It’s very important to make time for reflecting on the past year before we move into the next one. You can even do your reflection the first week of January, it doesn’t really matter, the point is that you do it! And that doesn’t mean you stall out and can’t start your new goals or energy or intentions on January 1st or earlier or have to wait till you sit down and reflect, but it’s only beneficial to yourself to figure out how you felt about the past year, what worked, what didn’t and what you want to do and how you want to feel next!

One of the things I do every year, is sit down with my weekly happiness posts and gratitude lists and look for create a list of accomplishments. I’m actually really extra excited to do this next year, because I’ll be using my own planner, which is all about celebrating your life instead of just scheduling it. So I know that at the end of 2020, I’m going to have this amazing, colorful documentation of all the positive moments in my life and all my opportunities for growth! You can have this amazing experience, too! Grab your copy of my Uncustomary 2020 Planner here!

One of my Uncustomary Babes did my end of the year reflection prompts, including the Top 5 Things journaling prompts, and wrote me this message: “I wanted to tell you HOW MUCH it has put 2019 – which, on the surface has felt like kind of a mess – into perspective for me. It’s really easy to forget all of the work we do over the year to be better, and all of the meaningful, positive things that happen too quickly and get lost in the slurry of 365 days of life. Seriously, thank you for posting these.

See? It works! Set aside an hour or an entire evening to do this for yourself! You’ll feel good when you focus on positivity! And if you’re in the Uncustomary Babes Group, you already have weekly gratitude lists and monthly top ten things lists to refer back, too! Join now for a year at a discounted price!

2019 Accomplishments | Uncustomary

2019 Accomplishments

  • My TV interview on WJZ 13, celebrating who I am and what I do
  • Created big, clear boundaries with friends, my business, my events, my social media, and sticking to them
  • Cut my Facebook friends list from 2,500 to 850 and actually feel like I can be myself online!
  • Released toxic people including friends, my mother, and my therapist
  • Took my pants off for the No Pants Subway Ride
  • Gave many people in person Tarot readings that helped them process things and countless ones online
  • Discovered the Alpha-Stimulator machine
  • Treated myself to a day at the Korean Spa
  • Was asked to speak at three different Karmafest events
  • Learned more about Joe’s mom
  • Spoke at Witchfest
  • Upgraded my sock and shoe game
  • Finally attended Baltimore Burner’s Brunch and Creative Labs
  • Went to a bunch of free things in Baltimore I had previously overlooked
  • Discovered amazing magazines like “Flow” and turned other people on to them
  • Started my Pet Of The Month sponsorship
  • Got a hemorrhoid for the first time, resisted naming my hemorrhoid, started taking fiber, got rid of the hemorrhoid
  • Hosted a ton of full and new moon gatherings and figured out the best way to do them for other people and me (which included creating an online Facebook group, rules, boundaries, and going down to just one a month)
  • Incorporated the theory of Micromovements into my life
  • Handled traumatic flashbacks for the first time in a big way
  • Went to multiple dog meet-ups as a non dog owner
  • Reclaimed the basement as an intense cuddle/chill space
  • Did feminine embodiment practices
  • Discovered that ducks are so hot right now
  • Got too many people to count to understand that ducks are hot right now, too
  • Put sidewalk chalk outside my house and had so many people draw with it
  • Got TWO wine glass sets
  • Saw an orchestra and had an out of body Synesthetic experience
  • Started attending Baltimore Creative Mornings
  • Kept traditions that were important to me in my own way, even when the people I started with them left were no longer there
  • Held a Guerrilla Love Signs Event and handed out 100 eggs with positive messages
  • Won best porch decorations in the neighborhood
  • Saw and celebrated many friends moving into bigger houses and getting better jobs
  • Held the 5th Annual Bubble Parade (3.1 thousand people RSVPd)
  • Met Khrystyana and held the Real Cat Walk in Baltimore
  • Was part of Toni’s online Play event
  • Was on a panel for a body positive event that felt toxic to me and I called people out for their speech and behavior
  • Got recognized in public
  • Saw Joe hold a goat for the first time
  • Made it without air conditioning for a weekend in August heat
  • Discovered CBD lip balm and I’m never going back
  • Tried rock balancing for the first time
  • Swam in a river spontaneously after taking off my clothes
  • Got an award for not peeing my pants
  • Visited Randyland, Trundle Manor, and Pee Wee’s Bike
  • Attended a Dog Block Party
  • Started a video series, Supersonic Self-Love
  • Incorporated a lot of self-love techniques into my life in more regular ways like tapping, exercising, listening to podcasts, meditating, reading, etc.
  • Processed Bug’s death and gave him a good memorial
  • Helped my dad as best as I could with his mourning (covered his yard in pinwheels)
  • Sent a ton of Halloween mail
  • Attended multiple David London events, including a P.T. Barnum Seance
  • Had Dimitri Reeves dance fuck me from on top of a truck in the middle of the Inner Harbor
  • Hosted a Halloween Party where I offered aura photography
  • Went a fireworks store for the first time
  • Held so many fucking puppies
  • Pet so many more fucking puppies
  • Danced in a disco room
  • Saw Against Me! live two nights in a row (they played two albums back each night)
  • Gave and received a palm reading with a stranger
  • Had SARK follow me on Instagram
  • Talked to SARK on a video chat and had her tell me my spirit is “incandescent”
  • Watched a pig eat a pumpkin
  • Went to a lot of events like Light City, 29 Rooms, World Oddities Expo, Christmas Village, and The Book Festival
  • Went to Jenny Slate’s book tour and got a personal note from her in the mail
  • Created many individual altars for myself
  • Celebrated Wolfenoot next level
  • Attended a plus-size clothing swap for the first time
  • Held my own swap and decluttered/organized a lot of my belongings
  • Dyed yarn for the first time
  • Was an extra in a music video for the first time
  • Had Santa hold my hand and sing to me
  • Got spanked by Krampus in the middle of the street
  • Found a button store and happy cried
  • Decorated for every season
  • Did more street art than I did last year
  • Discovered a British Tea spot with Maura
  • Got through really hard things like financial issues and my power being turned off with the support of amazing friends, family, and online love
  • Got a massage
  • Yelled at a cop
  • Offered people fresh-ground pepper, Dom Joly style
  • Snuggled on a display bed
  • Published a planner
  • Made a decision to not be a victim of my circumstances anymore

Honestly, this was probably the first year that I didn’t feel amazing after writing my list, and that’s because 2019 was really hard for me and I let myself be defined by my external circumstances for so long and didn’t utilize my time in a way that made me feel fulfilled and happy at the end of the day (or year). But this list is still amazing and impressive. If anything it’s a call to action for me to not let 2019 be my baseline for any future year and to go bigger, harder, and bolder in 2020 and beyond!

What did you do in 2019? Share below!

See my 2018 Accomplishments

Photo: Maura Housley