The last time I checked in with you all was in 2017, New Years Eve to be exact. And while I had big plans of spending my precious few days off to get ahead of blog posts and write something meaningful…I just couldn’t get myself to get it together and do it. The new year brings about so many possibilities, but also so much pressure to go after your goals and write a laundry list of resolutions. But to be honest, at the end of 2017 I was exhausted, and while I had the best intentions – I just couldn’t bring myself to get behind my computer and hash it all out, even though I really, really wanted to.

So instead of doing, I took some time to just be. I wish I could say that I took a few weeks to start getting my life together, but instead I just took the time to observe the world around me, and take a real look at where I am right now in my life, and what 2017 was like for me – the good, the bad and the ugly. And what I realized (and what it seems like so many people realized based on what I’ve read of other’s goals and resolutions) is that I was desperately craving more balance in my life – and not just in a few ways, in every. single. way.

Don’t get me wrong, I did a lot of great things in 2017 that I’d high five myself for. I traveled around the US and went to Barcelona, landed a pretty epic job that’s been rewarding and crazy all at the same time, met new people and continued to cultivate this little corner of the internet. But in doing so (and a whole lot more), I ran around like a crazy person, skimmed the surface with some of my most important relationships, and had to make a lot of compromises that were really pretty tough. There was quite a few days where I cried in my car, felt like I was a terrible friend/daughter/girlfriend/boss, or was just too tired to function at the end of a long day. Clearly, I needed to get it together – but the start of a new year was a little bit of a wakeup call for me.

So now that it’s 2018, I’m attempting to add more balance to every aspect of my life. Whether it’s sneaking more greens into every meal or making healthy swaps, prioritizing being present with my boyfriend, calling good friends that I haven’t seen in ages, trying to leave work at a reasonable time to meet friends for dinner, and getting rid of too many things that are bringing me down. The best part of looking for balance is that it’s not about being perfect all the time – it’s about striving to be better. I’m never going to be perfectly balanced, but if I can try to swing the scales closer to the mid-point than I have in the past, that would be a huge win in my book. And lets be real, there’s no way I can give up wine for 30 days or stick to a restricting diet. If I want to make any real change stick, I definitely have to do it slowly rather than all at once.

But balance also means that I need to say no to more things that don’t make me happy (or push me more off balance), and ensuring that I have the time and energy devoted to the people I love most. So, depending on the week or how creative I’m feeling, I may not always be popping back up on CS 3-4 days a week every single week. I want to be energized and excited about writing and creating, and that’s not always possible with so many other things needing my attention on a daily basis. So while I’m definitely not throwing in the towel, I am hoping to find more balance here too, and I hope you’ll be patient with me as I work through finding what that balance looks like 🙂

Okay, enough about me! Tell me, what are you looking to improve this year? Do you have a long list of resolutions, a few goals, or a single word that you focus on? I’d love to know how you approach a new year and any tips to keep yourself on track! xx