting to church. Slowly I started making small positive changes each month knocking off more goals getting closer to my goal weight learning a new sport enjoying exercise. Life was taking a turn for the better I was less hungover and way happier.
So here are my 10 lessons 2018 taught me.
- Change starts when you get up and do the work quit complaining about the situation you are in and start small by making positive changes.
- You are the sum of the 5 people you hang out with, so choose your friends wisely. If you want positive vibes, stick with hanging around with people that are good for your soul mentally and physically.
- Learn to say No I am easily influenced and peer pressured into situations, but 2018 taught me the power in No and owning it. Sticking to my values and knowing my worth. My body mind and soul are my temples, and it should be treated that way.
- You become what you consume. I stopped listening to the news, reading the news and became more mindful of what I consume online and offline and it truly helped me stay more positive. Yes bad things are happening in the world, and I am aware of it I pray for the world daily and do the bits I can to save the world by being a positive force to reckon with and helping those around me.
- Asking for help is ok. 2018 was the birth of Her Sun-kissed Soul, and I had to seek the help of a social media mentor to help me and guide me in the realm of the online social space to get my brand out there. Watch this space it’s only the beginning.
- Better together living in a community. Being an expat, it is so easy to become lonely and depressed 2018 taught me that God creates us to be in a community that we are better together living in peace and to bring God the most Glory.
- Trust the process there will be many ups and downs in this thing called life stay strong to endure the rough times to lead you to enjoy and appreciate the good times.
- The importance of gratitude starting every day filled with love and a grateful heart to be alive and to live out Gods mission.
- Love 2018 taught me to love myself every fiber of who I am and forgive myself for past mistakes and not to pretend to be perfect but just be who God made me be my true authentic self. I am loved.
- Family, I learned what family means to me the struggles, the ups, and downs what family traits trigger me and not to feel guilty because I choose to live far away to be my own person and that way I can truly love them more and can support them better. So when we are together, we can truly appreciate the time we can be present with each other.
These were the 10 lessons that I learned from 2018, and I am ready to learn so much more in 2019, about myself, getting closer to God, cultivate real relationships and explore more of this beautiful world we live in.
Let me know something that you learned in 2018 and what you excited for in 2019? Let’s get chatting in the comments. Also, you can follow all my daily antics on Instagram and on my stories to stay up to date with me.
Peace, Love, and Happiness
Xxx
Such wise words! #3 especially resonates with me. I’m an empath so if I sense someone is in need, I’ll go above and beyond to say “yes” to everyone sometimes at the sake of my own well-being. The past few years I have learned to say “no” and be OK with it. NOT feel like I’m letting someone down or that I’m anti-social, etc. But at the same time, #6 holds true. We need community and can’t do this alone! Thanks for sharing what you learned in 2018!
Thanks so much for your comment and so glad you learning to say No guilt free it’s a hard one for me still and keep on cultivating a good community that can really be there for you it’s so important! Have a great 2019