Highlights, Reflections, and Lessons Learned in 2017

Hey, friends! Welcome to the end of 2017. Crazy, isn’t it? I know we’re all tired of hearing the typical, ‘I can’t believe the year is almost over’ but it’s TRUE. This year has whizzed by in the blink of the eye.

To bring 2017 to a close, I thought I’d share some of the highlights from my year, as well as share some of the most popular posts on The Blissful Mind over the past twelve months. I’d love to hear your highlights from the year, so be sure to leave a comment at the end of this post!

My 2017 Highlights

My sister and I visited my grandma in England for her 90th birthday

 

Can’t quite believe I have to leave the UK tomorrow and head home already ? This week has flown by, and it feels bittersweet to say goodbye. The jet lag has been REAL (like not being able to sleep until 2am and then sleeping in embarrassingly late), but I’m so grateful to spend time with my grandma and family who live over here since I rarely get to see them. Trying to savor these last little moments before it’s all over ??

A post shared by Catherine | Mindset Coach (@theblissfulmind) on Jul 10, 2017 at 1:55pm PDT

Since we live in Seattle, we rarely get to see my grandma, but planning a visit to celebrate her 90th birthday was a no-brainer. It’s amazing how with-it my grandma is. Her memory is still in great shape, and her only major ailment is her arthritis. Even with that, she’s still up and moving around, and she even drives herself to the grocery store.

One of the most amazing things about my grandma is how many friends she still has. She’s literally friends with all of her neighbors (there’s a lot of them), and everybody came round to her house to celebrate on her birthday. I hope that when I’m 90, my memory and friendships are as great as hers.

I left my 9-5 job to start my own business

 

Hiiii, friends! ?? I wanted to share three pieces of pretty exciting news with you. Y’know, a little life update. Here’s the deal: – ✖️ today is my last day at my 9-5 job aka the same job I’ve had for the past 4 years ? i never vibed with the typical office environment, so i’m trying something new (that makes it sound like an easy decision, but it’s actually pretty terrifying) – ✖️ sooo what’s next? i’ll be putting all of my energy into my coaching business. that means i’ll be offering one-on-one coaching sessions designed to transform your life into the positive, balanced, and meaningful vision of success you’ve always wanted (send me a message if you want more details!) – ✖️ i leave for a weeklong vacation to england on tuesday and i’m SO excited to actually take a break and let myself rest ?? it’s been long overdue – So yup, that’s my life in a nutshell right now. I’d love to hear what’s going on in your world!

A post shared by Catherine | Mindset Coach (@theblissfulmind) on Jun 30, 2017 at 8:26am PDT

Wow. What a ride. I can’t believe it’s been six months since I left my non-profit job of four years to start my own business. This has been a huge growth period in my life, both personally and professionally. I’ve realized that having a business is a lot harder than you can ever imagine, not just in terms of logistics and learning the ropes, but in having the self-discipline and mindset to keep going even when things aren’t going as planned.

Though I’m not yet where I want to be, I still believe that this is what I’m supposed to be doing and that my persistence and dedication will pay off. 2017 was for learning and strategizing, and 2018 is for making it all happen.

I finished graduate school and got my master’s degree

 

So this officially happened…I have my master’s degree in Health & Wellness Coaching! ??‍? I finished my classes back in August, but my diploma just came in the mail so it actually feels real now. After two years of juggling a full-time job, blogging, homework, and coaching sessions (sometimes at 6am), I can’t quite believe it’s all over. All I can say is that it feels pretty good to be following my dreams ?? P.S. Give me a holla if you’re interested in learning more about my coaching services ?

A post shared by Catherine | Mindset Coach (@theblissfulmind) on Sep 21, 2017 at 3:04pm PDT

In September, I graduated from the Maryland University of Integrative Health with my Master’s Degree in Health & Wellness Coaching. Though I never intended to be a coach or saw it in my vision for the future, the universe works in mysterious ways, and I’m so glad it brought me to this program.

Coaching is one of those things that pushes me outside of my comfort zone but also lets me work one-on-one with people in a way that I believe I can help them the most. Not only did I learn how to be an effective coach, I furthered my education in holistic health and wellness and recognized along the way that my true ability lies in helping people improve their mindset.

I love seeing how accountability can really help a person to accomplish what they’re been putting off for so long, and I truly believe in the power of working one-on-one with someone to help make your goals seem less daunting (shameless plug: you can learn more about working with me in 2018 here).

Other highlights from the year

1. Having one of my best friends from LA visit Seattle
2. Celebrating one year with my boyfriend
3. Chatting with Georgie on the Chasing Joy podcast
4. Traveling to Victoria, BC to visit my boyfriend’s dad and stepmom
5. Visiting New Hampshire and Boston for my sister’s graduation and having her move back home from the east coast
6. Going to Seaside, Oregon for my boyfriend’s brother’s birthday
7. Having almost 1k people take my 7-Day Mindfulness Challenge
8. Being a bridesmaid in my best friend’s wedding and seeing her walk down the aisle (yes, I cried!)
9. Chatting with Emily and Betsy on the Nourish + Flourish podcast
10. Launching my eBook, The Mind, Body, Soul Balance Guide
11. Starting a YouTube channel – one of the things I’ve wanted to do for so long!
12. Coaching my wonderful clients – you have added such joy to my life!
13. Launching my first program, 21 Days of Calm, in December
14. Interviewing Courtney Carver from Be More With Less
15. Having a 5-hour goal planning sesh with Les from The Balanced Berry

Looking back on all of these amazing things, I realize I’ve done so much this year. I’ve been caught up in my own head lately with everything related to my business because this year has been TOUGH for sure, but when I made this list I realized how much I had been overlooking. Life is good, peeps.

Top Posts from 2017

Usually I would look at which posts received the most pageviews this year, but I decided to switch it up and instead make a list of the posts with the most comments from 2017. These are the posts that you guys wanted to engage with, and I think that’s even more important than pageviews anyway!

1. On Being Authentic And Sharing Our Lives With The World
2. Why Calm Is My Favorite Meditation App
3. 3 Things I Want To Do More Of This Year
4. The Simple Way To Get Everything Done (And Still Make Time For Yourself)
5. 12 Self-Care Books & Prompts For Journal Lovers
6. How To Balance Your Mind, Body, and Soul At Work
7. Leaving The 9-5, Starting My Own Business, And Pushing Through Self-Doubt
8. How To Deal With Digital Distractions
9. 3 Keys To Feeling Content With What You Have
10. How To Declutter Your Neverending To-Do List

Leaving comments on blogs seems to be a dying practice these days, so I encourage you to leave comments on the blogs you read and let the writers know how their posts help you! It really does mean the world to us bloggers :)

What’s in store for 2018?

Well, my word for the year is Connection. That means everything I do is going to be about connecting: with myself, clients, friends and family, new people, and most of all YOU. I want to come out of my shell more and make genuine connections instead of hiding behind a screen. I want to create a space on this blog that feels like home to me, and home to you.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for supporting The Blissful Mind. You are the best.