New Year, New Blog

January 4, 2018

The funny thing about snow days is that they force you to stay inside and make you accomplish things you've been putting off...

This year, I'm setting up spaces that allow myself to reflect & write/journal more. First step on the journaling front was to get a pretty and portable journal that I'd actually want to write in. Good job, Me. I've already taken some time to write in it, particularly on New Year's Eve. This journal captures specific details of my private life, gives me space to hash out my thoughts, and materializes my feelings. It is for my eyes ONLY, so there's no place for that here!

Second step is to find a platform to develop what I call my "public mission." This mission is the voice that I speak with, the purpose behind everything I do, and also my motivation to keep persevering. Different from my personal mission, which is to be happy and live a meaningful life, my public mission is my offering to the world. Thus far, I've been riding through life with whatever comes my way (which, by the way, is great), but as I continue through my career and life, I want to be more intentional with what I get involved in and how I choose to spend my time.

That being said, I think this blog is the best space to reflect on this mission. It's just public enough that I feel accountable, and just private enough that I won't be overanalyzing every word that I type. I want to use this blog as a place for me to form meaningful thoughts and content. It's not intended to make me famous or even for anyone but myself to read again. Heck, I'm really not a very public person, so maybe I don't really want anyone to read this. But I am proud of the life I've established and I feel like my message is a good one that I want to capture and refine. I want to start BREATHING my message into the world and manifest my dreams. Truthfully, I'm not much of a writer (way more of a thinker), so it can be tough for me to put my thoughts in cohesive sentences. But here goes nothing...

I spent New Year's Eve alone with my (boyfriend's) cat Nala. Everyone I knew was going to a sparkly party, out of town, or spending it with significant others (mine is in Australia currently). And frankly, I just didn't want to do any of those things. Plus, I got some funky stomach virus that afternoon, so I really did not want to risk getting sick again. Anyways, ending the year quietly gave me time to reflect on the past year and what resolutions/intention I wanted to bring into 2018.

2017 was crazy. Lots of unexpected failures, lots of traveling (for fun and for work), lots of new lifestyle changes (I started teaching yoga fairly regularly early last year). Overall, just a mentally exhausting year. On New Year's Eve, I took a good chunk of time writing down my thoughts about the year. I stole 9 self-reflection questions from a fashion influencer that I respect (http://thechrisellefactor.com/2017/12/self-reflection-9-questions-to-ask-yourself/) to help guide my thoughts. Here's a snippet from the "How have I developed or changed as a person?" answer:

"I've become more aware of my depth, my limitations, what I need to do to honor that, and what I'm currently doing that doesn't serve that. Sometimes I'll act out of nerves or to meet societal norms, but I'm understanding more of what I need and generally not caring what other people think!"

Great year, but 2017 is so old news. I choose to not be bogged down by the obstacles or remain suspended in the memories of 2017. Instead, I intend to stay present in the NOW.

I'm starting 2018 with some fun resolutions:

2018 Resolutions

- Daily rituals: yoga/meditate every morning, drink my green juice & tea, take one photo a day for my Day One app, spend a few minutes reflecting on what I was grateful for in my Grateful app (these last two are more tools to give me the space to reflect!)

- Get a job that aligns with my flexible, yet rooted (in NYC) life

- Hang out with friends more often and be open to receiving new friendships!

- Build a safe and welcoming home space to spend my time in

2018 Intention

I intend to find deep, meaningful connection in my friendships and my spiritual yoga practice.

2018 in one word? DEEPER!

Cheers to a new year!

xx,

Mel