Reflection on 2013 Priorities

As 2013 comes swiftly to a close and 2014 is about to dawn, I think it is important to reflect on my priorities from 2013, and how successful I was. This is the first year I have had the time and ability to not only post a list of priorities – my preference to goals or resolutions- but be able to review it at the end of the year. This is probably because I am not traveling this year.

You can see the post of my priorities for the year here.

My first priority was growing in my faith. This was largely stagnant for the first few months, but since living in Portland I have seen many things in a new way. I have walked the streets of this city down-trodden and afraid for my finances, and I have walked these streets secure and confident. Through all of this, I have had to trust that I am playing into the plan of the divine creator, and that he has great things in store for me. Having this kind of faith seemed like it was not a big deal, at first. But over the past few months, I have learned a lot about what it means to have huge faith for huge things to happen in my life.

Building my relationships is a priority that has changed its focus from what it has ever been before. In college I was close with a large array of people, I was available to help and support and be there at any time. Now I regularly interact with a much smaller group of people. That does not change anything about this priority, or how I view my progress in this area. I think just identifying that they way I interact with people is different is a significant thing.

On one hand, I have not completed any significant writing. On the other hand, I have a handful of projects going, and I am making some decent headway with one of them. I have started reviewing books and reading so much more than I have in the past few years and it has been wonderful.

I have completed my degree. Boom. Checkmark. I am a Master of Science in Educational Leadership with a focus in College Student Development. I am so incredibly proud of that. It took me so many long days, and hard nights of tears and fear and feeling like failure. That piece of paper is a thing that is really meaningful in my life.

Physical well-being has, at times, taken a back burner, but is starting to be a priority again. I have done reasonably okay with my eating habits – I guess living in Portland does that. But I have not been running as much as I would like. In August, I tried trail running. It has been difficult and a long learning process (I will write about this in more detail early in the New Year), but I have increased my average run from just over a mile to just over three miles in the course of a couple months.

I think overall, I feel like 2013 was a success. A great year that moved me forward in a lot of ways. I am very proud of the things I have accomplished this year, and look forward to building my life around my priorities in 2014.