There’s always a part of me that can’t believe I am where I am in my life, and two weeks from today I’ll be turning 21, whaa?!

A proper proper adult, none of this 18+ rubbish! I’ll be old enough to drink in America, rent a car here in the UK, and generally be classified as ‘in my twenties’, and its all kind of surreal really.

One thing about growing up is that I feel every year I discover myself a bit more; finding myself getting closer to the person I want to be, growing in confidence and getting my priorities right, and this last year has really been full of these discoveries.

In the last year I had my first ‘adult’ breakup. I decided that while I did love him, I wasn’t prepared to sacrifice the life I want for myself for the life I would have with him; our futures were heading in opposite directions and that was ok. We found peace in that, and parted ways on good terms. I’ve never come away from a breakup as calm and collected, and being so ok with being single for a little while, and its been such a nice change.

I know that I want to be a career girl. Turning my business into a full time job is my absolute dream, and I’m prepared to work my socks off for it. I’ve done a lot of the ‘behind the scenes’ work in the last 6-8 months, and I know that 2016 is going to be the year I make it happen, especially with such an amazing support group. When I decided I didn’t want to go to university, I was naive in believing that my business would blossom into something in my first year out of school, but next year lines up nicely with the time that all my friends will be graduating, and therefore their 3 years of higher education will link nicely with my 3 years of real life.

The last year has seen a significant change in my fitness. Running and going to the gym has become a key part of my weekly schedule, and the changes have been really noticeable; I’m more confident in myself and my body, and with a few more changes I’ll have a body to be proud of.

I like to think I’ve really flourished as a blogger, and my confidence on social media has rocketed. I love writing and sharing with like-minded people, and its thanks to LottieDoesDisney I’ve made such wonderful friends, both here in the UK and in the wider world, who I am forever grateful for.

I’ve learnt that there are times for spoiling, as well as times for saving. I loved taking the family to Disney on Ice for Christmas last year, and I hope to continue being able to treat them whenever I can. I’ve also discovered its ok to spoil myself once in a while; I work hard to earn a treat every once in a while.

I’ve grown so much as a person in this last year, and I like to think that I’ve become a better person for it. So here’s to another great year!

(Oh, and in case you’ve read this and thought ‘wow, how mature’ (unlikely but still), I’ll actually be celebrating my 21st birthday in Disneyland Paris so let’s not get carried away)

°o°