All I Have Become in the Twelve Years of #ProjectMe

Twelve years ago today I started to blog about my life. #ProjectMe began years before sharing my story online, but the accountability to myself changed dramatically when I opened myself up to share the story of what it meant to live what I believed to be the formula to a joyful, happy and fulfilled life.

I didn't do it alone. This was not purposeless, because nothing I do ever is. From the start, I had unconditional support from my best friend and business partner, Greg!

The blogging may have slipped over the years and so did the use of the #ProjectMe hashtag, but never for one day have I not made myself my own personal project. The pandemic has changed so much and for the first time ever, I started 2022 on my own. It was the best decision I made because I stepped into the year in joyous reflection of all I have become over the past 12 years and beyond. The highlights rolled by like a movie and I woke up this morning with a deep nagging to blog about it.

I'm far from done with who I aspire to be and have so many intentions that I set out to achieve over a decade ago, but I am also further down the line than I ever would have imagined.

I found myself spending a few hours flipping through Facebook and celebrated the pride of what has become of me while feeling the places where my soul was whispering that there is more to come.

Let's start with the biggest of all - excuse the pun! I have lost 40 kilograms and gone down 10 clothes sizes.
I quit sugar and became a plant-based vegan.
I also stopped using any products with palm oil and although there is no activist energy in me, if I was going to be one, this would be the cause.
I went from hating exercise to keeping an eye on my watch now so I can get a walk in before the family arrives to celebrate this new year.
I was engaged for a minute, got my heartbroken and then got relieved because who I was would not have sustained that relationship as I became who I am.
I quit wine and quit gluten, but then added them back when I realised it was more about trusting myself with my weight loss than needing to cut out what I feared would be my Achilles Heal of over-indulging.
There are two self-published books that I put into the world.
I got 4 tattoos, a nose ring and have 4 sparkling piercings in my ears.
I became a blogger that became a social influencer that became a social media strategist that launched a social media agency.
We then became a team of 5, had amazing clients around the world and then Covid hit and we gently closed the chapter of Chat Factory in April 2020, just shy of a decade in the online marketing world.
I grew a Twitter following that brought me more opportunities (and some rivals) than I could ever imagine.
I was the hashtag and influencer queen for a good couple of years.
I launched #FollowSA and it gave Greg and me opportunities around South Africa, with amazing sponsors and even more amazing friends.
Some of those friends have become the pillar of my friendship circle.
I made travel dreams come true, from seeing country music icons in USA to theatre products on Broadways and the Westend with my treasured friend who started as a social media client and floating in the dead sea with two of my dearest friends. I met wolves and wept because some past life has us deeply bonded and I wept again when I saw wild horses run free on Chincoteague Island.
I read tarot cards and did numerology way before #ProjectMe, but what was a joy that only my closest knew about became my career focus and soul calling thanks to Covid.
I added astrology to my coaching.
I moved from living on my own to living with a fiancé and my mom to living with my sister and my mom, to living alone again and then finding myself back with my sister to co-parent and help raise my twin nephews. Aunty duty has become the catalyst for more self-awareness than I ever imagined.
My world was supposed to fall apart when my best friend and business partner moved to the UK (according to my ego) but it didn't. Instead, Lifeology and our friendship has become more steadfast than I could ever imagine.
I became an Independent Non-Executive Director and made it to Vice Chair of my first board.
My big sister and I have gone from childhood strangers to best friends.
The sibling rivalry on all different layers has taken years of work, but between the 5 of us, we will have made my dad so proud at where we are today and I know it fills my mom's heart with joy to see us all together and at peace.
I became the Personal Transformation Coach I never knew I was going to be and ended the year on a record high in client bookings.

I'm sure there will be more moments that I wish I had added to this blog, but for now, this reflecting has been a very special way to start the year.

One of the biggest parts of my #ProjectMe journey was to share a teaching that we live by in Lifeology - to be goalless but purposeful. As the world has changed over the decade, with the catalyst being Covid, I am grateful that I listened to the whispers of the Universe and chose to share my life for the world to see.
Stepping into this New Year, I am still without goals, but loaded with purpose. I am filled with intentions and my heart is set, like a compass, to my happiness, fulfilment and joy!