bye bye 2018, hello 2019! can you believe it’s 2019? i really do guess time flies when you’re having fun! or is it i’m just getting old? whatever it is, i’m excited for a new year. i’m not one for new years resolutions, because i’ve begun to believe that you shouldn’t wait for the start of a new year to start working towards your goals. i do, however, feel like it’s the perfect time to reflect on all you’ve accomplished, gone through, learned and grown from over the past year. here’s a bit of what I learned in 2018.
celebrate little wins
so many people wait until they’ve achieved something amazing to celebrate, but we all know life is short- celebrate in the moment. you don’t have to wait for amazing huge wins to happen in order to be worthy of celebration. for me, I had to start celebrating little things like being able to work with a brand I’ve always wanted to, or getting to lead a new big project at work, celebrate birthdays with friends even if age is just a number. celebrating little wins for me isn’t about just celebrating yourself, it’s being there for others when they need a cheerleader. it meant flying down for a friends graduation from their masters program, sending a friend a gift & a sweet card when she finally got pregnant after years of trying & posting all over Instagram when my dad broke a world record at cycling championships. all those wins are worth celebrating & in life we have so so many of those special moments to cheers to.
opportunities don’t always fall in to your lap, you have to chase after them
as a blogger I constantly get denied from so many brands and partnerships. many people tend to think bloggers get things handed to them all the time, which some do, but i reach out to brands all the time. i often get a big NO THANKS when pitching a partnership or collaboration.
over the year I’ve also learned that if i hadn’t ever reached out to certain brands i probably wouldn’t have some of the coolest partnerships that i now currently have. I’ve worked hard for those partnerships & I’ve found that when you fall on your face you have to get back up and try again. maybe try a new alternate route, but try! in life, when you finally accomplish big things that didn’t come easy to you- they are that much more exciting and rewarding.
being vocal is KEY: no one can read your mind
although I’m very loud and outspoken, something i used to struggle with a lot was speaking up and calling people out- especially people i care dearly about. i really don’t like confrontation with friends or partners and i used to tend to brush these things under the rug. in 2018, i called people out. it wasn’t easy, but I did it. i told people when they did something that hurt my feelings, told people when they made me feel uncomfortable by what they were saying and told people to stop if they went too far. being vocal about each of these things wasn’t easy, but do you know what?! everyone i spoke to, received the feedback better than i could’ve ever imagined. my friends, person i was dating or family were all able to have a totally civil and productive conversation about whatever it was i needed to get off my chest & i want to continue being vocal throughout the years to come!
trust your gut: you know you better than anyone else
i had to make some super tough decisions over the course of the last year. ending a relationship being one of the bigger decisions. i thought very long and hard about my decision before making it & my gut kept telling me i had to do it even though i truly liked and cared about the person i was dating. it just didn’t feel right and it didn’t feel like it was going to turn around over time for me. there’s something big about trusting your gut that i truly had to do this past year. it isn’t always easy to do, but when your heart is telling you something you can’t ignore it. years ago when i went to therapy pretty often (p.s. therapy is freking amazing), my therapist told me my true north and my intuition was always something i can trust. to chat with a few people about making a decision but not too many. others can tend to project their issues on you and oftentimes give advice as they would give their past self. following what YOu really want is the only way you’ll be able to live with your decisions, because it’s 100% your decision. it may be about a relationship, a job, a friendship- whatever it is, at the end of the day only you know what’s best for you.