From Stagnation to Self-Discovery: My Year of Transformation.

When the year started, I thought I knew what I wanted and even planned around it. I had a wish list of the things I wanted to do and achieve. New year resolutions as some of you refer to it.  I am an ambitious person, and sometimes I set ambitious goals, but for this year, I was a bit realistic with what I wanted, mostly just peace and some levelling up in my self-actualization journey.

Little did I know that sometimes we can make plans and God laughs at us. I however still recommend that we make plans and bring them to his attention, you know like the way you tell him the desires of your heart through a prayer. Exactly that.

The first three months of the year flew by. In January, I spent time working with Waweza Kids making exquisite jewellery for their project. It was an amazing experience. I however cannot recall how February and March ended; they were almost uneventful I almost forgot about them.  But it was in how they flew by, within no time, the first quarter of the year was almost coming to an end. And the other quarters have flown by so quickly, but the lesson that has remained constant has been that “a lot can happen in a year”.

Choose yourself.

Last year, I had this lingering feeling that I needed to change my environment, I had stagnated in an environment that was not allowing me growth or even room to think about the growth I needed to shift my life. I was drained and had kinda lost myself pursuing things that were not meant for me. And I was taking too long to come to terms with this reality.  A reality that would have set me on the straight and narrow path, now that I think of it; I would encourage anyone out here who is feeling stuck, to choose yourself, choose a different environment, choose a job that works for you, or choose the relationships that suit you. Whatever it is, at an individual level, all the change begins, and it starts with us choosing and prioritizing ourselves.

Embracing change.

Has something ever happened to you that pushed you out of your comfort zone? When that defining moment hits you and you must make a change? I experienced this, this year after procrastinating about my move last year. I was served a reality check on not so much of a silver platter, it was like being thrown to the deep end of a swimming pool when you are just a beginner. Change as they say is inevitable, my moving from Nakuru to Nairobi was not on my bingo cards. I was tired of Nakuru but hadn’t planned for Nairobi. It came as a surprise but it has been the best thing that happened to me this year. It set a lot of things in motion, and I am not complaining.

My move came with a lot of discomfort and self-discovery. I learnt what it takes to be alone, in my thoughts and leading my own little life tucked somewhere away from all the noise that had surrounded my life for the longest. I spent my first two months crocheting in the evening and finding ways to elevate my vibrations. My energy was finding me. My best friend had bought me a journal which as I write this is full. The first time this has happened in years. I never fill my journal to the last page. I guess I had a lot to tell my journal, it helped me come back to myself. You know that time you pour your heart out uncensored? That has been my experience with journaling this year.  I have loved every minute of it. I highly recommend picking this as a habit.

New habits

When I was making my move, I made a conscious decision to do more for myself. I listed down aspects of my life that I wanted to focus on. Physical fitness was on top of the list. In June, I started taking evening walks that I enjoyed, I was however a little bit inconsistent. A friend of mine proposed we sync our walking schedule, and we did. We have been consistent since then, walking between 10K-15K steps a day, initially for five days a week and now for four days a week. I would never have thought this possible. If you ask me the secret, I will say the willpower to change something, being consistent and having an accountability partner. I have exceeded my expectations, and I am so proud of how far I have come. I am snatched, as they say, that’s how I can summarise what my physical appearance looks like.

I was lucky enough to have another friend of mine help me form the habit of waking up early in the morning. I had always been a night owl, I would sleep at 3Am and wake up by 9AM. I started sleeping between 11PM-12AM and waking up at 6AM a habit I had not thought possible for more than 5 years.  This was a huge milestone. I am grateful for the sacrifice they made to help me form this habit.

Rediscovering new passions.

I have worked from home for the longest period, and I was almost sabotaging my social life. I enjoy being outdoors, the sun on my face, trying and experiencing new cuisines and meeting new people. But I was not doing most of this. I had become an antisocial person and spent most of my time behind my computer working and working. Finally, I became dull Jill. Moving allowed me to try new things, and my best friend has been at the centre of it all. We have explored different spaces and been a bit more intentional. I hope I get to do this more. I am a child of the universe, and I believe the earth is for us to discover, so I hope to explore more.

Find your community

I made more friends and have loved how this journey unfolded. They breathed some life into my existence, and I cannot ask for better. I am so proud of their journeys and the inspiration they have become for me.  Find your community!

Clarity

Moving has provided me with the level of clarity that I needed in my life. It has helped me embrace parts of me I had “lost” and explore new chapters in my life. It strengthened my resolve and pushed me out of my comfort zone.

Hellenkimaru.com

This must be the highlight of 2024 for me! Since I can remember I always enjoyed writing, and poetry. When I was 11 years old, if you asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would quickly say a writer, other times an author, then an editor. The dream to pen my words and share with the world has always been there since day one. I wrote a couple of poems in primary school but lost my poetry book. In high school, I took a keen interest in writing and performing poetry and this changed my life. Having a space where I can share my work with the world has always been a dream of mine. I am grateful to the team at Wanii.co and Jobstoapply.com for making this dream a reality. Their incredible services have put me on the map, and I cannot wait to share my thoughts on youth, women and girl’s empowerment, skills development, social impact work, advocacy, gender inclusivity, personal branding, and my experiences working in the nonprofit sector, with all of you. I hope my journey inspires you in a way and you find that thing that ignites you and keeps you motivated!

Conclusion.

If anything, my biggest lesson this year has been that “a lot can happen in a year”, sometimes planned and even unplanned. You have to be ready to embrace the expected and unexpected. And dig deeper to find yourself and work on yourself.

I have had one of the biggest mindset shifts, I choose to remain an open page so that I can write my own story. I will ink it the way I see fit going forward. I am a free bird that will soar high and high to the end of this purposeful life. I feel ignited, and excited about the possibilities out here, I will take on this challenge.

I pray that in 2025 you unlock limitless possibilities for yourself and find something that ignites you. May the year bring you good fortune.

Cheers to a New Year!