Life Review for 2023 First Quarter

A life review for 2023 first quarter nobody asked 🙂 + FREE Life Review Journal

When I created this blog, I thought of making this a memory bank of sorts and documenting the progress of what’s been going on in my life. That includes my failures and most importantly, the lessons I learn. You probably wouldn’t care but it’s exactly the reason why I named my blog – just making it happen. It’s encapsulating the stereotypical image of someone living life on her terms and making things happen at the same time.

So in today’s post, I will be evaluating my progress toward achieving my personal goals for the first quarter of 2023. I’ll share an overview of my professional development, personal finances, health and wellness, and everything in between. This review will serve as a reflection of my performance over the past three months and will provide insights into areas where I can improve going forward

Professional Development

It’s been more than a year since I’ve become Technology & Incident Problem Manager. I remember my first few days. I almost regretted accepting this position and the anxiety this new role brought me every time I had client calls and vendor meetings. Maybe because everything was entirely new to me. Thanks to my team, I get through them all. Let me also share that there will be a 7% increase in my pay which is a little under my 10% target. I shared it on my IG post and that’s fine. That will happen by the end of April.

Over a year into this post, I have gained skills and developed my critical thinking further. I discovered the other sides of my role which led me to love data analytics more. And to further hone that, I enrolled in a data analytics course. It’s an online, self-phased module that I aim to complete in 6 months. I’ll be sharing more about that in the future. Meanwhile, my primary goal in terms of my career is to get promoted this year.

Progress towards achieving professional goals: I recently applied for an internal opening and hopefully be able to bag that.

Areas For Improvement (Career)

• Develop leadership skills to better manage and motivate team members
• Continue learning and expanding knowledge in data analytics to become a subject matter expert
• Increase networking and industry involvement to expand professional connections and opportunities
• Adopt the PIE system by Harvey Coleman. You may read more about it **here.** It simply describes the element of a successful career namely: Performance(10%), Image(30%), Exposure(60%). If you’re in a corporate environment trying to move up the ladder then maybe it’s worth reading more about this concept. And honestly, the “exposure” part is something I never really thought about but it made sense.

Personal Finance Review

I’d say I had a good start in terms of Finances this Q1. I was able to clearly define my target this year (and I shared it too in my IG). I had the chance to sit down and get my numbers for 2023. This includes my Emergency Funds, Savings, Retirement Plan, Baby A’s tuition fee, and stocks to buy and grow this 2023. I’ve been doing my research for these companies. For the longest time, I’m into index funds and so I figured I should go for dividend stocks this time. There are still challenges when it comes to sticking to my budget sometimes but at the same time, I’ve been deliberate and mindful in my purchasing decisions which gives me peace of mind.

In terms of my goals this year, below are my priorities:

• P50,000 complete starter emergency funds
• buy my top 10 stocks/REITS (achieved 4 out 10 as of writing)
• MP2 to reach P60,000 (achieved 1/3 as of writing)
• P20,000 travel fund – a portion of this was used for our staycation back in March
• Increase income by 10% and add additional income streams

Obviously, the 10% increase in my day job did not happen this year but I’m hoping to get that promotion (fingers cross). On top of that, my digital products are doing great which I am happy about.

Health and Wellness Review

One thing I highly value and am always thankful for is my health. I recently went to a Cardio and had a bunch of tests including Holter, ECG, blood chem, etc. because I had episodes of chest pain and difficulty in breathing. I thought I had heart issues or something. You know how Google gives you that crippling fear when you try to search for answers 🙂 but thank God, my lab results came to normal except that I almost became prediabetic. I’m eliminating sweets from my diet in the meantime.

What I also noticed is that too much sugar caused me to have low energy and fatigue. I noticed that my skin looks dull when I’m having too many sweets. Or I don’t know it could be my sleeping pattern which is my struggle lately.

7 hours of sleep is what I’m aiming for but for the past few weeks, I’ve been getting only 5 hours or 4. Relying on my sleeping pills is the least of my option. The only time I’m taking Quetiapine is when sleeping seems impossible. The downside though is when I wake up, I feel sluggish and grumpy. I absolutely hate myself whenever I’m grumpy because I say things I regret afterward.

I’m coming up with some ways to fix my difficulty falling asleep and that includes deactivating my socials and spending less on them.

I plan to visit a dietician and nutritionist. I hope to develop a healthy relationship with food and make the right decisions in terms of the food I eat.

In terms of my mental health, it’s been pretty stable. Managing my stress and depression is something I’m really really getting better over time. Also, I noticed a positive impact on my mood, specifically when I began doing a 10-minute run, 100x jump rope, or some push-ups.

Personal Growth Review

I’m taking it slow during this 1st quarter of 2023. I make sure that I find genuine happiness in everything I do. I said this a couple of times but all I have is now. Time is the currency of life. It’s an indispensable resource so I’d rather opt for the things that will provide benefit in the long run. And if it’s not worth my time, I disassociate myself immediately from it.

Whether it’s from the toxic people or unrealistic expectations of myself. At this point in my life, nothing is more important than protecting my inner peace and setting boundaries – AT ALL costs. I do this by being assertive about my personal needs and values and establishing limits and guidelines for what I will and will not tolerate in my life. By doing so, I hope to create a healthier, happier, and more meaningful life for myself.

At first, I was half guilty about it. I even thought of myself as a selfish person for putting my needs first.

But if you only knew how my life took a turn I never expected in 2022, then you’d understand. I thought I’d never be able to pick myself up. The worst part was that I felt like I couldn’t talk to anyone about it. I felt like no one could understand what I was going through, and I didn’t want to burden anyone with my problems. So, I kept everything bottled up, and it made everything worse.

I still showed up at work as if nothing was happening. Telling jokes to my officemates as if everything’s normal. I was so good at it.

But at that time, I felt like I was drowning in my own emotions. I was angry, sad, frustrated, and scared all at once. It was like a rollercoaster of emotions that I couldn’t control, and I didn’t know how to get off.

But as time passed, I started to realize that I couldn’t keep living like this. I had to take control of my life before life takes control of me. And that meant facing my emotions head-on. I started to talk to people I trusted about how I was feeling, and I started to take small steps toward healing.

It wasn’t easy. It took a lot of work and a lot of time, but slowly, I started to see progress. I started to have more good days than bad, and I started to feel like myself again.

Looking back, I realize that going through that difficult time was a blessing in disguise. It forced me to confront my emotions and to take control of my life. It taught me that it’s okay to not be okay and that it’s okay to ask for help.

Always remember that healing takes a lot of time, but it’s worth it. Don’t force yourself. I know you will come out stronger, wiser, and more resilient on the other side like I did.

And that’s how my life review for 2023 first quarter so far.

How about you? Do you also do life review? if yes, how often?

And oh, by the way, I started my podcast and recorded a few episodes. My trailer and 1st episode went out. More about this soon!

As promised, here’s your quick guide if you’re planning to do a “life audit” or life review. I hope this will serve as your guide in doing your own life audit.