Round up of 2017

It’s surreal that today is the last day of 2017.  It has been the most incredible year for me personally.  It’s definitely been one of the best years I’ve had.  Each year I love setting aside some quiet time to round up all my favourite moments of the past year and you guys always seem to enjoy reading these posts as much as I enjoy writing them so, here is my round up of 2017.

In 2017 I managed to accomplish some really wonderful things.  I took twelve international flights, watched a Coldplay concert in Wales, bumped into Adrianna Lima in Montenegro and went on a night on the town in London among many other overseas adventures that took place this year.

The lace dress that I wore in this post was by far my favourite dress of 2017.  I have a few weddings coming up in 2018 so I may just wear this dress as a guest to one of them.  I fell in love with the lace detailing and the fact that it has a collar.  It definitely wins the award for “Best Dress” in 2017.

In 2017 I focused a lot of attention on creating new YouTube content which has been SO much fun.  I’ve had the best time involving my sister in a few of my latest videos where we laughed hysterically.  I also tried my hand at Vlogmas for the first time which was such a great way to share the Christmas spirit.  It seems as though you guys have really enjoyed it too.  In a recent poll I did on my Instagram Stories (@arumlilea), I had an overwhelming 85% vote in favour of more YouTube content in 2018 which I seriously didn’t expect but it put the biggest smile on my face.

In July I crossed something off my bucket list.  I finally made my way over to Croatia and Montenegro.  It’s been something I’ve been itching to do since I wrote my master’s thesis back in 2013.  A group of friends of mine got together and chartered a sailboat and had the most incredible time sailing the Adriatic Sea.  It’s truly something that I will never forget and it exceeded every expectation I could ever have had.

2017 was also a big year for me career-wise.  Since 2014 I had been practising in a very large law firm and in May of this year, my biggest client offered me a position as an in-house legal advisor.  I took the leap of faith and I could not be happier with the career move.  I was also admitted in the High Court of South Africa as an attorney and notary public through the course of this year which is a true testament as to why you should never give up on your dreams.

Between working full time, studying for my Notary Public exam and running my blog and YouTube channel, I seriously had to manage the art of the Side Hustle.  If you’re interested in how I manage it all, you can read this blog post.

During the course of 2017, I discovered the Law of Attraction.  It started with the book “The Secret”, with which I’m sure you are all familiar.  I found the book inspiring in its teachings to be conscious of your thoughts and how powerful or detrimental they can be.  I did have issue with “The Secret” in that it is silent on the “doing” part of making your dreams come true so I kept reading.  After reading a number of books which touch on the power of positive thinking and how to action your thoughts, I found these to have a remarkable impact on my life.  I’m still very new to this school of thought so I do need a lot of practice before it will become second nature but I’m loving the effect it has had on my outlook as a whole.

My favourite movie of 2017 would definitely have to be “Beauty and the Beast”.  My favourite book?  East West Street by Philip Sands.  My favourite series?  After coming back from Dubrovnik, Ryan insisted I watch Game Of Thrones season 1 to 7 with him, which I did and I LOVED every second.  My favourite Netflix series would have to be Versailles (I binge watched both series).  My favourite song of 2017 is “Your Song” by Rita Ora.

This December I have had the absolute pleasure of travelling to stay with family in Mauritius together with my family too.  We had the best time out on the water every day snorkelling around the neighbouring islands, climbing Le Morne mountain, buying floats for an island party, eating fresh bread and French pastries in the mornings and soaking up the sun.  It has been the most ideal way to end off 2017 that I could ever have hoped for.

As always, thank you so much for joining me on my blogging journey.  You have turned this into a passion that inspires me to inspire you so I’m truly so grateful to you for every ounce of support you’ve shared over on my blog or social media pages throughout this year.  I hope you have enjoyed this round up of 2017.  Have a wonderful time ringing the new year and I wish you nothing but happiness, joy and success in 2018.  Stay safe and have fun!