It is nearly a week into the New Year, and I feel like I am just sort of easing back into a normal routine. I usually like to spend the time right after the holidays reviewing the year before, and setting goals for the year ahead, but I just can’t bring myself to do it this year. There was simply no way to plan for the shifts and changes and sometimes stillness that 2020 brought. One silver lining is that out of the darkness of 2020 came a perspective change for me that might not have happened otherwise. Things that were once important, no longer are. Things that no longer serve my life are being phased out. And things that mean the most to me are being given more of my attention. By slowing down and dismissing the clutter and noise, it allowed me to re-focus on what makes me happy, what fires me up creatively and what is truly most important in my life.
Social media and blogging is a funny world. It is a world I am grateful for, but also one that is can lead to self-doubt and fear if you allow yourself to get caught up in it. I have always tried to strike a balance with keeping up with blogging trends, but still keeping my head down and paving my own way with One Stylish Party. I believe that if you are passionate about something that it will show through in what you are creating, writing or selling. I’m thankful that this has proven to be true for my business over the years.
However, I do miss the days where I would just sit down and write from the heart, not giving a second thought to whether or not it was post-worthy. Or when I’d simply upload an un-filtered photo to Instagram with no regard to how it would look with the aesthetic of my feed. It wouldn’t say it was carefree, but since there wasn’t as many people in the blogging arena back in the day, there also wasn’t a lot of comparison or second guessing yourself. You simply would create and share.
While I do not have plans to strip my blogging or social media back to THAT point, one goal I do have for 2021 is to build upon the things that inspire me creatively, and writing and creating from the heart is at the very center of that, even if it won’t always fit in with a perfectly curated blog or feed.
So after an incredibly long intro, I wanted to kick-off my first post of the New Year by sharing 5 random thoughts currently swirling around my head.
- Snow is only pretty during the month of December AND if you have nowhere to go and can watch it fall outside from the warmth of your house while listening to Christmas carols. Now that the holidays are over, it would be great if we could just fast forward through winter in Cleveland.
- Will the American people ever be able to fully trust the USPS again after this disaster of the 2020 holiday season? I have Christmas gifts I mailed in early December that have still yet to make it to their destination. As a small business owner, I also really feel for the many creative who were impacted by shipping delays this year too.
- I am probably one of the loudest and most passionate sports moms you will ever meet! I am in my absolute happy place on the sidelines of my boys’ games cheering them on. I love nothing more than to watch them do what they love and of course making sure they know I’m in the stands by being the loudest cheering section!
- Why are Hallmark Christmas movies not a year round thing? Like with different themes, but the same premise where you can flip on the Hallmark channel and always count on a feel-good rom-com with a sappy, predictable ending. This should be a thing.
- Quality time with family is good for the soul. This one doesn’t require much explanation but I will say that when you make a conscious effort to be present when spending with the ones you love, it is a game changer. I’ll forever cherish the quiet moments that I might not have gotten with my husband and two boys had the world not come to a screeching halt in 2020.
And there you have it, my first post of 2021, which was unscripted, written from the heart and a little all over the place. I’m excited for the fresh start that a New Year brings and I am looking forward to connecting with you all on a more personal level than ever before in 2021.
Leave a Reply