I’ve mentioned before that I am not a big fan of New Year’s Resolutions but do think of it as a time to reflect on the past year and motivate myself for coming year. To be honest, at this time last year, I didn’t know what 2019 would hold in store. It held the same promise as any other year but it didn’t feel like it would be a year of growth at the onset.
Boy did that change on January 20, 2019. That’s the day I busted up my shoulder that lead to a cascade of changes for the rest of the year. I had the surgery to repair my shoulder on February 19, 2019, and then was in a mobilizing sling until April 10th. It really made tax busy season complicated. If we’re being honest, it could have turned into one of the shittiest years on record.
The surprise is that it unfolded quite differently. I learned to use my left hand and was able to stumble through busy season. Because of the surgery, I had to start working from home. This turned out to be so successful, that I’ve continued to work from home long after the need to work from home went away.
Working from home gave me the opportunity to have an additional 1 1/2 to 2 hours a day because I wasn’t having to commute. I used that extra time to get more work done without having to feel like I was completely going crazy. I also used it to do my daily rehab exercises for my shoulder.
Speaking of exercising, I started listening to podcasts regularly while I was exercising. I pretty much only listened to tax and accounting podcasts, and boy did I learn a lot. I really think these podcasts help you feel connected to the rest of the tax and accounting community:
The extra time also gave me the freedom to explore some fun extra curricular activities, like the Video Per Day Experiment. You can check out my posts about that if you’re interested.
To sum up 2019, what could have been a year of total chaos and frustration turned into a year of personal growth and opportunity. I’d like to keep that momentum and mindset of growth and improvement, so I am choosing a word for 2020 that will help guide and motivate me. My word for 2020 is Adventurous.
I like how adventurous has a connotation of risk and daring but also of preparation. To me, there is a sense of exploration, excitement, and risk that comes with adventurous and I think approaching change and challenges with the mindset of it being an adventure is more compelling than a mindset of dread and caution.
Starting on January 1, 2020, I’ll be participating in the #YearOf30Days – this is the follow-up to the Video Per Day Experiment. We’re taking the concept of a month long challenge and applying it to the whole year. Each month will have a different theme (professional or personal) and we’ll use that month to do a small task to create an improvement in that area of our lives. I’m looking forward to this adventure.
