It’s 2019, y’all, and let me just say this: I ? am ? ready.
What Just Happened
Almost exactly one year ago, I posted my 2018 mood board and wrote ” I believe 2018 will be the year of stopping with the “maybes” and start with the doing.” I also wanted to live the phrase “be wildly bold.” And now, I get to reflect back on the year to see if I held myself to that action-oriented perspective. Upon doing so, I am really (like, really) proud of myself because it’s a resounding yes. I mean, I’m only human so it’s not like I solved all of my problems or hit every goal and reached every dream. But… there was progress towards many of those things. Forward motion.
I mention the year in quick review here, but 2018 had a lot of different things going on. There was the job change, the move, the end of my time mountain guiding, the beginning of plans to hike the Pacific Crest Trail (for real, working on a post about this to come soon), and a lot of quiet, small moments in between.
A Changed Mindset
It’s funny how this past year re-worked my definitions of success, and what I meant by “doing”. There’s probably been a part of me that always tied it to career, and maybe that’s even what I was referring to with last year’s mood board. I would finish up the summer of mt. guiding, do a few sweet freelance projects during the year, and then put myself out there for a rad design job. That design job would look great on a resume, be *super* fun (duh), and also make me appear ~successful~. LOL. How did that change this year? I followed through on my hope for 2018, and I let go. I let go of the “maybe”s, of the “I should”s, the “people probably think”s, and the “how will they respond”s. A few of the biggest things that were wildly bold to me this past year were these:
- When I put myself out there for freelance work. Got about as much out of it as I put in (was the timing right? Probably not) but I DID it.
- I stopped wondering what it would be like use this season of life to plan and then hike the Pacific Crest Trail, and actually made moves to make it a reality (I start hiking April 21!)
But it’s not just big, flag-in-the-sand moments that make a difference. It’s small choices, daily choices that add together over the course of a year.
Up and Coming
For 2019, I don’t have any specific word or mantra I’m following, unless you count the guiding idea of “strong back, soft front, wild heart.” I think that principle will impact everything: the way I engage in relationships, the way I pursue Jesus, and the manner in which I pursue my goals. And, speaking of goals, here’s a quick rundown of a couple of the ones I’m focusing on:
- Hike the Pacific Crest Trail. This is a pretty big one (again, post explaining this coming soon!) as it’ll take me from April to early September ish to complete the trail. Wow, I’m excited.
- Write more. Right now this goal is really unrefined. I don’t know how writing beyond this blog plays in, or if it plays in. What I do know is that I love to write, maybe some people enjoy reading what I write, and I want to take the time + space to do more of it.
- No comparison. It becomes easier to pursue my own goals and dreams, and be wildly bold, when I’m not comparing them to what someone else’s wildly bold looks like. Someone else’s success isn’t a hit to my own sense of self. Plus, my success might, and will, look completely different than someone else’s. My design, my blogging, my body, my direction in life; all do not need to be held up to anyone’s standards but my own.
The Mood Board
As for the visual inspiration in this mood board, I’m really drawn toward the warmer browns, oranges, and deep greens here. Typically I’m into cooler color palettes – and yellow makes me look like I have jaundice – but there’s something about these tones that I can’t help but love.
In terms of style: another year, another 365 days of wearing neutral basics and being inspired by laid back, classy street style. Not mad about it. This time of preparing to hike the PCT has been an…interesting…opportunity to rework a lot of pieces that I already own. (Read: I’m not letting myself buy new clothing, I’m getting bored with my clothes, I work as a barista so everything gets dirty, and all of this means my style is getting uniform.) All that to say, it’s allowed (forced?) me to restyle the basics I own and get creative. It also means the space to just sit in the simplicity of not shopping for clothes even though I realllllly wanted to hit submit on that Madewell order. Sigh.
Final Thoughts
Wow who knew I had so much to say about the end of 2018 and the start of 2019?! I sure didn’t. Let me know if any of this resonates with you. And, as always, I’d love to hear your goals or hopes for the new year!
The Details
Images: header image, hiker , nails (unknown), street style, desk (unknown), loafers