And just like that we are already closing out 2017! When I sat down to write this post I was overwhelmed thinking about all the change I have gone through this year. But as I reflect on 2017 I can honestly say that while many things were challenging, every change/stride I made in 2017 has led me to an even more wonderful life!

“I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.”

side note: this is the view from my office, talk about the Chicago dream!

Career: For as long as I can remember I have been all about “the timeline”(the imaginary markers I have stuck in my head). Don’t get me wrong having goals and a timeline of when you want to get there is great, but this year I learned my timeline was less based on me and more on society. My timeline mainly consisted of having XXX title at work by the time I hit my 25th birthday. This timeline was something that I did not feel ready to let go of. However, the employment situation I was put in the during the spring gave me no choice.

This year I started a new position in the spring, in hopes of finding an environment that aligned more with my goals and the overall typo of environment I wanted to work in. I had felt somewhat stuck working a role I liked but did not feel I had the true team support I longed for. As I stepped into my new role I was nervous of course, now around 8 months in I know it was right.

I am currently in a position where I feel challenged on a regular basis, but also have the support of a team that I was lacking. And for the first time in quite a long time I have been able to walk into work everyday and know that the work I am doing actually makes a difference.

Along the way as I let go of the timeline in my career, I focused more on growing my skills instead of just thinking about my title. Because in the end what good is a higher title if you don’t truly own all the skills of your position?

Golfing is my favorite way to get outdoors, it doesn’t hurt that there are courses with these views in Chicago!

Health: Throughout 2017 I started running on a regular basis. I have never been a runner and vividly remember absolutely dreading the mile run when I was younger. I have always been simply in awe watching the people around me that can run long distances.

Running a few miles a week is not always something I look forward to, but in the end the result of a clear mind is always an amazing reward. I plan to continue my running into 2018 and have even kicked off a half marathon training guide in hopes of completing the Chicago Spring Half Marathon this May!

Mind/Clarity: Mindfulness is a topic I have been very interested throughout the second half of 2017 in particular. I have read countless articles and listened to dozens of podcasts on the topic. I have incorporated mindfulness into my morning routine and have seen benefits great enough to not give it up anytime soon.

I was interested in the topic as a result of many big changes occurring in my life at once that overwhelmed me. The biggest change for me was the absence of a few people in my life that I thought would always be there. Looking at my life with the priority of positivity comforted me during this time. I slowly began to realize that while people may leave, less people is not less love and support, it is quite the contrary actually.

Daily I now take 5 minutes to complete stretches while walking through a few mind exercises, and it makes all the difference in the productivity of my day.

Blogging: I started my blog this year! I have talked about blogging for years, but have never followed through. I started working on my site at the beginning of the summer and it felt like I worked on it for sooo long and I still did not feel ready to share it with the world.

Finally a few days after my birthday in August I took the leap and hit publish. Doing so was one of the biggest personal risks I have taken in some time. It took a lot for me to publish knowing there was still a handful of things that were not 100% complete on my site(I now know things will always be this way!!).

I have learned so much about technology, editing photos, and most importantly myself. I am constantly shocked at how many people are reading what I write and don’t know if I will ever truly get used to that.

And with that I want to say THANK YOU for reading my blog! I cannot wait to share even more of my world with you in 2018.

Cheers & Happy Holidays!

Katelyn