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The Year I Turned 40

2024 was a personal best for me

Becca CO 🌵
Black Bear
6 min readJan 2, 2025

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I’m reflecting on my past and planning my future. Image credit Becca CO.

My birthday is January 14th, and I love that it is shortly after New Year’s because there’s a sort of symbolism there for me. I don’t need to make resolutions because each birthday is a chance to reflect on where I’ve been and where I wish to be.

Instead of a single resolution, I maintain resolve throughout the year on the goals I set. I believe in progress over time, not overnight changes.

At the end of 2023, I went through a major break in my mental health, so at the start of 2024, I was in a low place.

I got divorced in 2022. If you’ve ever been divorced, you know this irrevocably changed the financial landscape of my life.

I’m still recovering, but 2024 was a better year than 2023. 2025 forecasts to be even better, and I’m looking forward to saving for retirement again.

This year, my goals center around my finances and health — my usuals. I’m always trying to maintain my health. In 2024, the focus was on my mental health. In other years, and 2025 will be one of those years, I target my physical health.

Financially, I need to start saving for retirement again. My retirement took a huge hit in the divorce and its aftermath. It will take the rest of my working life to rebuild it, and even then, I’ll…

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Black Bear
Black Bear

Published in Black Bear

At Black Bear, we share informative articles and personal stories about struggling with mental health and substance use disorders.

Becca CO 🌵
Becca CO 🌵

Written by Becca CO 🌵

Autistic | Survivor—I write about how life's challenges affect living—NF & poetry are my niches. Editor for Black Bear. https://www.instagram.com/becca_collora/

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