What Are You Better at Now Than You Were Last Year?

I’m a big believer that we don’t give ourselves enough credit. When we accomplish things, we tend to shrug it off by thinking we could have done more, or that we should have accomplished it sooner. When we grow and get better at things, we rarely every acknowledge it. And you know what? That’s dumb. 

So I have a question for you: What are you better at now than you were last year? 

What’s something you sucked at this time last year, but now you’re okay at it? What’s something you were pretty good at 365 days ago, but now you’re killing the whole dang game with? 

Here’s my list: 

Taking breaks. || This time last year, I viewed breaks as a luxury. Now, I view them as a necessity.  Enjoying life is important. The dishes will wait, I promise. It’s better to have a messy room and a calm brain than the other way around. Taking a few minutes to go for a walk, or listen to a podcast, or sit down and read a book adds so much value and peace to a day. 

Saying no. || Even more importantly, saying no without letting guilt and anxiety over it ruin my week. I’m learning my limits, and really learning that saying yes to something just because I feel like I have to is unfair to both me and the person I’m saying yes to.

Being a mom. || I’m a better mom now than I was last year. It’s way harder than it was last year, but also I’ve known Jack for a year longer! We’re figuring it out! And also I’ve completely (like, completely) let go of the whole pinterest-perfect-mom dream and that’s helped a ton. 

Worrying less about what other people think. || I honestly hope I get better at this every year, because it is so. dang. freeing. 

Taking things day by day. || At my core, I’m a planner. I love having a plan for everything. But I live a life that can rarely be planned more than a week or two out, if that. And this caused me so much frustration for a really long time. But I’ve gotten to a place where I take things one day at a time. Would I still love a longterm plan for literally everything? Absolutely. But I’m able to enjoy the present more than I was able to do last year.

Your turn! What are you better at now than you were this time last year?!