Happy New Year!! 2016 was an exciting year, primarily because I launched She Went West. It took a lot of courage but I am so glad that I did. The response has been overwhelming and I have truly enjoyed every minute.
In honor of the New Year, I have rounded up my resolutions for 2017.
1. Live in the present. This one may sound cliché but for me it couldn't be any more true. As I mentioned in my Dressing for NYE post, I am a planner. I plan everything days, weeks and even years in advance. I spend so much time focusing on the future, I often forget to live in the present. I catch myself saying "that went by so fast" all of the time. Most of the time it goes by so fast because I am not focused on living in the present.
I should clarify that planning is not always a bad thing. In fact, I think that it helped get me where I am today. However, if you focus too much on the future you will never really enjoy what you have in the present. Since I have a Type A personality and anxiety, letting go and living in the moment is a challenge. I need to practice being grateful for what I have now rather than anxious about what is to come and remember that what I have today is what I dreamt about years ago.
2. Practice new recipes. Over the past year Ray and I have become amazing at grocery shopping. You might think this is ridiculous but it's actually really hard to do. When we first moved to LA we would go to the grocery store, spend tons of money, come home and feel like we had nothing to eat. It was so frustrating. Over the years we have learnt how to shop properly on a budget. That being said, I tend to make the same recipes over and over again. This year I want to branch out, learn to cook new recipes and maybe even take a few cooking classes.
3. Purchase a good camera. Currently, my photographer takes all of the pictures for the blog and I take the other pictures for Instagram with my iPhone. I would love invest in a good camera to capture more pictures, create more lifestyle posts and maybe even start vlogging.
4. Read more. One of my holiday gifts was a Kindle (yes, I have never owned one before). For years I said I preferred to hold a book and flip the pages, rather than read it on a screen. However, nothing can beat the ease of ordering a book in a second and avoiding lugging a few books on vacation. This year I am going to make a concerted effort to read more..and no, Vogue doesn't count ;).
5. Be less sensitive. This may seem like a weird one but if you have a highly sensitive personality, you will understand the struggle. I actually never knew there was a term for it until a few months ago. I have always struggled with this but now with She Went West and putting myself out there online, it is so important to work on developing a thick skin and not letting things get to me so much.
6. Film makeup tutorials. I started showing my makeup on Instagram stories and have received a great response. I am obsessed with beauty (almost as much as I am with fashion). I can spend hours at Sephora, Ulta or even Walgreens (US pharmacies have the best makeup). I absolutely love doing my makeup and would love to share my different makeup routines with you. The first step is to invest in a camera (see #3 above!).
7. Meditate three times a week. This one relates to the first resolution. I find meditating extremely difficult. My mind constantly wanders and I always finish meditating feeling like I have failed and wasted my time. But, just like anything else, I know it takes practice.
8. Care less about what other people think. I am slowly getting better at this. Being a highly sensitive person, you can end up living your life worried about what other people think rather than trusting yourself and your own choices. Everyone will always have an opinion and everyone's opinions are different. I need to care less about what other people think of me (my career, my blog, my choices) and trust myself.
9. Wear more red and pink lipstick. My beauty routine tends to be more natural looking, with a nude or light pink lip. I probably own 20-30 nude lipsticks, and can write a thesis explaining the differences between each of them. Recently I have been wearing more deep pinks and reds and loving it. I always feel self-conscious when I do it but get tons of compliments. It's fun to mix things up.
10. Plan more date nights. For some, this resolution may be perplexing. Ray and I spend so much time together, since our best friends and family live around the world (London, Montreal, Miami, Toronto, NYC etc). We do get A LOT of visitors though. So when we have a weekend without visitors we try and just relax and save money. Consequently, months can go by without a proper date night. I need to be better at spacing visitors and making an effort when we are alone. While there is nothing like Wildfox sweats, red wine and Million Dollar Listing, it is important to dress up and have a fun night out just the two of us.
Photography by Felicia Lasala
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