Recurrences of Setbacks For Change, Growth & Healing.

No doubt, many others in the Vocal Media community (whatever your part in it) would echo my sentiments on this. The setbacks in 2024 (definitely speaking from experience) have been abundant. Abundant is not the word that I would like to use in this context; yet it comes as a surprise that us human beings (despite those setbacks that 2024 wrought) need the motivation and chutzpah from the sh!ts of 2024 to achieve more in 2025. And therefore make such more motivating and refreshing than your ultimate hot beverage in a blizzard.

It does not make sense, as 2024 for me personally started with six weeks of non-stop travel experiences. When I say that I have a lot to say, I truly mean it.

This year (a really tough one) has been full of surprises, with medical setbacks being the most significant; and hence my reflections on passing through the proverbial eye of the needle (no pun intended) when it comes to my health will carry most of the weight in the "Echoes of the Year's Lessons." You're welcome. If I motivate you to craft 2025 into an even better year on the top of a tough 2024, then this makes this article significantly worthwhile.

Let's get the sh!t out of my system (and your system) on the tough bits of 2024 - from the least sh!tty to the most. Write it down, and then let it go. Write these setbacks down on a piece of paper, and then write the words "over" as much as you heart desires, and in preparation to burn this list on the 31st of December.

If you believe (as much as I do) that your health is wealth, or your most valuable asset (we only have one body right?), then I advise you to stick around, as you will be in for a treat, quite literally. Now for the other major areas of my life where setbacks blossomed:

Finances

The savings balance on one of my accounts dwindled by $10K, combined with starting to pay credit card interest again (thankfully the latter was only for a couple of months).

Home

Although standard, it felt like a knife to the heart when my landlord decided to lift my rent $50 a week, all the while I was unwell (more on that later). And my landlord wanted to move me back onto a fixed term lease from a periodic (month-to-month) type of arrangement. The latter was something that one did not agree with, and (thankfully) at the end of the day, my wishes on the latter ended up being fulfilled. This caused me to consider a move, while looking at other homes (bigger, yet older properties) that ended up being mould infested, while inspecting such homes with at least 50 other people simultaneously.

Travel

Mostly amazing, yet having to cancel an anticipated interstate trip (a goal set with my therapist who helped me transition from illness to wellness) when unexpectedly testing positive to Covid. The airline (Qantas) were amazing, yet the place where I booked my hotel (Luxury Escapes) refused to refund my hotel stay, despite this unexpected medical circumstance.

Career

I love my business, I really do; yet if you are a freelancer and business owner...2024 was the year with more delays with work coming in, providing more and more uncertainties of income and routine, combined with deals falling through more and more, through no fault of my own.

Furthermore, I had to sack two of my ongoing clients, with only one ongoing client left to this day. One of my clients (with some UX writing work) started to log me out of my dashboards if a tiny, careless error was made. I had to apologise to get my logins back. The straw that broke the camels back was when this particular client said to me in response to my laptop battery being low at the time: "There is no excuse not to have your laptop battery being low." Speaking of childish. I could go on, yet it will sound like I am complaining if I do. You need to know when to stop with a particular client, for the sake of your mental health. This motivated one to seek more help, time in nature, and to then find other work opportunities.

My pet sitting side hustle became hell, with a cat that I have looked after three times prior, now constantly hissing at me while its owners went away on their honeymoon. And another pet owner asking for a copy of my ID, despite being fully vetted on the relevant platform.

Do not get me started on the job hunting process. Some of my friends have been looking for a simple full-time job for months, being none the wiser as to what is on employers minds right now. Me searching for short-term temporary work felt like jumping through a few extra hoops, and/or getting knock backs despite my strong work and life experiences. And being knocked back for a supervisory role, while I worked as a worker in such a role instead. I am still motivated to now take my Data Analytics career to the next level, and/or consider further study in 2025 to become a Lawyer. (Being a writer is supreme either way).

Relationships

One of my platonic friendships turned into a romantic relationship with promise. There are a few hurdles to that. He is not clearly communicating as to whether or not the courts granted him a divorce from his previous relationship, and he is not following up such with his Lawyer. Additionally, I really dislike his three kids from his previous relationship, despite the youngest just turning 18. One of his daughters recently hacked into his PayPal account, buying $250+ of slu*!y nightclub clothes without his permission. Luckily he brushed it off by saying "This is your Christmas present." I would not be so forgiving, as she stole his money, and that is just plain wrong. And on the home front, I am also living with him two nights a week. (Getting used to the snoring still). His home is still feeling more like a hotel, a mere few weeks in. And do not get me started on family. For the sanity of this article, I shall leave it at that.

Health

A massive one. Lots of bloodwork. Pharmaceutical drugs. Supplements (still on a cocktail of the latter). Using IV poles for the first time ever, including an iron infusion. More PCR swabs. A list of Doctors, and other health professionals involved in my care. That was my 2024 in this area of life, and it is massive.

Diagnosed with Iron Deficiency Anaemia. Contracted Pneumonia (first walking, and then normal) twice in 2024 - have had three times in total since 2021. Then testing Positive to Covid again (fourth time in total, since 2022).

When you are unwell, the key takeaway gained from 2024 is that nothing else matters, and you do become more grounded and present.

Illness is like an invitation to become more motivated and happier on the other side. This goes beyond surrender.

It is only human nature to fight any illness, injury or disease that manifests into your life. Fighting means that you are focusing your energy on this illness, and therefore you keep on attracting it. I know that this is a strong statement. I get that what I have echoed here is unconventional, yet what you resist truly persists like clockwork.

When you create more stress and tension in your body; it is like having to walk through thick mud in order to stay motivated, in living life on your own terms.

Illness is then an invitation to surrender to the fact that you are not well, and therefore you do not care what the economy is doing, and who is in power in your country (unless your Prime Minister tries to jam in lots of new laws on the final sitting day while you are in isolation. I digress). You do not mind that your home is a little messy. The thing is that surrendering is boring.

I decided to lean in more, and hence really listen to what these illnesses (Covid included) were trying to tell me three weeks post iron infusion; and most of all, what it is all wanting to teach me about.

By going beyond surrendering in my 10-days of isolation; Covid turned out not to be a battle that needed to be won at all costs.

The floodgates to self love truly opened up. Relationships with self, others, and the world gets transmuted to another level. If you have the flu, you know that you cannot stop the coughing and the high temperature, until your body is ready to stop it. If you break a leg, you know that you need at least six weeks elevation/off your feet in order to heal it. Like a mass unification of the self. You have time to think, reflect, journal, and be free from the constraints of life. You really go beyond surrendering, and you trust your decision making more; and when you trust your decision making, you are motivated as f*ck. You want to contribute. You want to serve. You want to achieve your goals. You want to try out new activities and experiences. This is what is happening in life right now. I have already brought a few new clothing and footwear items that align with the new person that I have become, thanks to Covid, Pneumonia, and then Anaemia. No different if you are going through cancer treatments right now, for example.

Having Covid in 2024 also gave me the gift of allowing others to help me, and to check up on me. Food for thought that the healthcare profession still makes a massive 'hoo-ha' when your PCR swab comes back with a Covid Positive result, but not with any other respiratory virus/illness that the PCR swabs now test for, of which can be more detrimental than Covid. Despite the pandemic that Covid caused is now well and truly over; it was in short succession that I heard from the hospital and my GP the moment they received my results, as well as getting a letter in the mail from the relevant pathology company. Additionally, my boyfriend also drove a decent distance to order and pay for a gourmet pizza for me while isolating when my appetite was intense; and he dropped it off at my main home in the pouring rain on a Friday night of all nights.

Freedom from being unwell for four months of 2o24 is liberating. I also learnt that illness (like everything) is a form of energy with a powerful message, beyond now knowing that I need to eat a little better, and to take better care of myself. And I learnt to be a little more frugal with my finances. Illnesses like Covid integrate within you in order to motivate you more. It is like accessing a library. My heart opened up when I saw Covid as a mentor/teacher/invitation, rather than a threat.

It was like a spiritual wellness check fourth time in, in a year that ended with the same number. How canny.

What messages did the challenges and setbacks of 2024 bring you? How will you motivate yourself in 2025 and beyond on the back of such?

This was (and still is) a journey. There are a few setbacks from 2024 that I am still navigating. People are telling me that I "look really well." They did not see all of the sh!ts that I have vulnerably shared herein. These people do not see the reliability that a cocktail of natural supplements that need to be consumed on the daily provides.

Merry Christmas, and thank you to everyone in the Vocal Media community who have supported my work on this wonderful platform. May your new year be filled with joy, prosperity, changes in the right direction, and great health and vitality.