I'm sitting alone at home on the eve of the new year and despite it being an ending I didn't anticipate, I can't help but be totally overwhelmed with gratitude and pride about 2012.?I keep on having to go back in the history of the blog or flip through photographs on Facebook to remind myself that all the exciting things that fill my mind really happened in one fulfilling year.
I spent today with my sister and brother in law, helping them move into their new home and we spoke a lot about how far they have come as young couple this year. Now that I reflect quietly on my day with them, I am so proud of how far my sister and I have come as sisters and friends. You know, when I started blogging 3 years ago, my mom asked me not to talk about my family at all because at that stage there was nothing but sibling?rivalry and family feuds. All in one year there has been such a change and I can now blog freely about the majority of my family because we've truly blossomed into siblings who support and care deeply for each other. My dad would have been so proud to see how our relationships have blossomed.
I might have gone from thinking I had found the man I would spend the rest of my life with to ending my year back at single, but I can't say that I won't always be eternally grateful for all I learned about love and what I want from love in 2012. It was my first time living with someone and it was also the first experience of a genuine, long term relationship. I watched how I blossomed as a person and how I grew into my own personal relationship with love. Everyone is asking me how I'm coping with the breakup and I keep saying the same thing ... I'm filled with gratitude that I took the time to find all the gifts in loving and being loved and therefore I have no regrets and will always think back on this as the year I learned about love.
For the first time in far too many years, I am welcoming in a new year with such a strong and proud relationship with my body. In 2012 I lost 14.4kg, which was one of the very reasons I started blogging #projectme in the first place. Besides the weight loss, there is long journey of understanding my addiction to food and finally making friends with my body so that I could understand what I needed to nourish me and how I sabotaged my body far too often. I can't remember ending a year with such confidence and pride and instead of dreading starting an new year with over 35kg to lose, I'm continuing on a steady journey with 20kg not looking like an unreachable goal at all.
I truly settled into my beliefs and stopped feeling that I am lost and misunderstood in the world. With the help of my bestie, Greggie and my amazing mom, we have spent hours talking, visualising and living consciously. Of all the things that is #projectme, living with courage, consciousness and a sense of humour is the most important to me. Reflecting back, I am so proud of friendship I have built with myself and how I truly have lived my philosophies this year.
What would my year be without my children!! I'm mostly grateful that I?obsessively?talk, blog, post pics & Tweets about my 3 gorgeous cats and I don't seem to have lost too many followers along the way. It seems cat ladies aren't so bad after all.
To even begin and express how amazing 2012 was for Lifeology and my career would be an overflow of emotion and far too many moments to tell. From having a regular slot on Radio 2000 FM, judging for the Miss Earth SA regionals, appearing on 3 Talk or taking #FollowSA?through?the country to watching my Twitter following grow to almost 25 000, I am mesmerised at my success. It might not have manifested into much financial stability or peace of mind, but I learned this year that you truly need to be on the brink of giving up and knowing there is nothing else on earth that you would do to know that you don't want to give up. That was 2012 for me ... and I truly believe I learned that lesson very, very well.
I couldn't have done it with my business partner, (who is also that bestie Greggie) Greg Arthur, by my side. 2012 pushed us to the limits and tested our own personal esteem, courage and passion but it never had to test our partnership or friendship. This year proved how very solid and focused we are and what a dynamic team we make.
The people I have met through social media, at events, through friends and out in the world have made this year truly special. My albums are filled with special moments and wonderful people and 2012 has been showered with gifts of connections, friendships and collaborations.
Before I say 'hello 2013', I would like to truly say a very big 'thank you' to 2012. You have been a great year of highs and lows, laughter and tears, celebrations and sadness. Thank you for taking me on a journey of growth and helping my build a stronger, more conscious & confident Jodene.
