It’s 12 days until my birthday and as I creep up to birthday number 39. Eeekkk! I can’t help but feel guilty.
Why would I feel guilty?
No Expectations for 2021
It’s so close to 2021 and as I’m “planning” for another new year, I have to honestly say I feel, well I guess the best way to describe it would be anticipation?
Definitely an uneasiness for what this year will bring.
I’m sure many of you can relate to this as well.
I was chatting with my husband the other day and we were talking about what we were during at this time last year. We had been in our new home for just over a month, had decided to not travel and enjoy being home (haha), and for New Years we had tickets to see Phantom of the Opera with my in-laws and dinner after at Mastro’s.
A perfect evening.
Well for me it was because I’m not particularly a big New Years person. If we do anything it’s usually something like dinner or hanging out with a few friends or family.
Anyway, it’s just strange to think back to the end of 2019 and have no idea what was right around the corner for all of us.
After that conversion, I really felt my anxiety kick in. Since March I have really tried my best to stay positive during this whole pandemic. Other than missing my family, (because my Mum is extremely high risk I actually haven’t seen her since Christmas last year. I miss my Mum and Dad terribly.) I have tried to really focus on myself, our IVF journey, and the fact that my husband and I are both healthy, happy, have a wonderful home, and are lucky to have jobs.
Since we stopped our last round of IVF, one of the things I’ve been working really hard on is to not be too hard on myself because it has definitely been a rough few years physically and mentally with all our IVF treatments and I desperately need to take a break from it all.
Also, for a while I have been having a lot of anxiety because I was feeling like my life was going really fast and I wasn’t reaching my “goals” of becoming a parent, I wasn’t going further in my career, and I hadn’t started writing another book. I felt like the pressure was on and I wasn’t giving people what they expected of me.
And… I will be 39 this year. Eeeek! So yeah there’s that.
It’s hard to even think about that number because I definitely don’t feel like I’m almost 39. Where has the time gone! Okay, I really need to seriously stop focusing so much on that. I will drive myself crazy.
However, instead of worrying about my life going by way too fast, I’m trying hard to learn to appreciate the present and have an appreciation for where my life has taken me.
Anyway, so sorry for the rambling a bit there…But…
as we head towards 2021 I thought the best way to look at things is to have no expectations for 2021. I’m going to continue to make the best of our current situation in our current World and continue to take care of myself. I’m not very good at new year’s resolutions but I definitely have I guess you could say “goals” that I like to set for myself.
However, with the pandemic, we can only do so much. Hence having no expectations for this coming year.
Although, side note, I have to say, who else is longing to get really dressed up and have a fun cocktail at a fancy bar and enjoy a nice dinner somewhere. I want to hear people! I want to people watch and try to listen to their conversions. Hehe.
Anyone else?
Anyway back to what I was saying. For me to be able to “get ready” or a new year I like to write down up to ten things that I want to continue doing for myself. I feel like whenever I’m really truthful with myself it really does open up doors for what is next to come.
Okay, so here are my ten.
- Continue with yoga. (This has been a great tool for me over the last ten months. Not only do I love what it does for my whole body but it really helps with stress and anxiety.)
- Write when I feel the need. (I truly love to write and to share my thoughts with whoever is interested. I don’t really have an interest in being an influencer but maybe more of a journaler.)
- Read. (As much as I like to write, I don’t read as much as I would like to. Honestly, too much TV gets in the way.)
- Take care of my skin. (Full disclaimer. My IVF meds have really affected my skin and I’m working really hard to have my skin look more even-toned again.)
- Take baths and take time for myself.
- Cook and enjoy it.
- Host small dinner parties (I love doing this, it’s so intimate.)
- Do something really nice for my husband’s birthday this year. He deserves it.
- Don’t stress so much. Everything mostly always works out in the end.
- No pressure to write a book like I told everyone I would do in 2019 including on this blog. I definitely want to again. Although, I would like to at least start a short story. So we’ll see.
What do you think of my “goals” for the year? Maybe try it for yourself. I find it very therapeutic.
Take care, be safe, and Happy New Year! Talk to you in 2021.
MY IVF Journey: The Life I Imagined isn’t the Life I Have…and that’s ok.
It’s been a long time since I have written a post. Just a few minutes ago I opened my computer and logged into my WordPress, and I thought to myself. I miss this.
I feel anxious as I start to write this because this post is a post I’ve been wanting to write for a long time. So grab a cup of coffee, a tea, a glass of wine because it’s a long one.
I feel like I’m finally in a good enough place to share my journey. Some of you might be like who are you, why, and who cares, and that is okay. However, I feel like everyone has a right to share their story and this post might really help, impact, inspire, interest, or even support someone else.
If you are the latter, keep reading.
[Read more…] about MY IVF Journey: The Life I Imagined isn’t the Life I Have…and that’s ok.
Download A Girl’s Guide to Chicago for Just .99!
Hello! I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe! It’s definitely a crazy and difficult time for everyone however I have been finding the best ways for me to relax are to start my day with some yoga. I have been doing Yoga with Adriene on Youtube every morning. Her channel is amazing and she has something for everyone. I also make time every day to read. It really helps to clear your mind and there’s nothing better than cozying up with a good book.
Also, if you are interested you can currently download my book A GIRL’S GUIDE TO CHICAGO for just 99 cents!
Hope you enjoy and continue to take care of each other! xo
30 Day Writing Challenge for 2019
For those of you who really want to start writing your first novel as one of your goals for 2019, I put together a 30 Day Writing Challenge checklist for 2019 that you can download, save, and use. What’s so great about this free template is that you can start this challenge whenever you like, and you can use this template for anything related to writing.
The goal is to become inspired and write something every single day for 30 days.
Even though I really enjoy writing and I’m really, really excited to write my second novel. I do find it hard sometimes to feel inspired to actually sit down and write. Whenever you are feeling this way, here are a few of my tips to help you get motivated when you are feeling especially unmotivated.
- Read a book: It’s easy to become inspired by others. If you are wanting to write your first novel, I suggest reading a few novels in the same genre as you want to write in.
- Find a space to write: Go to a coffee shop. The vibe of others working can often help get you excited to start writing. Or make a cozy area in your home to write in. A space that is all yours.
- Get tips from others: Follow some of your favorite author’s website, read their blogs, or other bloggers you enjoy following. Again, inspiration is key.
- Make a plan. It sometimes can be difficult to just open up your laptop and start to write. Before you start this challenge, I would make a list of all the things you are wanting to write about. For example, journal topics, blog topics, notes for a short story, or even outline your first novel. This will save you a lot of time trying to decide what to write about.
- Don’t listen to others: If you have the passion, anyone can write. You do not have to go to school to be a writer, and you don’t have to have the best grammar. You don’t even have to know how to edit. You can hire people to do all of that. If writing is something you have always wanted to do (even if you want to start a blog! Just do it! I love to blog! Sometimes it’s all I want to do), just get started. The hardest part is actually starting.
So, what you are waiting for? Click on the image below to get the 30 Day Writing Challenge Checklist for 2019.
2018 Reflections and Goals for 2019
2018 has been a good year. My husband and I did some traveling, I published my first book, I’m back working part-time at a job a love, a job that gives me the flexibility to pay my bill and gives me time to write my next novel and market my current book.
I really can’t complain.
I feel like a really grew this year (aren’t we always?) and I also learned a lot about how to publish a novel and how to market my novel (it’s not easy.)
I feel very proud of all of my yearly achievements.
I’m excited for the upcoming year. I definitely have some new goals this year including writing my next novel. Last year, I created a vision board checklist which was really helpful to keep all my goals organized. I truly believe when you put something out in the universe you are more than likely to achieve your goals, dreams, or aspirations.
No matter what you wish to achieve, write it down. Trust me, it works.
If you need some help to get started, you can download and save my Free Vision Board Checklist for 2019. I created it for my other blog, Girl’s Guide Chicago.
Whether your goal for the new year is writing your own first novel, or just getting your life organized for the New Year, this checklist is really helpful.
I can’t wait to share with you all about my new novel, my writing process, and I will also share my writing tips. If you are in Chicago, I also hope to do some more book signings and even a few girl’s nights.
Stay tuned and Happy New Year! xo