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Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Five in 2015

It's that point in the year where we spend some time reminiscing on what the past 365(ish) days have been like and what we have or haven't accomplished.  2015 has been a great year for me. I have crossed things off of my 101 in 10001 list, stepped outside of my comfort zone, experienced new adventures, grew another year older, travelled to DC with my family, attended four weddings in four months, watched Todd graduate college, moved in with some of my best friends, travelled across the country by myself, completed my term as Chapter President, was accepted into another honors society, and continued to make great strides in my academic endeavors.  I always find it fun to look back on the year to see what the high and low points were. I thought five in 2015 would be a different way to reflect on the year and share with y'all. It highlights things in sequences of five rather than writing a novel about things I did or didn't do. 



Five things I learned:
How much I hate the term basic.  I could go on a rant or you could just look back at the post I wrote about this.  Basically, I find it offensive and not a comical way to describe women.  
Two. 
How important it is to support other women.  Sadly, today we still live in a partial man's world, where women are still not the majority of those in major leadership roles. Those women who do hold positions of power we tend to speak poorly of when we should be supporting them.  In general, women have a poor habit of putting each other down when we should be supporting one another. 
To prioritize myself in my busy schedule.  I am incredibly involved, some may argue too involved.  I take a full load of college classes and I play an active role in being a member of multiple organizations both on and off of campus.   This year I learned the negative consequences of not making time for yourself.  I've have been getting better at allowing some "me time", but there is certainly room for improvement for 2016. 
Four.
To be nice to myself. I am 100% type A and a perfectionist. I hold myself to a higher standard than I do anyone else in my life. I have unrealistic expectations of myself, but yet I still expect to accomplish all of these things that aren't always feasible.  This year, thanks to some guidance from my mom, I realized this and began so make some small changes to increase my forgiveness. Being nice to myself is a new concept to me, but it something that I want to continue to explore as it is helping have a better mentality about myself and my life. 
Five. 
How great scheduling blog posts ahead of time is.  I just recently discovered that I am able to write blog posts and then schedule them to be automatically posted. This feature has greatly helped me. I wish I would've known this sooner, but it is going to help me become a better blogger this next year. 

Five things I accomplished:
One. 
I made Dean's List for the second time in my college career. This is a big milestone for me. I'm hoping to finish out my last two semesters with Dean's List as well!
Two. 
I trained and completed my first half marathon. This was no easy task, but it was a great experience. I had a ton of fun during the race, and it was great to do it with a friend/sister of mine. 
Three. 
I passed one of my PRAXIS exams... only five to go. These are the exams that certify me to become a teacher.  I have a year to pass them, so hopefully this time next year I will be sharing that I passed all of these exams and graduated college. 
Four.
Travelled across the country by myself. In June I flew to Arizona by myself for Alpha Delta Pi's Grand Convention. This experience made me feel like I was growing up. I navigated TSA, obtaining my boring pass, finding my gate, and several flight delays all on my own.  This experience was quite the adventure. You can read more about it here
Five. 
I completed my term as Chapter President. This might be my biggest accomplishment yet.  I will share about this experience in a few weeks as it deserves more than a few sentences.  But in short, this experience taught me a lot about myself and how to become an even stronger/smarter leader than I was before. Needless to say, leading 116 women is no easy task and comes with more responsibility than I could have ever imagined.  

I hope you enjoyed reading about my five in 2015. I am looking forward to 2016 and the many adventures, challenges, and learning experiences it will have in store for me to endure.  

XOXO





28 comments:

  1. Congratulations on making the Dean's list! That's a huge accomplishment. I am so with you on supporting other women! We should bring each other up instead of down!

    Mikayla | A Seersucker State of Mind.

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  2. Loved your blog recap!!! Congratulations on everything you accomplished and I hope the year 2016 brings you a lot of joy!
    www.fashionovermatter.com

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  3. You accomplished a lot this year and you should be proud! I hope 2016 treats you even better!
    xoxo
    Amy | pastelnpink.blogspot.com

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  4. LOVE the things you learned and accomplished! Hope 2016 is great for you!

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  5. I agree with the basic term, good for you speaking out on something you feel strongly about :)

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  6. I have never been called basic, but it definitely is not something I would like to be compared to. You've had a great year! Fingers crossed for 2016 for you. Congrats on making the deans list!

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  7. You really accomplished a lot this year! You should be proud. Congratulations on the PRAXIS. I've been there and done that; they are no fun.

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  8. Yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes to all of the things you learned in 2015. I especially resonate with the first three. Congrats on all of your accomplishments and have a great 2016!

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  9. Wow congrats on all of your accomplishments, they are all HUGE accomplishments and if anything that definitely earns you some "you" time. You are obviously a hard worker, and will accomplish big things in life, but believe me when I tell you this is the time to get the most you time. Once you start a career, family, kids, the chances of more you time get slimmer. Not to scare you or anything, all those things a wonderful just a little chaotic lol.

    Many Blessings and more even more accomplishments in the New Year!

    Maya from www.healthymominabusyworld.com

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  10. I love how you set this post up!
    You've accomplished so many great things in 2015 and I am sure you'll accomplish even more in 2016.

    xoxo, Jenny || Breakfast at Lillys

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  11. Congrats on finishing strong as chapter president! Panhel love sweet girl!

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  12. Wow sounds like a busy but awesome year! I can't believe you had time to blog while being chapter president! LOL Happy New Year!

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  13. The lessons you learned in 2015 are amazing (I also hate the term basic and believe women need to support other women). You accomplished so much in 2015, congratulations on your first term as chapter president and on completing your first half marathon. Can't wait to see all you accomplish in the next year.

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  14. Congratulations on all of your accomplishments! I can't wait to see what you accomplish in 2016!

    Lauren | The Arizona Prepster

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  15. I love all the things you learned! I think supporting women is so important, and I love that it became such a huge movement this year. I hope women can start to praise each other and raise each other up rather than turning against one another for silly reasons. Congrats on all of the things you accomplished! It looks like 2015 was a year of growth for you!

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  16. Congrats on all your accomplishments! What ed major are you? I'm a secondary ed (history) major and only had to take two praxis tests!

    xoxo, SS

    The Southern Stylista

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  17. You had quite the year, Sister!! So jealous that you got to attend Convention still. My sisters who went said it was truly life-changing!! I hope that 2016 is equally incredible for you, and that you're able to continue your senior year on high notes!

    xoxo A
    www.southernbelleintraining.com

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  18. Definitely need to prioritize yourself. Sometimes your schedule can get in the way or wanting to please others that you forget to take care of yourself. I know I do!

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  19. So many great points! You have accomplished so much this year and learned so many amazing lessons. I am also excited to check out your post on ADPi convention! I am attending Tri Sigma convention this summer as a national officer and I am SOOOO excited to be around my hundreds of my sisters!

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  20. Congrats on all you've achieved this year. I hope 2016 is just as productive and successful.

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  21. Congratulations on so many great accomplishments. Yes to being kinder to yourself and how important it is to be supportive of other women.

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  22. I LOVE number two on your list :) I work in a male dominated field, and I am the only woman in my office... The glass ceiling is alive and well, and it's such a shame. It makes me SO angry to see women being bullies to other women instead of helping to mentor them.

    XO, SS || Seersucker Sass

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  23. I think we all need to be a little nicer to ourselves... that definitely goes for me, too! Also, congrats on all your wonderful accomplishments!

    xo,
    Stephanie
    Diary of a Debutante
    www.thediaryofadebutante.com

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  24. Sounds like you have had such a big year and accomplish so much! Congratulations on all of it! Especially completing your term as Chapter President, I was VP & Recruitment Chair of my sorority in college and it was no easy matter in the least. Happy New Year! xx Merisa | Monogrammed Magnolias

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  25. Love. I agree.. I'm not too nice to myself. I actually bully myself! Happy new year and congrats on a great year!
    xo
    Lauren

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  26. Great lessons and accomplishments! I remember the stress of the Praxis from college, wishing you the best of luck on the rest of your exams!

    HashtagFabLife

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  27. Congratulations on all of your accomplishments! May 2016 be a bigger and even better year!

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  28. I love the women empowerment lessons in your first 2 comments! You are so right!

    -Morgan
    How 2 Wear It [] http://how2wearit.com

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