Year in Review

Hello, everyone. Today (September 23) is my birthday. Yay....... the thing is I dislike my birthday. For me it is a time where I am anxious and of a somber mood. 

There are 2 reasons; past experiences pertaining to this time (which I won't get into) and the second is it is a time of reflection. For me, my birthday is the start and the end of the year. This is the time I evaluate what I have done, what I have accomplished if anything. I dwell on my own self worth and question if I have added anything to this world or to anyone else's life or have I simply become a burden and let everyone down. Normal I reflect on all my missteps, faults, and failures. This year feels the same but this time I am going to try and focus on more neutral or positive things. From that I created this infographic. The infographic is meant for a two page spread but will combine it together.

SUCCESS
So starting with the first graphic, I decided to measure if I am successful or not. Everyone has goals they strive for, some achieve them and some go their whole lives trying to obtain them and never succeed. Some people achieve them and set new ones to strive for and disregard anything that came before that (yeah, I think I do that). While I believe no I am not I decided to include the points that bring me closer to that point.

STATE OF MIND
Let's face it we are never always happy or always sad. The way we feel varies time to time, week to week, day to day, minute to minute. Different states of mind affect us all differently as one state may motive another may hinder. I believe the strongest and most stable person is not one who is comfortable and never sad or angry all the time; rather, I believe they should experience the range of emotions and be okay with the struggle. I believe we should accept the way we feel and try to remember like everything it will pass. The primary 3 I focused on recording throughout the year were sadness, comfort/okay, and anger.


FINANCES
Money. Despite what anyone says we need it. The hard thing is to try and not stress about it. Without getting into detail I decided to focus on something many people are use to having, student debt. 


LIFE CHANGING EVENTS
We all go through numerous experiences throughout our lives. Some fade off into obscurity while others change our lives for better or worse. They mold who we are and who we will become. I decided to record events that I felt changed me for better or worse, either way they are who I am.


SOCIAL MEDIA VS SOCIAL LIFE
Most of my friends know that I am not a facebook person. I prefer to speak with people in person or even by phone.  I believe social media has done so much to connect people and learn about things you would have never seen on your own. But I have found it quite impersonal and does not match sitting down at a coffee shop and having a conversation. I have mapped out my social interactions throughout the year whether it be in person, phone, email, text, social media, whatever. 


AVERAGE DAY
Everyone has their daily routines. It helps direct us and drive us when we are stuck. For me routine saved me more times than not, it helped keep me focused. I mapped out my daily routines based on weekdays and weekends.


HOW I TAKE COMPLIMENTS
I have serious problems with accepting compliments or appreciation. I am hyper critical and aware of myself. I see where I have made an error and where I can improve in everything I do. This being said it becomes problematic when trying to accept a compliment when I know there are faults. After doing this one I think this year I am going to try and accept more compliments without self criticism