As another year has drawn to a close, I wanted to take a moment to celebrate not only the wins of 2023, but also the lessons learnt from my mistakes. 2023 was definitely a year of two halves for me, the first half was terrifyingly stressful, the second half, exciting and fulfilling. All of the downs and then all of the ups, which is important because it helps you gain perspective not only in your professional life but also in your personal one.

So I hope you’ll enjoy reading through my top 5 wins for last year, and also my top 5 lessons learnt from those ‘teachable’ moments.

1. Only you gets in your way

We like to think that it’s external circumstances that stop us from progressing, but one thing I noticed about myself was that I was the only saboteur. I’m not cured from this affliction, and I still self sabotage on a daily basis, however like meditation I notice when I’m doing it and I decide to try and change gears in that moment. No judgement needed.

2. Money doesn’t equal happiness, but it does make you less stressed

2023 was financially one of the hardest years to date. I’m happy to be transparent enough to tell you that the first half of the year was terrifying. And whilst the old adage of ‘money can’t buy you happiness’ is true in one way, I can’t iterate how much less stressed and ill you don’t feel when you do have it. I ended up getting a part-time job to supplement my income, something I’ve done to look after my family and ultimately my mental health.

3. When there’s a will, there’s a way

Things can, and do, feel hopeless at times. January-May was that time for me. Going through this has shown that I am able to do a lot of things I told myself I never could. Approach jobs I never imagined I would be good enough for, step up to responsibilities I didn’t think I was strong enough to do, take on work that I didn’t think I was skilled enough to complete. It’s amazing how point number 1 resonates here right?

4. Get out of your head about social media

I’ve had the privilege of watching my husband grow his Instagram account from nothing to over 101K follows in the past few years. His secret? He posts every day, and he’s not hung up over the extreme specifics. He just wanted to showcase how easy and fun it is to rewear clothes and buy secondhand, and it seems it resonates with many of you too. I’m taking this attitude with me into 2024, to approach social media less like a chore and a stress and to just be more playful and spontaneous with it.

5. Start the thing, now!

So many things put off in 2023, and once I’d done them they were so simple. This circles (again) back to point number 1 - we get in our own way all the time! How many projects do you have sitting on a pile, waiting for the ‘perfect’ moment? There will never be a perfect moment apart from the moment where you’re thinking about doing the thing, so do the thing!