A Note to End the Year and the Decade

Here we are in the last days of 2019 and I decided I wouldn’t let this month go by without posting on the blog. You’ve probably noticed I haven’t written on here as often as I used to. I’ve been in a different season of life where I’ve spent more time creating content and videos on my Instagram account and less time creating content here on the blog. I’ve been feeling around to find what type of creativity inspires you and gives you the most value while lighting my spark as well. Nonetheless, I don’t want to let this decade end without touching base here. 2019 was a year of growth and transformation for me, and I want to send it off by writing about three things I did this year that made the biggest impact.

Implemented a Morning Routine

This is no news when it comes to setting goals. It’s often touted as one of those things that all successful people do without compromise, and certainly it’s considered the groundwork for setting up better habits. My morning routine has ebbed and flowed throughout the year. At times it’s been more intense and dedicated, with 5:30 am wake-ups, journaling, yoga, showering, and whatever else I can do before M wakes. Other times it’s been simply making sure I’m out of bed and have had a cup of coffee before she’s up. What’s most important, I think, isn’t the meat of your routine, but simply keeping the habit of having time to yourself each morning before it’s time to give yourself to others. It’s the effort of holding space for yourself before the demands of the day begin, and it creates an inner peace that flows through the rest of your day. It’s incredibly impactful, and I’ll continue to keep an importance on my morning routine going into 2020, allowing for flexibility and enough-ness when necessary.

Prioritized My Mental Wellness

This took many shapes and forms along the way. Some of the specifics: I followed The Holistic Psychologist on Instagram and subsequently completed her “30 days of future-self journaling” exercise. I practiced yoga and breathwork daily. I read and listened to self development books and podcasts. I made intentional choices about where I put my emotional and physical energy by saying no to things, drawing boundaries with my time, letting go of obligations that didn’t serve my truest self, following or unfollowing certain types of accounts on social media, and more. I practiced keeping small promises to myself and giving self-compassion when I betrayed myself. I worked to understand and sit with my emotions instead of reacting in a subconscious way. I’ve begun to let go of my self concept so I can create the person I want to be. This one is deep and it’s a journey I’m still on, but as I do this work I gain more perspective, more happiness, less stress, and I’ve begun to understand who and why I am.

Nurtured My Inner Child

What exactly does this mean? I allowed time for play, for silliness, for creation just for the fun of it. I tried to get lost in the world through my daughter’s eyes, who sees nothing but miracles and wonder all around. I consciously worked to stop trying to logic through every decision and instead feel it out, listening to my heart and my instinct. For the blog, this looked like trusting an idea for a shoot even if I couldn’t see the end product, or choosing pictures to post that felt like they created an emotional response rather than getting analytical about it, or buying a fashion item I loved even if it was out of my norm. I allowed myself to write more freely and edit less. In short, I’ve tried to hold space for my truest self to be fully and authentically expressed, which is what the inner child in all of us seeks.

As humans we’re meant to constantly change and evolve. We are doing it every minute of every day from birth to death — changing physically, emotionally, physiologically, spiritually. This past year was truly a year of evolution for me and has left me wide-eyed, curious, and excited. These are three things that I’ll be carrying into 2020 and the new decade ahead. To end, I’ll leave you with a quote I love. It sums up some of my favorite themes I held this year about looking inward, gaining perspective, letting go, changing, and evolving.

“When you change the view from where you stood, the things you view will change for good.”

Mary Poppins Returns