I am supposed to write a few final thoughts about 2019 as this year comes to a close in a few hours. I’m staring at this blank .docx page for 10 good minutes now. No joke. I’ve been doing this for a few years now, sort of like a tradition, writing a few final thoughts about the year that’s about to end in the last few hours of the last day of that year.
It’s hard for me to write these final thoughts because I can’t compare 2019 with no other year of my life. It was awesome. It was one of the best, if not the best year of my life. Travel, family, work, relationships, everything was simply awesome. If this year were a TV series character, it would be Barney Stinson. Without the STD’s and the lies, of course.
I think the highlight of 2019 as a whole was it felt like I hadn’t wasted a single day. Which is huge. Sure, I’d spent 3-4 hours on social media, Instagram and all that (that needs fixing and I will start working on that starting January 2nd) but all in all 2019 was one of those years in which all days mattered. I worked out almost daily, I worked on my business and was able to travel a ton. It was a year to remember.
In this guide:
Me
2019 for me was incredibly transformative. I managed to lose close to 60 pounds. And it is the first time in my life when a diet actually sticks with me and works. I did nothing but run on a treadmill for about 30 minutes each day. Almost every day. Except for travel days. Besides that, I ate no sugar and no bread for most of the year, except for important holidays.
It’s no secret: in order to lose weight, you need to eat less than you normally would and add some exercise. And do it constantly. If you skip one day, that’s fine. If you make skipping days a habit, it’s not going to work. It is that simple. Besides that, I feel like I’m a more matured and calm person. I still get angry while driving, but that’s on stupid drivers, not me.
Travel
Travel-wise, 2019 was unbeatable. I’ve been to more new countries and took more flights than ever before. I’ve visited a ton of new, awesome places like Marrakech, Prague, Vienna, Lisbon and Sintra, Barcelona, Naples, Matera, Pompei, Poland… the list is endless. I cannot be grateful enough for having the health and being able to work so that I could pay for my trips and enjoy every plane ride, every bus or train taken, every meal out or in, every attraction checked off of my bucket list. And I know 2020 will top 2019. Which is awesome to the millionth power!
Work
Work was awesome. In fact, it was better than last year. My income increased and I invested $0 in the growth of my business. $0 on Facebook ads, on paid premium memberships on God-knows-what freelancing sites, on expensive courses or seminars. Nothing. So having an increase in my income, which for me was incredible even in 2018, is awesome. I’m not going into details as this is not the point of this piece. The point is to remind myself, whenever I’ll read this in the future, that growth simply happens if you work hard.
Because of the work that I did in 2019, I was able to take the trips of my dreams, to put some money aside to buy new gear and to help my family the best I could. I will use some resources in 2020 to try and raise my overall income but even if doesn’t happen and the revenue stagnates or even goes down a little, I will still work on my business with the same passion as I did for the past years.
Family and Relationships
Family-wise, you know how it is: every year comes with its ups and downs. People in any families come and go, fight, then get back talking, then fight and make up once again. This year in my family things were better than ever. Thank God that nobody left us too early like it, unfortunately, happened in the years before. We made up with people we fought in the past, we made peace with everyone around us and we’re determined to keep it this way.
As far as extra-family relationships go, I’m happy with how this year turned out. I managed to create working relationships not only with my friends but also with my clients and colleagues. I even have had a few personal relationships that went well until one point but burned one day. That’s fine, people are always coming into my life and I’m sure the right person is out there somewhere. Or even closer than I could’ve ever imagined her to be. I’m still not going to settle for a girl if she’s not dead-serious about travelling the world. Sorry, not sorry.
Final Thoughts on 2019
Awesome year 2019, thank you! For making me better. For teaching me discipline, perseverance, growth. Thank you for taking me through more airports than I can count, through good and not so good relationships that taught me so many things about life. I want to thank you for being the most amazing year ever, for not letting me down even when I was ready to quit on myself. Much love, you are one of those few years of my life I will definitely NEVER forget.
[…] we begin on these final thoughts on 2020 episode, just take a quick peek at the 2019 piece. It feels like it’s been written in another era altogether, not just 12 months ago. It shows that […]