My thoughts on blogging at the beginning of the year are always this: I can do it, I just need to sit down and do it. I can post one time a month - that’s only 12 times a year, and I feel like I could write 12 blog posts in one sitting somedays. Maybe I could post once a week? I could try doing it every day but certainly that won’t last.
Two months into the year: I can’t do this. I scheduled time in my Sunday but my Sunday got away from me, as Sundays always do. I can try to do it Monday evening. I’m busier by Monday evening than I was on Sunday.
Though I wax and wane, there is no time like the present for refreshing the ole blog, addressing the elephant in the room, and try/try/trying again. So, we back!
I am pretty proud of getting Velvet Seal out 31/52 weeks of the 2024 year! Velvet Seal is my weekly newsletter you can learn more about, or sign up for. This week, the newsletter is asking readers the question: “How can I shape this year to meet me where I am?”
I recently heard someone say “you couldn’t be doing what you’re doing now - without all of the preparation you’ve done so far.” It was nice to hear that I had led myself to this place – where I feel locked into goals and ready to soar beyond what I could imagine. But, I will be the first to admit – sometimes my eyes are bigger than my stomach. Say, for example, when I think I can publish weekly blog posts.
Of course, it’s not a bad thing to set lofty goals – but it is a bad thing if setting them and “failing” leads you to quitting all together. (Guilty.) That’s why I decided to continue to make small changes along the way - so that the one day I don’t do the laundry list of things on my AM/PM routine, all of my goals don’t fall apart. Instead, I will work on creating new routines that invigorate me, and little by little, as I implement changes and habits, I will reflect on all the progress I have made!
In Velvet Seal, readers are asked three questions – my answers are as follows:
Where do you feel most alive in your life right now?
I feel lucky that I am coming down from an extremely lively year – one which included a lot of travel, music, laughter, and friendship. I feel most alive while spending time with my family and boyfriend, listening to music (live music or new artists), laughing with friends, or setting out on grand adventures.
What areas do you feel need more care or attention?
Creating an environment that feels calm (aka cleaning/decluttering my room and belongings), stepping toward routine, and finding a wellness/yoga community are all areas that need attention.
How can you honor both the progress you've made and the space where you still want to grow?
I acknowledge how adaptable I have become over the last few years but I accept that this current phase of life requires more stability.
Thus, I set forth with the intention in mind to meet myself here. Everything doesn’t have to change overnight. I have already demonstrated small mindset shifts that changed big things in my life: alcohol free living, returning to PRN work, creating my lil’ sticker side hustle. With acceptance of the present, acknowledgement of the past and excitement of the future, I can create a life beyond my wildest imagination - going above and beyond for the people in my life - and evolving beyond my limits.
Here, here, 2025!
Kaylee