A New Year — Recap of 2019 & Plans for 2020

Whew! It’s a new year already. 2020 seemed like such a huge and far year when I was younger. Everything seemed to be positioned to happen in 2020 — Vision 2020, Year 2020 etc. But here we are. Is it too late to wish you a happy new year? Doubt it! HAPPY NEW YEAR, guys!

2019 was such a fantastic year for me. I’m not referring to material things because whew 2019 tried me! I cried a lot. I lost money more than once. Plans I made didn’t go through. I fell out with people I loved and thought were friends. A lot happened but it was generally a year of growth. I also stopped talking to God at a point. I was just like “bruh do what you like!” I wrote a post about it on the 6th of November but never published it but you can read the draft here. I had planned to publish towards the end of December but didn’t because I — and my family, to be honest — experienced the miracle of the 11th hour. I’ll tell you a bit about my own miracle.

When I resigned from my job last year, the plan was to get another job, grow a company I incorporated late last year by the side while I work for another 2 or 3 years before signing out and facing my company full time. But I kept going back and forth on this decision for almost 2 months. So I talked to God and asked for a sign. I’ll pursue both equally — that is, continue applying to jobs and start looking for clients as an independent contractor. Whichever clicked first will get my full attention.

Months after, December to be precise (when I had totally forgotten about that prayer), I got my first client from nowhere. Prior to when they reached out, I didn’t know them, I didn’t pitch to them and I had told only a handful of people that I had resigned from my 9–5 and was now freelancing. This came at a time when I was so tired from putting in effort that I stopped. I was so mentally unprepared that I decided to pass this gig to a friend. And then I remembered my prayer months ago and stopped and said “Wow”. So best believe I took this as my sign from God. Talk about a miracle!

Now a new year is here. How’s it turning out for you? I’ll start. My year is going great so far. I turned 26 this week (the 7th of January) and though I had no activity (I was home all day and half of the family wasn’t around), it turned out to be one of my best birthdays. The messages I received, even from people I least expected, made my heart so warm and full. I didn’t want the day to end! Haha. I am alive. I am healthy. I am happy.

Now to my plans for the year. I have never really set goals for myself — new year or any period. Yes, I say I’ll like to do this or have that but I’m usually not intentional or strategic about them. This year, however, I have some goals I intend to achieve. It’s not a long list (4 goals for the year) but I’m determined. I also have some projects for the year and I’ll be announcing on Instagram @uche_laura. You should follow if you are not doing so already.

This year, I’ve told myself a few things. One, I’m stepping out of my comfort zone and putting myself out there. I already started by having a photo session for my birthday which I’ve never done before. Guys, I almost cancelled several times and had to give myself a pep talk. Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE being in front of the camera. But the thought of having a photo session sounded “too much” for me. However, I did it. It was also a reflection of how grateful I am for life. Two, I can’t guarantee that I won’t experience hurt or loss but I’m going to react better this year and not allow it cross over to other things.

What are your plans for this year? I hope you’re off to a great start already. If not, there’s still time. So take a deep breath, chin up and own the year. It’s a new decade, after all!

Love and light,

Uchechi.