Looking back on 2017 - my personal highlights and goals for the new year

Happy New Year everyone! I can't quite believe that that another year is over and now here we are the first few days of 2018. I've always thought of the new year as a chance for a fresh start, rather like turning the chapter of a book and as is customary this time of year I thought it would be nice to look back on the last 12 months and to make some plans for the new year:

  

Health and fitness

This was probably my biggest achievement last year. I've always had a love hate relationship with exercise but in a bid to tone up for the wedding I signed up with a PT and it's been such a game changer. We do a combination of weights and cardio which is always such a killer but very effective and for the first time ever I'm actually enjoying going to the gym 3-4 times a week and seeing the results.

Work/Career

I must admit I've been feeling somewhat lost since leaving medicine but in 2017 I was proud to have been offered a promotion, pushed myself to do a live TV interview, had articles published and completed several difficult projects at work.

Towards the end of the year I felt like I had a clearer understanding of how I wanted my career to progress and started taking steps towards my dream job something which I plan to build upon in 2018. 

Cambridge staycation

Around February we enjoyed a much needed staycation in Cambridge. It was a perfect long weekend filled with romantic walks, delicious food and lots of exploring in one of England's most historic cities. Having graduated a few years ago it felt strange to be in such a university town but there was such a sense of hope and ambition and I certainly left feeling more refreshed and inspired!

Weddings

We had 2 weddings in 2017. A really beautiful reception for a friend then just weeks later our very own at Kew Gardens! It was a day filled with so much love and laughter. We were blessed with the most perfect heart felt ceremony and we were lucky that so many of our friends from all over the world came to celebrate with us.

Mini moon in Italy

Straight after the wedding we hopped onto a plane for a week of sunshine and pasta in Italy. We loved the beautiful scenery and relaxation in Sorrento and it was so nice to enjoy the all delicious food and world famous sights in Rome.

Blogging

Admittedly 2017 wasn't my best year blogging but despite this I've been lucky enough to be offered some amazing opportunities and continued to make great friends within the community. Highlights include multiple beauty launches, reviewing a steak restaurant in St Paul's, a festive cooking class and most surreal of all attending an intimate gig with the boy band Blue to celebrate nPower going green in December.

It's funny because 2017 didn't feel like my best year but looking back it's made me realise that it was surprisingly eventful and I've achieved more than I originally thought.

The biggest highlight was definitely getting married but I guess with the wedding and all the planning being such a big part of our lives in 2017 everything else ended up taking a bit of a back seat. And so despite some positives I don't feel like I've progressed as much as I would have liked to with regards to my career and blogging.

As a result as I've spend much of December figuring out my plans for 2018 and I'm looking forward to starting the year on a high and hopefully achieving all these goals:

- Build upon the steps I've already taken to find and land my ideal job

- Be more organised and productive with blogging, create more lifestyle content and hopefully work with some of my dream brands

- Continue with the gym and personal training to maintain my health and fitness

- Travel more. So far on the bucket list is SE Asia for our honeymoon, LA to visit a friend and hopefully a short weekend break somewhere in Europe too

- De-clutter and invest in some new wardrobe pieces

- And finally to purchase and move into a new flat/house together

What were your 2017 highlights? Do you have any goals/resolutions for the new year?

You may also like:
Life lately - six November highlights
We got married - a quick catch and life update 
2016 - the highlights 
Life - December and January round up