2023: Reflections

It’s that time of year once again. The time of the year when almost everyone is getting prepared for the end-of-the-year festivities and the following year ahead. Many of us get a few days over the next couple of weeks off from work with an opportunity to spend time with loved ones. My favorite part of this year is the feeling of a fresh start.

How 2023 Went:

Sometimes, I get fully sucked into what's directly in front of me, I can only see the tree ahead, so much so that I forgot to look out and see the whole forest. A year is a long time, yet in the scheme of things, it's also super short. There's so much that can be accomplished in a year, and so many things that require more time to grow into.

Highlights

I've been eagerly getting more and more into painting since the start of the pandemic, in March 2020. I started simple, finding it more relaxing and stress relieving. Over the years though, I've worked on complexity, range, expression, creativity, and detail. I've been even more consistent as of late and with this added consistency, I've gotten stronger as an artist and able to create better work.

Here are some of my favorites from this past year.

Another thing I was very consistent with in 2023 was my dedication to learning. Since 2020, I’ve completed 130 LinkedIn Learnings. Add in the external certificates, resources, and programs I’ve completed and I’m nearly at 150 courses, programs, and certifications in 3 years.

In writing that paragraph above I may have blown my mind, but it’s true. Between the Bob Pike Certification in Instructional Design, the 3 People Management courses I completed at Freedom Mortgage, the Aspiring Leaders program I completed at Rocket Central, my Diversity Equity and Inclusion Certificate I completed from Cornell University, and other sites like SkillShare, Udemy, not even counted in the mix, it may even be more.

Opportunities

While I was extremely consistent in working on my art and growing new skills and learning, I had some opportunities I'm seeking to grow in for this next year. Namely, consistency of personal needs.

I tend to forget about my personal needs such as working out, spending time with loved ones, creating a life balance, and keeping up with daily chores.

I also put a lot of my desires on hold. I stopped making Notion templates, I stopped writing blog articles, and I stopped working on my projects, like writing a book or creating a course for Udemy/Skillshare, of my own.

How I'm Changing:

My drive and dedication to what's in front of me can be my best friend or my worst enemy. It's all about how it's being utilized. I'm not a superhuman. I get tired, just like everyone else. I have a burnout limit and know when my capacities are too full.

This year I plan to be a more consistent person, all-around.

I want to not only make commitments for others that I honor, I want to make commitments to myself that I honor as well. I want to work as hard as I do with a keyboard when I'm using a weight. I want to work out to the point where it no longer feels like a chore and instead becomes a habit that feels weird if it's broken.

I also want to create more in the professional development space. I've been doing so much in my professional life but rarely have created new spaces by myself. My goal is to develop a new space that can help people do, have, or become anything their heart desires.

I started Fill Your Skill with a desire to help people. As a way to help others grow their soft skills. I let it fall on the back burner for most of 2023. I don’t want to do this anymore. I want to write about my personal life, share my thoughts and feelings, and most importantly, I want to help others.

I plan to continue this newsletter. I am committing myself to 52 posts in 2024, or once a week. Some weeks might have two, and others might have one, but my goal is to stop getting in the way of my own good and share the voice I have with others who are struggling and need solutions. It starts here.

I hope you’ll follow me on my journey of re-finding myself in 2024. Cheers to the New Year!

xoxo,

Laura Jean