Looking back on 2019, and ahead to 2020

In January last year I posted my “having a retrospective on 2018” post. So, it is about time that I did the same, looking back on 2019, and ahead to 2020. Time to brew up a strong coffee, sit back, and reflect on the year that just passed.

A lot has happened in the last year. It has been a year I have been happy with, for a number of reasons. As always, like every good retrospective, there are a few areas that could improve. But isn’t that the same with everyone?

The first item on last year’s list is one such area of improvement. Seeing a recent Facebook post by a good friend reminded that yet again, I have failed to get on a surfboard. The surf lesson I keep promising myself has again failed to materialise. Maybe this is one that I will just dream of, and never get around to, much like the cabbage soup diet. 

Other areas of improvement from last year’s retro have fared much better. Every year I have a perennial “must do”, which is to do a yoga class. And thanks to my better half, I have finally ticked this off. In fact, you could say I have smashed it, with many classes now done in a couple of different styles of yoga. For the more active of you, I would recommend Vinyasa Flow. Sure to get the heart pumping and you contorting yourself into all manner of positions, you leave one of these classes knowing you have had a workout. For those of us getting to the stage where it is hard just getting out of bed, I would recommend finishing your work week with Yin Nidra yoga. A relaxing blend of easy movement and falling asleep. Literally. The last 10 minutes of every class ends with the instructor handing out blankets, turning down the lights, and zoning out.

I started the year wanting to do more writing, and again this has been a success. I have completed a couple of creative writing courses, and a travel writing course, allowing me to practice my craft a lot more. I have now set myself the target of getting a travel article published so I can officially call myself a “freelance travel writer”. I almost got one of my blogs published in the Halifax Evening Courier, but that has yet to come to fruition. I also kept up my daily journal, both digitally in the DayOne app, and also a brief summary of each day in a hand written journal. A great way to end the day, scribbling what I have learnt, and what I am grateful for.

As the tagline of my blog says, “go someplace new every year”, and this year the big destination was South Africa. You may have seen the blogs I wrote from safari and the rest of that amazing trip. A trip that has left me with a lifetime of memories. If a safari is on your “to do” list, I would heartily encourage you move it up the priority list. It is life changing.

I visited the Philippines for the first time, with a very productive work trip to Manila, where I created, and delivered a 2 day training program to a client. A very rewarding experience.

A great visit to the UK to meet up with family also provided the opportunity to get to Nice, in the south of France, a city I had not previously visited. Much of that trip is a wine fuelled haze, but I think we had a good time. I had 8 nights in the Greek Islands to recover.

The good time may have contributed to another, less than successful item on last year’s list, which was to drop 4kgs in weight. I will carry this target into 2020 but I won’t hit it if I continue to munch on mince pies and Quality Street long after Christmas has finished. I did suffer with a suspected parasite in my stomach before Christmas that resulted in me losing 3kgs, but alas, the sneaky buggers have returned. The weight, not the parasite.

Last year I wrote of wanting to have my first cold Christmas in over 6 years, but this didn’t happen. We had the day itself, celebrating my birthday, on the beach at Balmoral. Cold beer and a paddle in the sea becoming something off a tradition. Having received the trip as a surprise birthday present, on Boxing Day we then jetted off to Hamilton Island, in Queensland, for 3 nights pure relaxation at The Beach Club. Will 2020 be the year that I finally get another cold Christmas?

I continue to read as many books as possible, having reached a grand total of 122 in 2019. My reading interests vary a lot and I tend to have 3 or 4 books on the go at once. On the bedside table is often a heavy (sometimes literally) historical, or biographical book. Something to help me unwind and sleep. I can recommend the most recent one I finished which was “George Orwell – A Life”, by Bernard Crick.  I tend to read a lot of business books, and in the gym I run to a light, easy audiobook. Maybe this will be the year I restart, and finish, Middlemarch.

This year also brought perhaps the biggest change in my life. I don’t know who was more surprised, me or Victoria. Over dinner at the rather excellent Bennelong, in the Sydney Opera House, I finally put a ring on it. Victoria agreed to become my wife. I wonder if she knows what she is letting herself in for? I have definitely got the better end of the deal. We have no immediate plans for a wedding so please don’t be asking me if you should start shopping for hats.

In summary, I had an excellent and productive 2019. I faced in to new career challenges, switching back to a permanent role at a small consultancy at the start of the year. The role I have is also very different to the last 15 years of my life during which time I was a project manager. I am now working with organisations, and teams, in how they can work more effectively. The coaching side of the role is something that I am really enjoying. Au revoir to status reports and steering committees.

Whilst fully enjoying life, I also managed to maintain my health and fitness. All this despite doing my best to sample every bottle of wine produced in Australia (and South Africa).

And I convinced someone to make an honest man of me.

This year, my 49th year on the planet, is shaping up to be another good one. Back to work to keep growing myself, and even more importantly to bank some dollars for future trips. I will continue writing blogs, and now also travel articles, and I will let you know how I get on with publishing that first article. I would like to do some form of retreat this year and am always open to your suggestions and recommendations. I am thinking about meditation and yoga. Meditation is something I continue to do, although I don’t do enough of it.

Looking back on 2019, and ahead to 2020, the thought of the year ahead fills me with happiness, and curiosity to where it will take me. 

Watch this space.