If I were to summarize my 2017 in one word it would, undoubtedly, be “growth“.

16th August 2016, my life took a different direction – I moved to Denmark. Thanks to this decision, I have grown as a person, I have discovered myself, I have met new people and I have left behind people who didn’t bring anything positive to my life.

For me, 2016 was the year I really got to know myself. The year I left my comfort zone and more than ever trusted my gut. However, those changes came in the middle of the year, so at the end of 2016, I knew I had made the right decision, but I wasn’t fully aware of the benefits that decision could have on my future.

I knew I had changed and matured, but the differences between who I was before August 16th and who I was December 31st, were slightly insignificant.

However, now (December 31st, 2017), those differences are extremely notable. So my 2017 summary will be a 1/2 2016 + 2017 summary because I wouldn’t be who I am if it wasn’t for the directions my life took in 2016.

On August 2016, I started my university degree in Computer Science – disciple I am passionate about. I found my first job. I travel lots. I enjoyed myself. I met wonderful people….

But more importantly, I started to have the first clues on what I loved and what I wanted to do career-wise.

This didn’t come out of the blue. I knew I wanted to do something related to software engineering, but I didn’t know what I exactly wanted. That’s where Denmark and its practical education helped me.

It might seem insignificant for some, but for me, knowing what I want to do, and having goals makes me pleased. Many teenagers start a degree, knowing nothing about what they can end up doing – I personally find that sad. Not for the ones who experience it, but for the educational system who makes them not have career resolutions.

So, I closed 2016 having a clear vision of what I could end up doing in the future.

As any university student, the first semester of the year was nothing but studying and a few trips in between.

I continued working and improving in a way that I got “promoted” after the summer holidays.

I got to experience summer in a different way and it turned out to be an amazing experience.

And I started to care more about everything, to be more responsible and to be my own “boss” – if you want to call it like that. If I wanted something to happen, I knew no one was going to do it, but me. If I wanted to achieve something, I was my best leader.

I started to appreciate to no end the little things of life, investing in what was going to make me happy in the long run – buying memories and experiences rather than physical objects.

This year I achieved things I never thought I was capable of achieving, at the age of 19, and I will never stop being grateful for it. Among other reasons, because I know that what I have achieved, what I have become and what I have learned, will contribute to making my future a bit better.

For this reason, I feel content to not having new year resolutions – I never really had. I am one of those who thinks that even if you have resolutions, you can never know what the future has planned for you. 

I couldn’t ever have planned what 2016 and 2017 had in store so I won’t try to plan 2018. I do have goals I would like to achieve, but I wouldn’t call it resolutions, more like future plans I will work hard to accomplish.

• Grow and mature as a person.
• Find true happiness.
• Leave behind people with negative energy.
• Start my professional career and know what is like to be part of a company.
• Travel felt like it.
• Feel fulfilled with every aspect of my life.
• Meet inspiring people from different nationalities.
• Think out of the box.
• Leave my comfort zone without a second thought.
• Be my leader and role model.
• Be in continuous development.
• Aim for the best.
• Not to settle for less than I expect.
• Learn new things.
• Be aware that one can never know enough.
• And many more things that will make this list endless.

I can only ask 2018 to be as good as 2017, to make me enjoy what I enjoyed in 2017 many years more, to be a little bit better every day and to teach me as much as 2017 did.

Happy new year!

Love,

Sara.