Over the past few months I’ve been reflecting on my life and all its intricacies; goals I accomplished, new goals I want to set for the new year and obstacles I’ve overcome. It dawned on me that instead of a traditional “resolution,” I needed a word or phrase to focus on that keeps me locked on pursuing my goals for the new year. Something I could use to hold myself accountable and prevent me from reverting back to things that no longer serve me. That phrase is letting go. I’m letting go of things I have zero control over. I’m letting go of toxic friendships or relationships that do nothing but poison my life and drain my energy. Most importantly, I’m letting go of the outrageous expectations I put on myself to be perfect (damn you perfectionism). I am human and I will make mistakes, that’s just a fact, but what I can do is learn from those mistakes and not repeat them.

What has been some benefits of letting go in these aforementioned instances? Well for one, I have made space in my life to cultivate new genuine friendships. We live in a world where we have access to so many people without truly knowing them. Take a chance and meet a follower on instagram that you really vibe with and find out what they are really about. While referencing my new phrase of the year, I should note that I am not in the business of discarding people like they are garbage, but when people show you who they are and it is presented as negative energy, sometimes the best thing for you to do is to release it or to let it go. It has truly helped me recognize that sometimes it’s important to be selfish, when being selfless becomes harmful to your own well being.

Letting go is helping me redefine my definition of true self-care. All of 2018, I grew so accustomed to accommodating everyone that I often neglected myself. The effects of that slowly turned into anxiety whenever there was an event I was supposed to be excited about going to. Doing my make-up and hair, while jamming to tunes, used to be so therapeutic but it began to feel like a chore. That’s when I knew something had to change. I can’t be in 10 different places at the same time and I know that now more than ever. I am now more comfortable declining invitations because I’m tired and don’t feel well or because I simply don’t want to go. Phew! Adulting and the fine print we often forget to read.

Last month I celebrated my 32nd birthday in a low-key, yet memorable way. I often plan to take a trip to a new country for my birthday but it never materializes. This year I had dental issues that plagued me for about 4 months and while I was focused on trips back and forth to the dentist to figure out what’s wrong, my birthday planning wasn’t much of a priority.

One of the cool things I did to kick off my celebratory month was visit 29 Rooms. It was interactive funhouse of style, culture, & technology brought to life by a group of contributing artists. You can watch my Highlights. I wish it was structured and more organized like the Museum of Ice Cream. The lines were ridiculously long so we were unable to visit all rooms.

Some small victories to note:

I also had the opportunity to interview with @traveleatslay

For my actual birthday, I planned a brunch with a few of my friends and I am just grateful to have these people helping me celebrate another trip around the sun. This was the most grounded birthday ever and it really set me on a path of level-headedness in the new year.

“Same ol Bri” isn’t about being stagnant. I still want to experience growth in the best way possible. Same ol Bri (my shortened middle name *bree*) is a reminder to stay true to my ever-evolving self.

-xoxo Lipstickcoco