How time flies! It seems just a moment ago I was back home in Spain enjoying a Christmas dinner with relatives from all over the world. It's been a year already!
We all had our fair share of challenges, question marks and even tears in 2015.
I always like to draw a balance sheet to evaluate the past 365 days and how far I've come. Hopefully not as boring and complex as you may think from a corporate standpoint!
When it comes to personal development, my philosophy is that in the end, the good always outweighs the bad, so let's look at the results!
My weight loss has been a challenging yet beautiful journey of self-discovery over the years. One of my biggest 2015 achievements is I have finally reached my dream weight! Those pesky 30-something pounds took forever to come off!
Still, I finally made it from about 178 pounds to now 141 pounds! I am now 100 percent comfortable and happy with my body. I previously wrote about how I lost over 60 pounds. In 2016, I aim to stabilize my weight by sticking to a healthy diet and exercising even more.
Indeed, yoga and pilates have been pivotal elements in my life, playing a major role in my new-found healthier body, as well as a more peaceful and balanced mind and spirit.
Throughout the year I explored different types of yoga including kundalini, which greatly helped align my chakras and literally change my life upside down!
I officially became a yoguini around April, when I enrolled in a naam yoga weekend retreat in Zurich, Germany.
Every place I go, I am committed to finding the best studio to practice. Here, I am pictured in Spain with the amazing Paz Castro!
Traveling is saying goodbye to your comfort zone and believing in an abundance of opportunities the universe holds in store for you. I am all for it! This past year was filled with trips across the US, Europe, Africa and beyond.
OK, I am aware we are talking about a balance sheet here, so was it a budget ? Absolutely. However, the most beautiful human encounters and everything I was able to accomplish is priceless. Yes, my return on investment is every city I have been to was a groundbreaking milestone on a personal and professional level.
"Women without limits" seminar, Santo Domingo, Courtesy of Publiarte
"Let your voice be heard," whispered my personal brand fairy, Sissi Johnson, who helped me sign to multiple speaker bureaus internationally allowing me to do what I love the most: sharing and inspiring people!
I literally felt in love with London where I spent a significant amount of time in 2015. There, Bloomberg TV interviewed me for the first time, on a show broadcasting worldwide reaching over 300 million households!
In May, I was given the opportunity to motivate a crowd of over 800 women in Santo Domingo, during "Women without limits," a leadership and entrepreneurship seminar in Dominican Republic. One of my main message was similar to what I shared a few months later at the 3% conference in NYC:
"You can think of yourself as different, or you can think of yourself as special. The choice is yours." -- Bisila Bokoko
Spring came in full swing. On my 41st birthday, I was simultaneously featured in two international editions of Forbes Magazine, talk about a special gift! A game changer for my career, the acknowledgement of successfully letting go of fear,transitioning from the corporate world to entrepreneurship.
Africa always multiplies my energy. There, I shine even more and thrive! South Africa welcomed me with open arms. I was invited to some of the biggest national radio shows and started scouting locations for my next library project.
Bisila Bokoko African Literacy Project library (BBALP) in Kenya, 2015
"If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far; go together." -- African proverb
In Kenya, I ran a marathon in Maasai Mara with friends Rosa and William, and had the chance to oversee our local library. My dream to promote literacy across the continent with BBALP has been manifesting beautifully thanks to a collective effort across borders. We now have presence in Ghana, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Uganda and Senegal. In 2016, BBALP will open its doors in South Africa!
In New York, The Council of Young African Leaders presented me with the "Inspiring Leader Award" for my leadership in business, philanthropy, and commitment to Africa's Development. I never could have achieved so much on the continent without togetherness at the core of each project and I am thankful for everyone who has been an active part of this journey.
Other highlights of my Fall-Winter season include a great writing retreat in Massachusetts, a reinvigorating trip to Turkey, and an unusually sunny thanksgiving celebration in the Caribbean. I am currently in Spain wrapping up the year surrounded by family. Full circle!
Where did you start and where are you now? This is the perfect time to look back to better move forward. Focus on what you want to accomplish in the next 12 months to come; and trust the process as uncomfortable and challenging as it may be. A new year brings new challenges and opportunities. Whatever the outcome, growth is the common denominator and always worth celebrating. Wishing you a fabulous 2016!