2017 Reflection + 2018 Resolutions

Hi everyone! 2017 has been quite the year for me, and I’m glad to say I mean that in a good way. These 365 days have been filled with crazy awesome opportunities, and I actually completed most of the goals I set around this time last year! Let’s look back, shall we?

Okay, this list was pretty extensive, but I managed to pull off most of it (of course with the help of others!).

#1: More opportunities + the courage to take a shot at them:I totally think I lived up to this one!

I joined a different SkillsUSA team this year that I had no idea about, and managed to still go to state with my team. I usually do photography, but this year, I did photography and chapter display!
This will tie into #7, but I freaking traveled across the country to Fairfax, Virginia to be in the Washington Youth Summit on the Environment!! That took a lot of courage!!
I entered into a local photography competition through my visual imagery class last (school) year and won third place, which came with a membership to the Lancaster Photography Association!

#2: Inspiration to improve and experiment with my photography:Okay, so this is probably one I slacked on. For those of you familiar, Instagram sends you your best 9 pictures of the year at the end of the year. Well, I hardly posted compared to 2016, and my likes plummeted. BUT, the pictures I DID take this year? So proud of them!! I feel like they show a lot of maturation in my style, so there’s that! (Instagram: nature.photography.x)

#3: Basic adulting skills: Looking back I realize I had no idea what this would even mean. (Nor do I really do still.) But, I think I have somewhat acquired some skills that will carry me into my adult life, like:

Requesting tax transcripts from the IRS. Does this sound like something a normal 17 year old does?
Filling out immunization forms, taking them to my doctor for signatures, etc. (Colleges are so demanding!)
COOKING.
You know what, applying to college in general. I stand by this, don’t tell me otherwise.
Learning from my mistakes.

#4: A job, a full license, passing AP test scores:Let’s be quite frank here,

@ 2016 Cierra, you’re applying to college next year!! That is time consuming and you don’t NEED a job!
A full license has not happened yet, BUT, I will have my permit before January 8th. Mark my words.
I PASSED MY AP TESTS! (4 on English Lang and 3 on Bio!)

#5: A scholarship or two would be nice:Hey, @2016 me, how does a scholarship to every school you applied to (so far) sound?

#6: An acceptance letter to the college I want to go to:Hey, @2016 me, how about seven acceptance letters (so far)?

#7: More real life experience with the field I want to go into: Again, I traveled cross country to be a delegate in an international youth conference centered around kids who want to help the environment. @2016 me, you did it.

#8: Challenges: Rather vague, but there have been some challenges throughout the year that I think I have (worked to) overcome, like:

APPLYING TO COLLEGES
Overcoming unnecessary emotional attachments (will touch on later)
My Goodreads challenge. I think that counts…

#9: A chance to see my love this summer: For those of you who do not know, my boyfriend of 2-3 years and I are long distance (1,440 miles apart.) I will never ever ever ever be able to thank my godmom, my mom, my dad, and his parents, for making this happen. A week with him (especially my birthday week) was one of the best gifts I have ever been given in my life. Thank you all so much.

#10: Anything else this year has to offer: Honestly, there is a lot else that happened in 2017, but looking back on 12 months of my life and trying to remember it all is overwhelming. I will say, however, that the biggest lesson this year has taught me is that I am capable of more than I think. It has taught me to break down big tasks into more manageable tasks, so that way I feel less overwhelmed and anxious about what I have to do. It has taught me patience, and in the last couple weeks of this year, I think it has taught me about self-acceptance.

When I mentioned overcoming unnecessary emotional attachments, I’m talking about my hair. If you’re on my Snapchat then you know the story, but cutting my hair was one of the biggest things I did this year (in a different sense.) I’ve always hated my hair. I mean for as long as I can remember, my hair has been crap in my mind. The problem was that I hated it short, and I could never imagine myself sitting here, at the end of 2017, with hair that is not shoulder length, not even ear length, and be able to say that I enjoy it. Big chopping was literally and metaphorically liberating, and I’m so glad I went through with it.

So, with all of that being said…

2018 will be a year of change.

I’m going to be leaving the nest after 18 years and traveling to where ever I end up at for the next four years of my life. With that, it’s going to be difficult to properly make goals for the new year, because I have no idea what to expect. So my number one goal for 2018 is:

Embrace it.

Expect and accept challenges as they come, and don’t be afraid to get outside of your comfort zone, @2017 me.

For the portion of the year I can anticipate, though, my goals are:

Walk. That. Stage. May 30th.
Pass my AP tests
Get my full drivers license
Goodreads challenge: +/- 15 books. (Dialing it WAY down because again, I’m not sure with my new schedule and environment next fall that I will be able or willing to read much).
Spend time with people I love, because this change is definitely on the horizon.
Keep up with your planner!
Experiment with a new hobby. In 2016, I started my blog. In 2017, I started planning, In 2018, I….
Just have as much fun as you can. Live in the present.