2014 has been a golden year for me as I’ve managed to achieve a number of life changing goals in the past 12 months.
I skipped writing down my annual good intentions in early January 2014, but maybe that’s what made it such a lucky and memorable year for me.
The life changing goals that I managed to achieve affected both my personal and professional life in fantastic ways.
Here are 7 of my most memorable achievements from 2014.
1. Back to workout
I’m finally back to doing my workouts again. The doctors have allowed me to lift weights and take regular trips to the gym, but I still have to avoid impact exercises like running. If you can recall my endless injury, you’ll know that it’s pretty clear that it doesn’t matter if I still can’t run, the main achievement is that I’m moving my body again.
I joined the gym at the end of August when my body weight was 43 kg (94 pounds) and I felt pretty powerless. My muscles were “asleep”. Over the next 6 weeks I managed to gain 2.5 cm (almost one inch) in my arms, 1 cm (0.3 inches) on my legs and hips, and I lost 1 cm (0.3 inches) on my waist. After 4 months I had gained a whole 5 kg (105 pounds) of muscle and I now have enough strength to lift a handbag and place it into an aircraft luggage compartment. I feel better, I’m happier, and most of all I haven’t lost the hope that I can eventually return to running again.
2. I switched jobs
I left my Running Jedi role at Decathlon to become the SEO Lead for Wauwaa, an online destination for new parents and growing families. I got the job thanks to a collaboration of my personal achievements as a mystery fiction author and self-publisher (see below), and the fact that I acted so natural because I had no idea that one of my interviewers was the CEO himself.
3. Books, books, books (and ebooks)
Not only have I managed to read almost one book a week, but I’ve also achieved great goals as a mystery fiction author too. Only a year after my first flash fiction experiment with my detective (super) short stories collection, I’ve written and published many more books. After Cutting Right to the Chase and Into the Killer Sphere were published, 2014 saw Cutting Right to the Chase Vol.2 and Pull the Trigger on the Amazon Kindle Store.
And I’m proud to say that my audience received my titles very well. I’m particularly impressed by the reviews that Pull the Trigger received after less than one month of publication. 50 reviews (and counting!), all with 4 – 5 stars ratings. What a great success. And what does an author want more other than to get back to the writing desk to craft another success? Cutting Right to the Chase Vol.3 is in progress already.
4. Leading a team
At Wauwaa my role not only revolves around SEO. I also manage the copywriting team and I’m heavily involved in the product creation process in the ecommerce area. It’s more of a covering role, but it’s a responsibility that I’m more than happy to have taken on. The copywriting team is made up of a small group of extremely talented and young individuals.
My role not only requires me to manage and coordinate other employees and resources, but also puts me in the spotlight as a role model for these awesome youngsters. I must admit that it’s not a walk in the park, but that’s what pushes me to be balanced in my decisions and choices. They watch and learn from me every day.
5. (re)discovering Yoga
Yoga plays a crucial part in my long recovery from my injury as the weights workout at the gym make my muscle fibres stronger, but shorter and less flexible. Every time I end a yoga session I feel emotionally drained but Yoga is a discipline that “opens” the body and the mind, bringing myself to a deeper level of consciousness. Sometimes though I hate yoga for that very reason: what you see and feel when you practice yoga is – more than often – what you have been running away from during the whole week prior.
6. Embracing positivity
I’m sorry to say that I’ve recently been hanging around some pretty negative people, which have influenced my point of view. My focus of 2014 has been to “clean up” and review my perspectives, embracing positivity. I must say that seeing the glass half full is quite a tough exercise, although very useful in many aspects of my life, especially work.
7. Planning a new future
The above achievements, and many others not mentioned, have determined that my London settling-in phase is now officially closed. Franz and I came here in the UK determined but unsure of what we would eventually find. Now that I have found what I have been looking for, and I’ve nailed my goals, it’s time to unlock some more achievements, plan more, and go ever further. Look out 2015, here I come!