<center>![](https://steemitimages.com/DQmXH4UQaqpv94hrDZnG1Erc84swKgf7zL7oNGu3JTfpB2X/image.png)</center>
<center>*[Source](http://www.adliterate.com/2017/03/year-ahead-planning/)*</center>

I've stumbled today upon an interesting challenge started by @anomadsoul. The details can be read [in his post](https://steemit.com/my2017/@anomadsoul/my-2017-contest-inviting-everyone-to-do-a-2017-recap-every-week-until-the-year-ends-100-sbd-weekly-reward).

To make it short, every week there is a challenge about the year 2017. First week is about achievements and failures for the past moths. I really like the idea, because it is also self reflective and shows yourself what you've learned from the experiences you had.

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I'm lucky to live in the western world, but to know also the struggles from an emergent country. This habitacle shapes my personality, ideas about life, my dreams and targets, so are my achievements and failures.

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# Achievements

* Traveled to 3 new countries this year: the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain. We've been for one week on the Arabic Peninsula and we enjoyed our time there. Target is to reach yearly at least a new country where I've never been. The travel around Europe I count it as local, being in the EU it is a big country, even if one weekend I'm in Paris and the next in Prague.

![20170205_095434.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmeg4QHqiB3whVy69wm9CHWgPYPMKegznK4RD8a27nTL6B/20170205_095434.jpg)

* Managed to lose 9 kg from the start of the year. I was real chubby at the start and a change needed to be done. For the past 20 weeks I track my progress on Steemit. I feel much more powerful than a year ago and can lift now 30% more weight.

* Changed the job on the 1st of January. Was one of the best bets I could have done, as I was sick sitting at a desk for 8-10 hours a day. Now I travel a lot, meet interesting people and have the possibility to learn new things which apply in all aspects of my life.

* Reactivated my Steem account. In May I reactivated this account. It was a good decission as I also powered up and in the past months have meet so many new and interesting people from all over the world, people whom I would else never meet or get in contact with as usually most people are  sticking to their social circle.

* Started 1 major project, which will be also be mentioned at failures because the target was not achieved. I'm still puting it at achievements as it changed a lot of my thinking.

* Eat meat and no yoga target. This is the target I put myself at the start of the year and it is writen on my 2017 plan. Most people around me turned vegeterians and do yoga. I don't like to go with the flow so this was a target to stick to steak and do not do funny looking funny on a yoga mattress. I do sports that fit to my body type and gender (no discrimination intended but synchronized swimming shall be left to girls and rugby to boys) and eat balanced.

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As a coin has always two sides, the achievements are fueled by a lot of failures. I failed and had a lot of failures this year. I embrace them and try not to make the same mistakes again, but new ones.

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# Failures

* Have a kid. I really want a kid and still it did not happen this year. An adoption will definitely happen after the first born kid.

* No major deal closed for the main project. Have built a lot of contacts and did a lot of trips but nothing was closed. As I have experience, this shall happen in 2018

* Let some people go. I had to close some friendships. It was not easy as I had a lot of trust in this relantionships, but did not realise that they have been toxic for a couple of years now.

* Spent very little time with my family. As the job is demanding (which I love) I did not spent time with my family, my parents are living 2 countries away and my sister 700 km away in Germany. I love my family but the daily hustle takes so much time away.

* Lost a mentor this year. I always try to find a person from which I can learn. The mentor I had, does not have any time more so he had to stop my mentorship. We are still friends but the learning has stopped.

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So this are my major points for this year, which seemed to be so much shorter than 2016. I've learned a lot even if it seemed always to be on full speed.

Thanks @anomadsoul for this great initiative!