Happy New Year!
As we ring in a new year and a new decade, I wanted to look back at a year that brought the biggest highs of my life and the biggest low point of my life. It was the first full year of my life that I was truly my own boss and not receiving any type of corporate compensation. My first as a true solopreneur living a location independent lifestyle, all flowing exactly as planned. Here are the top 9 events of my life in 2019:
- Became primary caretaker of my mother with her diagnosis of glioblastoma brain cancer and was with her through her passing on February 3rd
- Set up non-profit Live Like Mel Foundation in honor of my mother and gave out Educator Grants to three Montpelier Ohio Elementary School teachers
- Launched and sold over 700 copies of my memoir that became an Amazon #1 Best Seller receiving over 75 reviews
- Turned 40 years old and celebrated in Las Vegas
- Got in the best shape of life at 40 years old with intermittent fasting
- Launched personal website corycalvin.com setting a goal to inspire 1 million people over 10 years
- Created transformational travel company Pivot Trip and successfully completed first, life-changing trip in Bali
- Recorded and published audiobook to memoir on Audible and iTunes
- Traveled to 13 new countries bringing my total to 57 countries visited
Top five lessons I learned in 2019
While I think it is healthy to recap the previous year’s events, I believe it is more impactful to look back and ask ourselves, “what did I learn?” so we can apply these lessons moving forward. The lessons we accumulate each year and act upon in the future is the meaning of growth and life wisdom. I learned many things in 2019 however here are the top five lessons I learned from living in 2019:
1. Say “I love you” to those you care about
After losing someone that you care about deeply, I think feelings of regret or holding onto things that you wish you would have done or said can lengthen the grieving process. In some cases, the grieving can last a lifetime. I can remember many years before my mother was diagnosed thinking that I would be unable to live my life if my mother passed away. However, after she did pass away this year, and while I have missed her terribly, I have no regrets or feelings that I wish I would have done or said something to her before she passed. I was with her every moment during her battle with brain cancer. Our relationship was deep. She was my best friend.
While I wish she was still alive, I am comforted knowing how strong our bond was. My mother could never hang up the phone without saying I love you. And I always told her I loved her back.
2. Live life to the fullest NOW
Don’t wait for “one day” to do what you want, because your last day could be today or two months from today. My mother never was able to retire and do all of the things she waited to do in retirement. If you aren’t happy with your life, make a change NOW! (This is exactly why I created Pivot Trip – to help others achieve their dreams and live their best life NOW. If you are interested in learning more about the upcoming trip to Tuscany, send an email to info@pivottrip.com).
3. Don’t read reviews
How many time have we heard the quote “don’t worry about what others think”? After writing and publishing my first book in May, I was naturally curious to hear what others thought about my story. However I quickly had to remind myself the main purpose of writing my book was to overcome painful emotions I had held onto for a long time. Writing my book was therapeutic and I achieved my goal 100%. And on top of this, I have heard from others that my book has helped them.
I received over 75 reviews on Amazon and my book became a #1 Best Seller. However, some of the reviews posted on Amazon have been critical and difficult to read. An actor friend once told me to never read reviews, both positive and negative. He said to only believe in your craft and follow your own path. There will always be people who don’t agree with you and who try to bring you down. But don’t listen. For any type of advancement or success in life, there are always critics to say that it isn’t possible or that your idea didn’t matter. These are the people who don’t matter to you! Stay focused. Be unique.
4. Starting your own business can be scary, but it is 100% worth it
Sure, I have had many moments of anxiety over the past year from going out on my own and creating a new life for myself. I have heard many people say “I wish I could do that” or “you are living my dream.” It took years to finally pull the trigger to leave the corporate paycheck and benefits (things that tethered me to my corporate desk), so I know all of those feelings and thoughts of wishing and wanting. Going into the unknown is certainly scary. I still have many unanswered questions and many unknowns. But I have learned that living my life on my terms has been the happiest period of my life. And I firmly believe – because my mother taught me this throughout my life – that I will succeed because I believe in what I am doing. I have created the flexibility to be anywhere in the world whenever I want. I am fully in control of my destiny and the upside is limitless! Think about what is possible in your own life.
5. ‘Home’ is people in your life, not a physical structure
Up until this year, I never really thought twice about knowing where ‘home’ was when I said it. Whenever I would go ‘home’ for the holidays, no matter where I was living at the time, it always was where my mother was. Now that my mother is no longer alive and her physical home has been rented to other people, I began to really think deeply about the meaning of the word ‘home’. I wrote a full article about what I learned.
What did you learn in 2019?
Do you ever stop to think about what you learned over the course of one year? What did you learn in 2019? Leave a comment below. I’d love for you to share the lessons that have made you wiser for the future.
