2010 A Year In Review: Where You Are Now vs. Where You Want to Be

by Amanda Abella on December 30, 2010 · 4 Comments

Amanda in Santader, Spain.

Exactly one year ago I was just starting to recover from an illness that forced me to take a medical leave of absence from school. I spent 4+ months feeling miserable and on way too much medication, all while finishing up the Fall semester of my senior year from the other side of the state.

The fact that my life had changed so drastically from carefree party girl to a temporarily bed ridden study worm really threw me for a loop. Since I couldn’t really do anything but rest, take my medication, and study I had way too much time to think. Thinking eventually led to overanalyzing of every aspect of my life from the 3 ½ previous years. Past relationships, mistakes, hurt, and feelings of loss started flooding into my brain with vivid imagery.

Consequently, I became very depressed only to realize that within one semester I was on my own. No one would be telling me what my next step was supposed to be, the economy was bad and not getting any better, and I hadn’t made any plans for after college. I mean, like zilch, zero, nada. No internships lined up (How the hell are you supposed to live off of free labor, anyway?), no money saved up, no work, nothing. Oh, and grad school was not an option both because of the price tag and because I had no interest in more school. The only thing I knew was that I was moving back home (thank God I grew up in a bustling city like Miami) and that I would have to figure it out from there.

Cue Quarter Life Crisis. And let me tell you, it was a bad one. When you end up popping anti-anxiety meds just so you can get through the days of your last semester, you start to wonder whether or not you’ve completely lost your mind.

Fortunately, things eventually started looking up.

2010 In Review

January – Went back to school after a medical leave of absence.

February- All I remember is a blur of anxiety.

March – Turned 22 (ew). Doctor said my body was fine, except that I may have to deal with some IBS for a while.

April – Anti-anxiety meds for IBS turned into my candy for getting through school. Thesis on John Milton’s Paradise Lost (please refrain from reminding me that I am a literary masochist), finals, uncertain future.

May – Graduated. Happy to be done. Still an uncertain future. Moved back to Miami full time for the first time in four years. Had a very hard time getting used to living here again.

June – Jumped on an opportunity to go to Spain. Ended up going to Ireland and Italy as well. Traveled around Europe with my brother and a backpack. Ended up being 2 feet away from the Pope Benedict XVI, a tremendously influential and fascinating figurehead whether you agree with him or not. June 23 was the last time I took any medication.

July – Came back to the States after a month of European escapades and started job hunting. Boy was it bleak. Decided I would give freelance writing a try.

August & September – Threw myself head-first into absorbing as much information as possible about running a freelance writing business. I was elated when I started seeing money in my PayPal account. Founded Ecobellus.com which has become a simple yet successful green living blog.

October – Stumbled across a job ad for Berlitz language instructors and applied. Went to an interview, was invited for training, got hired.

November – Started teaching my first class and realized that it was one of the best jobs I have ever had. Did some research and started getting my finances in order. Was shocked when I saw my bank accounts consistently growing for the first time ever. Organized my goals and aspirations and started working toward them financially. Had a significant political piece published on Yahoo News! Founded Grad Meets World to help other people who felt as lost and confused as I was.

December – Founded Abella Media for all of my writing, copy editing, and social media marketing services. Got the business cards, sent out query emails. My freelance writing escapades started looking like a legit side business. Started teaching more language students and fell in love with my job even more. Grad Meets World started getting very positive responses after only one month of being online. Was very happy to see that my little blog was actually helping people

Goals for 2011

I will continue to keep helping people through Grad Meets World and my job as a language instructor.

I will have 15 new regular clients for Abella Media.

I will to have a full-length e-book about personal development published by December 2011.

I will start doing research about life coaching and public speaking.

I will open an IRA.

Phew! That’s a lot! But I really think I can do it, and Grad Meets World will help keep me accountable.

Thank You

Thank you to all my readers! I’m glad that you have taken something out of this little blog.

Thank you to my Twitter followers and Facebook Fans! Many of you have been very enthusiastic about this project and consistently share my posts.

Thank you to my guest bloggers for helping to build a community!

Thank you to my friends (where ever you may be) that listen to my crazy ideas and support me.

Thank you to my parents for supporting me. Most parents would yell at their kids to become lawyers or doctors. My parents encourage me to follow my passions and brush it off when I tell them I’m running around Europe with a backpack.

What are some of your 2011 goals?

Feel free to comment with some of your New Year’s goals! Maybe we can all give each other some inspiration

I hope everyone has an incredible New Year! If you need a push for figuring out your resolutions feel free to check out the first free GMW e-guide: Dreams are Goals with Expiration Dates, 5 Steps to Stop Thinking and Start Doing.

Amanda Abella

Amanda Abella is a freelance writer and language instructor based out of Miami, Florida. She has been writing professionally since 2009 and holds a degree in English Literature from Ave Maria University. Amanda Abella is available for freelance work, why not hire her?

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