Goodbye 2017: My Accomplishments (and Non-Accomplishments) of 2017 // Judging Whether or Not I Did Worthwhile Things!

In order to make myself feel like I’m not entirely useless, I have to look at everything I accomplished.

But I also have to look at everything I DIDN’T accomplish??? So that kind of cancels each other out because I’m stupid. BUT STILL. I can’t just be all optimistic because then I wouldn’t be very realistic. Also who is May without negativity.

Today I’m talking about some things I accomplished in 2017… and things I DIDN’T accomplish. I’m actually really surprised by all the things I achieved this year??? Like I thought I’d be a rotten cabbage* who sat around and did nothing except eat obsessively, but APPARENTLY NOT! Fortunately.

Also I probably accomplished more but yo you know what one of my non-accomplishments is?? NOT REMEMBERING THINGS.

This is the second installment in my “Goodbye 2017” series! You can read the first post HERE.

*I hate cabbage.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• I started a blog! Obviously this is #1 on this list because… would this list exist without the blog?? No. But seriously, starting this blog has introduced me to SO many things—another part of my life (I’m dramatic, I know), lovely friends, amazing books—and for once in my life, I actually did something RIGHT.
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• I hit 1K followers on said blog! UM THIS IS HUGE TO ME AND I STILL CAN’T BELIEVE IT HAPPENED???? I’m currently somewhere around 1050 followers and for someone who hasn’t even blogging for a year yet?? THAT’S INSANE. (I also can’t fathom that I’m what many call a “big blogger”. Like no, what are you talking about, I’m still weak & puny??)
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• I finished writing my first novel ever!!! THIS IS REALLY AMAZING TO ME, because I thought I’d finish writing a novel in like,,, 5 years. But noooo, in addition to winning NaNoWriMo, I also wrote & completed a novel! I mean it’s trash but still.

• I won a writing contest! And yesterday I finally got mailed my check for $150 (!!!) and I’m also receiving an EDITORIAL REVIEW ON MY WORK FROM AN ACTUAL EDITOR (!!!!!!). This was actually my second year winning* so that’s exciting!!!
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• I kept my grades up… like A LOT. Okay so I don’t remember my grades from earlier this year (that would be very obsessive??). But I DO remember my grades from this semester and I’M SHOOK that I’ve kept them up this well??? Who am I????
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• I wrote so much poetry! Last year, I didn’t write a lot of poetry, mostly because I didn’t have the time nor the motivation nor the inspiration. BUT THIS YEAR, THAT’S CHANGED! And I’m (somewhat) proud of a lot of what I’ve written so that’s great.

  

• I read at least 95 books. I say this because my goal for 2017 was IS 100 books. But I’ve only hit 95 books and the end of December is coming up very quickly!!! I WILL DO ANYTHING TO HIT THAT 100 THO. And prove all the haters (Ilsa) wrong.
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• I got my first (physical) ARCs!! My first ARCs happened to be physical, and I recognize that I’m very privileged to have that opportunity (which makes the accomplishment all the more sweeter!). All my love goes to international readers whose access to ARCs is becoming even more limited. <333
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• I hosted a writing challenge project thing! And it kind of flopped because I still have feedback to send to people… after 5 months… I KNOW. I SUCK. I KNOW. I KNOW. But it was still super fun! I might do this again, but I’ll have to do lots of things differently because it was sooo stressful for me (and others).

• I have improved SO much in graphic design. I’m not even going to show you what my designs were like when I first started blogging, because they’re HIDEOUS. If it weren’t for my obsession of seeing how far I’ve come & reminding myself that I’M NOT A COMPLETE FAILURE, they’d all be deleted.

*Am I entering in 2018? Yes. Am I that desperate for money obnoxious? Yes.

NON-ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• I DIDN’T GO TO A CERTAIN BOOK FESTIVAL. I’ve been so salty about this and if you’ve been around for long enough, you’ve probably heard me ranting, but I was supposed to go to the book festival (hosting the writing contest I talked about) to meet all these amazing YA authors like MARIE LU*??? And Mackenzi Lee?? And Adam Silvera???? BUT I DIDN’T. AND I’M SALTY FOREVER.
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• I didn’t read all the books I wanted to. I think this is a non-accomplishment for literally… everyone?? Unless you’ve somehow defeated your TBR, in which case, TELL ME HOW. I’ll be talking about the books I didn’t get around to reading NEXT YEAR in my 2017 reading wrap-up post!!
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• I didn’t go outside a lot. Okay what am I talking about this is a great accomplishment, nature is for the weak. Stay inside, kids, scary predators like fLiEs** are out there!!!

they’re not even real but oH MY GOD GET THEM OUT OF HERE I’M CHOKING ON MY OWN SALIVA DJLFADS;LKFJALSDKJ

• I didn’t improve my flexibility. I mean, I still have my right & left splits (THANK GOD), but other things aren’t getting any better!! My middle splits aren’t closer to being a 180-degree line (I’m sorry to all the unflexible people) BUT I WANT THEM TO.
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• I didn’t make any aesthetic boards on Pinterest??? Uhhh I think May has been abducted or something because NO AESTHETICS? WHO IS THIS PERSON. No but I didn’t make any storyboards or character aesthetics and I’m shook. I thought this was the one thing I’d be addicted to but aPPARENTLY NOT. (Thankfully.)
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• I didn’t see Hamilton. I mean,, this wasn’t one of the things I was ACTUALLY planning to do, but I didn’t do it and I’m very disappointed okay??

LOOK AT MY BABIES ON BROADWAY because I didn’t get to

• I didn’t drink NEARLY enough water as I’d wanted to. Bro I literally take one sip of water a day and I’m completely fine??? EXCEPT I’M NOT FINE. THAT’S BAD. I’m supposed to be getting like 8 cups a day and I get like… 1/100 of cup a day.

*If y’all didn’t know this, Marie is one of my favorite authors so I’m especially salty!! AND. I was at the festival in 2016, but the line was too long for Leigh Bardugo (another HUGE HUGE HUGE favorite of mine) and my parents made me leave!!!
**If you wanted to scare me (but you would never, right??), you could find a fly and make it fly around me, and I WILL SCREAM & RUN AWAY & BECOME VIRAL ON YOUTUBE. Those things are devils, I swear.

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what things did y’all accomplish in 2017?? and what DIDN’T you accomplish? anything you want to achieve in 2018? how many books did you read? can you do the splits? do you drink a lot of water? and DO YOU LIKE HAMILTON??? (if you haven’t listened to it, better get on it honey)