Each month, I set aside 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 try to be intentional in my personal development, and posting each month is a way to keep me accountable (as a nice reminder, it’s also built into my favorite planner 😉 ).

Three Lessons I Learned:

• Be someone you’d want to be friends with. Exemplify the qualities you look for. I want to be friends with people who are fun, adventurous, take initiative, have integrity, and who care about our world (among many other things). I am trying to be more like those things as much as I can, and I hope to attract those same type of people.
• Push outside your comfort zone. Sometimes it’s painful, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do it or it’s not worth it. I did a Spartan race this past month that I wasn’t quite prepared for… But I still finished it! I thought I was going to die, but I made it and had some awesome friends to support me.
• Put yourself out there. I’ve got a pretty big list of things I want to do and see before leaving Italy, and most of the time it’s more fun (and safe) with other people. I’ve discovered the best way to make friends (here at least) is to just put myself out there and pick a day for something cool on my list. And usually I’ve got at least one other person willing to join me! I’ve met some pretty cool people that way. 🙂

Top 3 Highlights:

• Finished my first Spartan race!
• Watched the World Cup in Croatia.
• Road tripped through Bosnia, Montenegro, and Croatia.

Monthly Motto:

You are only confined by the walls you build yourself.

What big lessons have you learned over the past month? Share in the comments below!