Anyways, I can probably sit here all day long telling you my gratitude towards everything but I really want to highlight the important events of this year. 

My word of the year 2019: Progressive 

My definition of progressive: someone who improves themselves or is more open-minded to things like change.

The dictionary definition of progressive: Happening or developing gradually or in stages. It could also be favouring change or innovation.

This year, I feel that I went out of my comfort zone to push and improve myself. I achieved this in several ways such as:

• Going out with my friends more frequently to improve communication skills and build stronger friendships. This also helped me to try new foods as we went to some new eating places of different cuisines.
• Travelling with my sister to 39 places around London which built our confidence, gave us new stories to tell and made ourselves feel grateful to live in such a wonderful place.
• Got more confident to post pictures of myself in social media which helped me start new conversations with some friends.
• Became more ‘health-conscious’ as I try my best to exercise regularly and also try to avoid sugary foods.
• And of course, posting over 50 articles on this website! Even though I opened my website last year, I feel like I really fell in love with creating articles this year. I hope that I have helped at least one person out there or made them smile.

The main lesson that I learnt this year is to have low expectations but work hard. This tip was given by my brother. This was after I had high expectations to do well in a math test and got quite low on it. I was really disappointed but on the next one, I had low expectations and worked hard and scored higher. I feel that it made me less stressed and it felt more rewarding after I achieved that good grade.

All these factors and events have made an extraordinary 2019. This doesn’t mean that I had a perfect year – there were obviously some sad moments too but we should cherish the happy ones as I feel that the happy moments outweigh the small sad moments. 

But is there anything that I could have done to improve 2019?

• Worry less. I feel that are certain days where I was bound to feel stressed or nervous such as before an exam. I did feel a bit nervous before an exam but that is completely fine and In Sha Allah, I will be able to manage it better in the future.

I don’t feel that I have any regrets towards this year. 

2020 goals 

My word of the year 2020 In Sha Allah will be: Polymath

My definition of polymath: someone who is involved or associated in many different fields – multi-skilled or multitalented. 

The dictionary definition of polymath: a person of wide knowledge or learning.

I want to In Sha Allah be an even better version of myself next year and I hope you do too.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this year amazing – family, friends, teachers, people who clicked onto articles and anyone who made me or others around me smile.

If you enjoyed this article as much as I loved writing it, please share it with your family and friends and encourage them to start planning for 2020. Make the next year and decade the best!

And please do remember that these are my emotions – I don’t intend to brag in any way!

Check out my other articles:

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

R.J. Palacio’s book ‘Wonder’ is heart touching and meaningful. It is based around individuals in the world who care more about a person’s looks than their personality. In this novel, a boy called August Pullman has a deformed face due to all the surgeries he had in the past. His face acts as an obstacle throughout the story especially when he goes to school for the first time as a fifth grader. However, his parents and sister Olivia support him. Do his experiences in school impact his life or is it a happy ending? Read the book to find out.

What I liked about the book:

1. I loved the lesson that the book signified which is that what’s within matters more than what is in the outside.
2. It is an eye-opener as we all have insecurities and complaints about our life but reading this book can allow us to reflect on all the things we do have.
3. The book includes different perspectives of the story as the novel contains 8 different parts with 8 characters speaking. This demonstrates what each character thinks of August such as his sister and his friends.
4. There is a meaningful quote in every part of the book such as in Part 2 of the book: ‘Far above the World, Planet Earth is blue, and there’s nothing I can do.’ It’s amazing.

What I didn’t like about the book:

1. I didn’t see anything bad in this book overall, but I would say that it may be confusing or overcomplicated for some readers as a lot happens in the book simultaneously.

My rating: 4.5/5

Overall, I would recommend to anyone over the age of 9 or 10 years old. It is the perfect book to read if you are feeling insecure about yourself as it can teach you to overcome it through August’s confidence. It also involved a mixture of feelings such as sadness and shock. I learnt many lessons by reading this book and I hope you love it too.

Where to buy the book from:

I hope you have enjoyed reading this article. This link is not sponsored. Comment down below whether you have read the book too. If you enjoyed this article, check out my other articles too:

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!