this year my word was 'grow'. i thought i would review it today, to see how i did. the italic words are direct quotes from the post i did about it on 2 january 2008.
remember, as 'grow' is a verb, i am grading the process, and not the end result.
i want to grow my creativity. i want to scrap more, and create more in other ways too.
i didn't scrap nearly as much as i should/could/wanted to. there always seems to be so much else to do, and so the scrapbooking seems to take a back seat. so i give myself a D.
however, i did grow creatively in other ways. in blog writing and design, in photography, in photoshop and in digital scrapbooking. in those respects i grew a lot! the end results can still be improved, but in terms of the process, the learning curve, the growth, i give myself an A.
i need to grow in simplicity. i need to de-clutter my life even more. this will go a long way in decreasing some of the stress in my life.
i did do some work here, but not nearly enough. i did put some actions in place, and i also learned to make some peace with projects that turned out to be very long-term. but here i give myself a C.
i wish to grow my inspiration.
i will try to inspire others by sharing my passions, ideas and talents.
i will also continue to seek out people who are positive, passionate
and inspiring to me.
not too bad. it is difficult to be inspiring if you are not feeling very inspired yourself, but i have started teaching workshops again, and i have done quite a few tutorials on my blog. i have found lots of inspiring people though, most of those in the blogosphere, where inspiration from the world's most talented is but a mouse-click away! so i give myself a B.
i have to to grow my shop. i need to get more customers, grow in turnover and in numbers of customers.
well, here i have failed. badly. but, it was not my fault... the declining world economy, and south africa's huge increase in food and fuel prices and very high interest rates has left very little extra money in my client's pockets. we are all feeling the pinch! so, an F here. *sigh!*
i will continue to grow spiritually. i know that GOD has a plan for my life, and for 2008, and i want to feel HIM at work in and through me.
this of course is a constant challenge. no matter how much i grow spiritually, it is never enough. maybe a C+?
i hope to grow the blog, both in the quality of the content, and in readership. i want to work on writing with the poetry and vulnerability of kelly rae roberts. i want to be as passionate as donna. i want to be as inspiring as wilna. i want to share ideas as freely as leah. i want to be as chatty as heidi. i want to be as disciplined as annette. and i want to be inspiring, and funny, and generous, as all the other blogs i visit regularly. and i hope more of my visitors will comment. hint, hint!
well, here i did well. this was my best subject, in a manner of speaking. i could probably look back and say that 2008 was the year of the blog, for me. once again, in the end result is always room for growth, but as far as the process goes, i give myself an A+
on 31 december 2007 i had had 579 total hits, and today (31 december 2008) i have had 19 182 total hits. so 18 603 hits in 2008. but if you consider that it took me to mid-march to get my first 1000 hits, i didn't do too badly from there on. from september 2007 to end february 2008 i had a total of 675 hits, and in march 2008 i had 667 hits. you can see the statistics and highlights of this blog here. and i am so thankful to all of you for this.
i strive to grow as a mother.
i love francois and sean, and they need me to be the best mother i can
be. they are the blessings in my life, and i need to show them this.
i love to grow as a supporting, happy, loving partner
for mike, who is the most amazing man, and the best friend and
supportive partner a girl could ever want, and who makes me happier
than i ever thought possible.
these 2 are also the kind of things were one needs to work constantly on growth. unfortunately, as the economy worsened, i needed to put in longer hours in the shop. and my stress levels increased. the man also had a very demanding job that kept him going for long hours. these factors are not very conducive to family bliss. a C here. not too great!
i dream to grow as a friend.
there are so many wonderful people in my life, who are the sunbeams
that brighten my days, the supports that help me carry the load, the
fertilizer that help me grow. i need to love them more, to hug them
tighter, to phone/sms them often, compliment them every time, and thank
them constantly for their unwavering love.
once again, long working hours do not help in this respect. and between work and family/home life, there was way too little time for friendship. i am so appreciative of the friends who know and understand and forgive this, and who come to the shop to visit me. thanks! a C here too. maybe a C-.
i try to grow in positivity.
in south africa today there is sooo much negativity! i will try to have
and spread more hope, more love, more passion, more friendliness.
i did try. this was probably the most difficult year to be positive in, in south africa. we had a lot going against us. on the financial and political front there was a lot of drama and turmoil, and with electricity and telephone problems (my shop had been without a working telephone line for 11 months so far, and no end in sight), crime, uncertainty, a declining currency, and growing pessimism and huge emigration, it has been hard work. i started the year off low. now i'm better. or just numb. it is not great, but taking the tough times in consideration, i give myself a B-.
did i do well? no. not at all. but it was a very difficult year. and i did have some growth. so, all in all i passed. i go on to 2009. i'm sure things can only get better...
did you have a word? what was it? how did you do? do you have a word for 2009 yet? tell me, i'd really love to know.
jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbooking shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa
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