Things to Celebrate

As a follow-up to my year-in-review post, I thought I'd summarize some of the things I'm proud of accomplishing in 2018. I'll try to put these in chronological order:

1. Leaving my Comfort Zone - I took a chance on myself and made the difficult decision to step away from the comfort of the United Methodist Church. Leaving your comfort zone usually ends up being a good thing. (Note: technically, I'm still attached to the UMC, and the possibility of my return exists, but at this point I'm still gaining perspective.)
2. Learning Something New and Difficult  - I successfully completed the Full-Stack Web Developer Program at Centriq Training in Kansas City while still finishing out 3 months as a pastor. (Note: I could only do this by neglecting my family for those months. Much thanks to my wife!) When I started, I knew a little bit about the web browser front-end, but very little of Computer Programming. I remember there being an emotional roller coaster of "I can do anything with code!" to "I'm an idiot and know nothing." But, in the end, I learned that eventually, with enough curiosity, the ride evens out and you figure it out. #BeCurious
3. Stepping Into The Unknown - Once I got to the last few weeks of training, I wasn't sure if I could do this. Finding a job, any job, is difficult. There was a lot of rejection to plow through. But eventually, I landed my first Dev job!
4. Little Wins - Nearly everyday at work as a Software Developer, I encounter a problem. Sometimes, it's one that I think is impossible, or at least I don't have a clue about how to begin solving it. Then, after some Google Fu, combing through StackOverflow, and trial and error I find a solution. Those wins are rewarding.

Overall, I'm mainly proud of myself for believing in myself enough to accomplish something I didn't know if I could do when I started, and I didn't give up when it got difficult. What are you proud of accomplishing?