A year ago I was sitting with my laptop in Chile setting up wordpress on my self-hosted domain. It was very exciting to approach publishing something that was mine on my own space.

I didn’t have much to write about then as I was cautious about opening up too much on the internet, I thought I’d write a few posts about travelling and my experience as an Australian living in Chile.

Personally I was going through some challenges back then, in all areas of my life actually. I had a lot of free time on my hands but also things to worry about. Perhaps I shouldn’t ellaborate too much but uncertainty definitely marked my reality back then. Since then I’ve had to battle with more frustrations and personal challenges, from my academic life, my professional life and my financial situation.

Today is a different day. I stand tall and proud of what I have accomplished. I look back on my hardship and release a smile knowing that I needed to go through those times to be able to appreciate what awaits me. With patience, grattitude and perseverance, my reality has changed completely. All my expectations for this year are being realised to an extent that I could never have imagined.

There are three things that are going unbelievably great for me, they are; my love life, my academic situation and my professional career. I am also so grateful for the good health I enjoy as well as that of my family.

With grattitude, self belief and a winning attitude, I don’t know how you could fail. I never expected for opportunities to pursue me they way they have. I feel so blessed at the moment and it’s great to be able to express and share this with the world through my personal blog.

Today for me is a celebration as I have finally realised my self-worth. It’s not ideal that I have to depend on recognition from others to be able to see it for myself. So I finish this post by encouraging people to follow their own dreams towards happiness.

• Create New Year’s resolutions (you can write them down and then forget about them but at least have them
• Don’t shy away from dreaming big (even if this means keeping it to yourself)
• Be grateful for what you have while at the same time visualising and idealising how you’d like your life to be
• Celebrate other people’s victories, put yourself in their shoes and sincerely congratulate them for their accomplishments
• No matter what you’re doing, strive for excellence and do your name proud
• Be nice to people and always maintain a high level of integrity
• Always look for people to admire whether they are your peers, mentors or heroes and learn from them
• Expect the best, sooner or later you’ll get it or be the best

One year on from when this blog was first live, things can only get better from here on. I realise I’ve written more about my life than the evolution of this blog but it’s worth expressing in my opinion.