“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” ― Søren Kierkegaard

Each month, I set aside a chunk of time to reflect on the previous month: memorable moments, lessons I learned, how I spent my time, how I’m different, who/what I’m grateful for, improvements for next month, and goals to work toward. I want to be more intentional in my personal development this year, and posting each month serves as a way to help keep me accountable. If you have any big lessons you learned this past month, feel free to share them in the comments!

Here are three big lessons I learned this past month:

• There is power in numbers. I participated in Dressember for the second time this year and was able to raise $1,500 that will go to organizations that fight human trafficking. I was encouraged by the support of my friends, family, and coworkers.

• I chose to wear the same dress (essentially) every day for a month as a reminder that not everyone has the same freedom I do. The experience showed me how much value I place on what I wear. Who cares if I wear the same thing more than once a week? Does it matter? We often think it does, but no one usually cares (or notices).

• Being a nerd is fun 😉 I loved Star Wars as a kid, and rewatching the movies (before seeing the new movie) woke up my inner nerd again.

What did December teach you? I’d love to hear how you are growing!