girl with clip

Where were you 12 months ago? The Bloke in the Shed and I were doing this excruciating 6km community walk the other day – excruciating for me; a leisurely stroll for him – when he piped up with: “I couldn’t have done this a year ago?’’.

He’s right. He would have been struggling to complete it, if it wasn’t for taking on a personal trainer 18 months ago and having dropped a significant amount of weight. He now does 10-12km runs every night – without breaking a sweat. I know. Makes you sick, doesn’t it?

Janelle, his trainer, is a huge motivator for him. She’s lost 90kg (that’s two of me) and is a totally different person to who she was a few years ago. She’s also a mum. Like Julian, her kids become the catalyst to get healthy.

girl with cheeky smile

It’s made me think about how far I’ve come in 12 months (which might be interesting to look back on in another year). Here are some of the things I was struggling with then:

THEN: I swore I was going to turn into ol’ black eyes rocker Jon English from the effects of sleep deprivation and, like Jon English, it would last forever. I was still getting up at least once during the night – on a good night.
NOW: I’m like a frizzy-mopped child getting their hair brushed if one of the girls wakes before 6.30am. It’s strictly non-stop 7pm to 7am sleep here now.

THEN: Managing two to three business clients on my own and dreaming one day I’d be drinking pina colada’s from my private island home (ah, too many Richard Branson books, maybe). At one point, maybe six months ago, I contemplated shutting the business down.
NOW: I’m writing a book, have two exceptional team members on board the business, a list of super talented clients, doing public speaking/sessions on blogging and social media, gaining media attention and more exciting opportunities coming up in the near future. Still working on the island though…

THEN: Holly was about to turn one and was totally dependent on me – still couldn’t walk, unable to really communicate what she wanted and I was having to feed two mouths at once at meal times.
NOW: Holly is about to turn two and can walk; never stops talking (and singing the full lyrics to High School Musical); does dance concerts with her sister in the lounge room; has developed an incredibly cheeky personality, complete with selective hearing; can feed herself; is starting to toilet train; and has a strong group of little friends she’s close to. Best of all, her and Ella are now able to play properly together, leaving me in peace to unpack the dishwasher.

THEN: Blogging every day, struggling to come up with unique topics, putting an incredible amount of pressure on myself and watching my stats like my life depended on it. Apparently, it doesn’t. Phew for that!
NOW: I blog 2-3 times a week – either when I feel like writing or have something to say. OK, so let’s be honest, I just don’t have the time for daily blogging anymore (says she who’s doing a #BlogFor30 challenge on her other blog). I rarely look at my stats but, when I do, it seems this space is continually growing without any great effort. I also seem to be falling into collaborative opportunities, including with the recent Mum Blogging Masterclass and now via a group of bloggers I’ve long admired who work together to help each other – and our readers.

It’s amazing the difference a year can make. Imagine what another 12 months will bring. Let’s hope it’s: getting fitter and healthier (time to curb the chocolate habit), finding a better work/life balance (some days are harder than others) and having an updated wardrobe (seriously, there’s only so much white, cream and pink one person should legally have).

Where were you 12 months ago? Where do you want to be in 12 months? Are you actively working towards it?

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7 Responses to The difference a year can make

  1. Annaleis says:

    Its amazing isn’t it! My kids are getting so much easier especially as they can play together now well! Good luck for another great year to come.

    • Kel says:

      Thanks Annaleis. As much as I loved having babies in the house, you realise how much easier things get when they become more independent. Savouring where we’re at right now!! x

  2. Seana Smith says:

    Ah, this is a good post to read. Things change all the time and in 12 months you will read this and be able to write the next post – who knows what will be happening?

    12 months ago I knew that my youngest, the twins, desperately needed to get to school. Their birthday is May so thet were 5 1/2 and the last term of last year was murder for all of us.

    It’s so good for them to be at school, and, possibly,even better for me! Great changes and I wish I had written about life a year ago. You’ll be delighted you wrote this post and maybe make it an annual thing. I’m inspired!

    • Kel says:

      We were in the same situation here last year, Seana. Ella was really in need of more stimulation and to have more social interaction, so school has made a world of difference here. Although, Tasmania starts school at 4 and is only three days a week!
      Glad I’ve inspired you, Seana. You’ll have to tweet me a link if you end up writing a “year on” post. I’d love to read it!
      I can’t wait to see where I’m at in 12 months. I’m going to mark this date down in my diary so I know to come back to it!
      x

  3. […] This is just an overview of some of the feelings I’ve had during the past five years. Li’l Holly is about to turn two and Princess Ella is about to turn five. As @dufussy tweeted this week: “the days are long, but the years are short’’. […]

  4. Isn’t it crazy how much can change in a year! I’ve got married, changed careers, started a blog, moved house! It’s massive!

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