As it got closer to being a year since I graduated from University, I began to contemplate the past year and what I’ve achieved. Without giving it much thought, I drew a blank.

I couldn’t pinpoint anything I believed was a major achievement and that worried me. In my typical goal orientated mindset, I felt I was lagging and had nothing to show for the past year.

Days later, I was having the same conversation with my boss and got a rude awakening. How narrow minded could I have been to have easily forgotten all the things I had actually achieved. I quickly realised that my goals for the future had blinded me from all that had happened in the short time since my graduation. As my boss began to list several things I had accomplished, I gasped. Of course I had achieved a lot, and to have easily marginalised them was silly of me. In fact, I had to count my blessings because indeed I am blessed to be in the position that I’m in.

Yes, I might still have a long way to go to get to those ‘fancy’ dreams of mine, but I needn’t downplay all the other little milestones that will get me there. Needless to say, I learned a good lesson that day.

As humans, we often have big dreams and are sometimes so centred on achieving it that we often see anything that comes short of that dream as less worthy. This had clearly been the issue in my case.

So now, as I look back over the year I’ve had since graduating from University, I’m full of gratitude. Unlike most graduates, I never had to worry about a graduate job, I already had one in the bag. I never had to worry about a roof over my head or where my next meal would come from once I ran out of University loans. In the five months after my graduation, I had gone on my first international business trip; also, I’ve attended a certified course to better my writing and so many other achievements that will take me to those bigger steps and goals that I wish to fulfil.

So truly, I had done a lot, and just because I haven’t hit the mark I set for myself doesn’t mean I have nothing to show.

If there’s anything I’ve learnt from my reflection on the past year, it’s to be more grateful for the many blessings I’ve received. No matter how far those other bigger goals may seem, I’ve come far from where I started, so that in itself is an accomplishment.

So I can now proudly say I’m happy of the achievements I’ve made in the past year and look forward to even more as this year progresses.

What have I achieved since leaving University you might ask?

A lot I say, and I’m grateful!

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