#51: WHAT HAVE I LEARNED?

Sorry I'm a little late with this week's post....life is busy with school ending soon and Mom's Day brunch at my house on Sunday! Shout out to all the moms who read the blog: Hope your Mother's Day was filled with love!
Mine definitely was!
So...this is the second to last post of the original 52, and I thought this would be a good time to ask myself what I have learned this year. Here's my list:

#1 I am enormously grateful that there are people out there who want to read what I write. That is incredibly gratifying and inspires me to write more and write better.
#2 My life is full. I have managed to come up with a different question and answer every week for one whole year. I juggle lots of balls, a myriad of responsibilities and interests. I am a curious sort of gal, and I seem to have an infinite number of questions in my brain.
#3 All three of my young adult children have learned something new about me this year by reading the blog. Who knew that you could transmit valuable information to your kids via the internet?
#4 I have a few incredibly loyal fans (Thanks Mom & Dad) who actually email me every week with comments. You know who you are and I am incredibly appreciative. You let me know every week that when I press SEND, someone out in cyberspace actually receives my words.
#5 I can rise to a challenge! When I began this, almost a year ago, blogging every week for a whole year seemed like a monumental undertaking. Yet, here we are! The truth is, the year will pass regardless of what any of us do. Therefore, we might as well dream big and occasionally even bite off more than we can chew--which brings me to number 6.
#6 One bite at a time! That is the answer to the tongue-in-cheek question:"How do you eat an elephant?"
The truth is, we are capable of so much more than we think we are. But lots and lots of things get in the way of our dreams. Here's a list of a few of them:
*Responsibilities
*Insecurities
*Time
*Money
*Fear
*Exhaustion
*Naysayers and doubters

AND we ask ourselves the following USELESS questions?
*Do I deserve to succeed?
*Am I aiming too high?
*What if I fail?
*Do my dreams have merit?
*Can I?
*Should I?
*Is it too bold of me to try?
*Isn't there someone who can do it better?
*Why should I  take the risk?
*What if I look foolish?
*What if people laugh at me?
*What if I try and fail and then have to finally let go of my dream?

#7 Time marches on. Things I thought I'd do by thirty, I still haven't done. But each time I have pushed myself, I've grown. My Grandma Fanny used to say, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained." I still hear those words in my head...ALL THE TIME!  I still have to coax myself out of my comfort zone...inch by inch.
#8 Next week, I will announce what comes next. I have not told a soul yet...maybe because I'm afraid I'll change my  mind. Nevertheless, stay tuned for next week's announcement. In the meantime, think about tackling one of your own dreams...bite by bite!