What I Learned in 2017 + Goals for 2018

Even though we are two days into the new year, today is the official day that we all get back to life, back to reality after a nice long winter break. While today can feel a little stressful for me because of the pressures that come with a new year, I am deciding to subside those feelings and focus on the new adventures and opportunities that a new year can bring.

Thinking back a few years, life wasn’t exactly happy. It was my lowest, and I mean the lowest lowest time of my life and I remember not wanting to go on, but since then I have turned my life around and year by year, I am learning more and more about myself and while it still isn’t easy, I am happy to say that things can only get better from here. 2017 was what some would say a good year, and the harsh critic in me wants to say it wasn’t exactly amazing, but truly, it really was. I experienced amazing things, I got engaged to my favourite person on the planet and my career as a blogger came with great opportunities.

Of course, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, but I was lucky to have experienced such a good year, and at the same time, the year came with a lot of lessons that I hope to focus on in 2018!

1. Keep your loved ones close. Over the years, I’ve learned that when times get hard, distancing yourself is the worst thing you can do and instead, surrounding yourself with your favourite people can be the most motivations and inspiring things to do to help turn things around! I have also learned that saying “I’m busy” is hardly an excuse, and making time for family and friends is one of the most important things to help maintain sanity.
2. Be grateful. I am only human so sometimes I feel like I’m not where i should be, or I focus more on what I don’t have rather than what I do, but 2017 taught me how important it is to be grateful. Life passes whether you like it or not and focusing on the negative will only make anyone go crazy, so whenever I think about something I don’t have, or when something doesn’t go my way, I remind myself to not take what I have for granted. It can also be so easy to scroll through Instagram and see everyone taking fabulous trips, being successful and witnessing their highlight reel, but I remind myself that it’s just Instagram and everyone has their own stories and struggles.
3. Love myself more. Amazing, and I mean amazing things happen when i love myself. I had the opportunity to visit Hawaii and work with Swimco and I remember feeling like I wasn’t as beautiful and thin as the other girls, but once we all opened up, we realized that we all had the same thoughts. It’s so easy to stack yourself up against others, but in reality, it’s only harming us more. I struggle still with body confidence, but rather than wallow in it, I focus on the good and I do things to remind myself how strong I am. While I am curvy and do not have that “typical blogger look” (I’ve been told this a few times), I’ve had women reach out to me and share how I inspire them and make them feel confident while shopping, getting in a bathing suit and just live their life. This is why I hope to share more body positivity with you guys!
4. Getting creative fuels me. I find that when I create content that I’m passionate about, it fuels my drive. There have been great opportunities that have come my way and sometimes I get too inside my head to appreciate them, but the second that I slow down, soak it in and become present, magic happens. I want to create more of this magic and 2018 and I can’t wait to share it all. When I got truly creative in 2017, it was such an amazing feeling and it taught me that I have more to offer, so I’m ready to push my boundaries!

This year however, I am just aiming to be happier.

Not just healthier, or skinnier or more successful, but just happier. Happier in everything I do, happier in who I surround myself with and I am just focusing on ME! For 2018, you can expect to see a lot more of me as I want to share more personal content and create discussion with you guys because more and more I’m finding that we are all so alike. And as I share more, here’s what I’m aiming for in 2018

• Go on more adventures – staycations, weekend getaways and travelling
• Play with different photography and videography for the blog
• Have fun with our wedding preparations
• Get physical and have fun doing it – try different classes (including heels dance class)
• Share more of my personal life on the blog and different categories like travel + decor
• Get creative – on the blog, in my personal life and my relationships

I can’t wait to kickstart this year! So buckle up and let’s enjoy the ride!

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