Category: Year in Review

For the month of December, I’ll be posting weekly about a couple highlights from this year; granted, these highlights may very well leave out what happens this month, but we shall see what happens! 😉 Also, I couldn’t decide on only four highlights, so each post I will highlight two moments/topics from the year. Enjoy!

I certainly didn’t ask for my 30th year to be so monumental despite the fact that yes, I finally left my 20s and was now embarking upon a new-ish adventure into the next decade of my life.

But turning 30 and experiencing all that I have throughout this year has been very pivotal: I felt like I left behind a lot of things that I didn’t need anymore in my 20s. I feel like I finally got myself onto a better path in life.

My 30th birthday party was fun: quiet, simple, yet memorable. We bought a platter of sandwiches from Costco and invited a few friends over to celebrate. My birthday has always been a hit-or-miss with the weather: luckily this year the snow didn’t blow in until later in the night.

One way I got myself onto a better path this year was finally taking Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University. I had known of his program for several years already, but never bit the bullet earlier on because I “didn’t have time or money”. I began 2015 with the feeling of, “Well, it’s now or never.” Luckily, Ryan attended with me and we were able to share a kit together.

During the nine weeks of class, we learned a lot about how to properly budget, pay down debt, and what kind of myths to steer clear of in the world of personal finances. Thanks to some situations wrapping up earlier this year, I have been lucky to pay down a lot of my debt to where now I can focus on repaying student loans. Every month, I have been keeping track of my budget via Dave Ramsey’s EveryDollar budgeting webapp and I have definitely spent a lot less money this whole year. It feels good to know that I am in control of where my money goes!

I’m thankful for the opportunity to take the Financial Peace University program this year because I felt it really helped with clarifying my finances and my overall goals in life. Maybe one day I will consider teaching the class myself. We’ll see!

The ball has dropped in New York City for 2014, but I still have a little time left here in Denver to reflect upon 2013.

It’s been a crazy year for sure, both in good and bad ways. 2013 was the year I showed my Twitter prowess through winning conference passes and owning conference hashtags (see #launch2013 #incleadership #sxswv2v). This was also the year I realized that I didn’t want to do TAOpivot anymore. Some career turmoil throughout the summer plus another car accident….aiya >_< Then, the rise of Ms. Kwong’s Baked Goods and my transcription business.

Every year serves as a roller coaster ride for me; however, 2013 felt like the year where I realized my stage in life. I understood that I was no longer a flippant 20something (early 20s); I was well on my way towards a more stable time in my life. My group of friends changed (as it always does); I noticed that the age and demographics of my friendships skewed towards my age or older.

I became more aware of my finances and the negative self-talk I told myself; really focused on more overall self-care and creating a fitness/health plan based on what was best for me. Granted, the July accident threw a lot of my schedule out of whack for most of August to October; however, I am thankful for all the work I’ve had done with my chiropractor, cognitive therapist, physical therapist, and so forth.

2014 is already going to be a great year; I feel it in my bones.

I’ve come to the realization that I am terrible at keeping a regular blogging schedule. But, I know I also cannot beat myself up for that: the last half of this year changed my life a lot, and, well, other priorities have taken precedence over blogging.

I figure now, on this New Year’s Eve, that I should review my year in passing and welcome in this next year.

This year turned out a lot differently than I had anticipated from last Jan. 1. I found myself moving around the country to stay with family; I re-kindled old friendships in my hometown and discovered more hobbies to be passionate about.

I was expecting change when my first quarter came around. But I wasn’t expecting so much change before then.

Living in Denver the past 4-5 months, I feel I am definitely in MY environment: I’m more sociable and open; I feel energized being around others who have similar career goals to me; I feel I can connect so much better with people here than anywhere else.

I’ve met so many wonderful people in Denver already, and I’ve only skimmed the service.

I know I say this every time, but 2012 is going to be another life-changing year. I already have many plans queued up for the year: for instance, I’ve taken the reigns to launch another the3six5 local edition: Denver ! Check out the blog, and spread the word if you know of people living/working in Denver.

Here’s to the end of 2011 and hello to 2012.