Just Another End of The Year Post
2017 was a year... like any other year.
A series of highs and lows. Wins and lessons learned. A year of old friendships ending and new ones beginning.
To be honest, my 2016 was so trash that I vowed and put the work in to make 2017 better... and it WAS!
So many milestones this year and so many endless memories! I had a lot of fun this year. I traveled. I graduated from college finally! I had the roughest summer financially, emotionally, and mentally. Bounced back from that shit. Lost some people and grew apart from some that I thought would be around forever and hell, I'm still alive from that too. I persevered in some of my darkest moments and to top it all off, I'm coming up on 6 years of being a blogger! All in all, 2017 was GOOD to me.
As 2017 comes to a close and I turn my eyes on the horizon of 2018, some of my goals for this new year include:
KEEP WRITING MY TRUTH
I personally feel like 2017 was my best year so far as a writer. I told myself at the end of 2016 that I would write more content in 2017 and not only did I do that, I wrote some GOOD shit. But in writing my truth, of course, I offended a few people. It was never intentional but I won't apologize for expressing how I feel. I learned that as a writer who puts her work out there, sometimes you will have people who disagree with you and that's okay! I don't necessarily write to please others. I write for me, I just so happen to let ya'll read them LOL. I appreciate how writing my truth has sparked conversations. Made people feel a type of way. Made them think. I will keep writing my truth because what I have to say may resonate with someone else one day.
KEEP FLOURISHING
To flourish means to grow vigorously, to be in ones prime. If I did nothing else in 2017, I certainly flourished! My heart got fonder. Smile got brighter. Edges grew. Mental health got better and I looked and felt good a lot more this year than I have in past years. I certainly plan to carry this with me into 2018 and I learned that in order to truly flourish it starts from within. We are ALL works in progress! You don't have to have it all together NOW, but the fact that you are trying is a pathway to constantly flourishing.
HAVE NO FUCKS TO GIVE
I constantly strive to be a better person each day, yet I no longer care about who doesn't like me. I ain't for everybody. I'm okay with that. I am who I am. One person's opinion of me cannot stop the blessings that God has bestowed upon me OR the plan God has for my life. I wasn't put on this earth to please other people. On the flip side, having no fucks to give also means to live fearlessly. To live boldly. To chase relentlessly after my dreams and not worrying that the outcome will be less than successful.
FALL MORE IN LOVE WITH MYSELF
Aye, self-love is a process but it's getting easier over time. This year I learned and practiced the importance of being kind and gentle to myself. To constantly affirm myself and give myself grace. Are you aware of the language you use when you talk about yourself? I paid more attention to that and switched my whole style up. No negative self-talk. No more beating myself up when I make mistakes, I am human. Falling more in love with myself also means that I can acknowledge that I deserve to be loved how I want to be loved and treated how I want to be treated. It's setting boundaries and STICKING to them (will be working on that part all of 2018).
COLLAB MORE
In 2017 I was blessed to work with and be apart of some very amazing teams. (Hey Culture, Hey Live Young).In 2018 I want to collab with more brands and businesses that align with what I'm doing. I want to curate events, help others and just have a network of people that can utilize their services, their wisdom, and talents to help the next person as well. Is that through brand sponsorships and partnerships? I'm not sure. Is that through guest posting on other sites? Maybe. I'm still figuring it out. I often have people reach out to me who want to do business. Sometimes they are the right fit and sometimes they aren't... It's all a matter of having conversations and then going with your gut feelings when it comes to collaborating. I welcome all positive, naturally aligned and beneficial collaborations for 2018.
Welp, that about concludes all that I have to say for 2017. It was a great year, but I am happy that it is about to be over. I'm ready to welcome in 2018, learn some new lessons and have some more wins! Thank you all for reading, commenting and sharing my blog this year.
What are some of your goals for 2018? What were some of your wins and lessons learned from 2017?