A Wrap on 2024
“If the breakdown is really big, so is the next great thing that is coming.” -Mel Robbins
2024 was my “next great thing.” The previous year of 2023 was filled with many wonderful highlights, but it truly felt like a year that rocked my soul. So much so that I don’t think I was able to process it all until we were months into 2024. All that I did know was that I couldn’t spend another year where I felt like my soul was being drained.
As the final chapter of 2024 comes to a close, I can’t help spending some time reflecting on the year. A year that truly felt like a fresh start. A chance to evaluate the last couple of years of my life and figure out what works and is no longer sustainable for me. After graduating college in 2017, I kicked my life into overdrive in terms of my career and work. Somehow it even felt like at times I was able to turn it up to turbo speed. If I had a theme song that could describe these chapters of my life, it would be Alabama’s, “I’m in a Hurry.”
Why I was in a hurry….. I truly don’t know why. Perhaps it was this idea of success that I instilled into my brain at such a young age. Perhaps it was the thrill of people pleasing and feeling loved when someone noticed my hard work. Maybe it was this idea of proving others wrong - that dammit I really could do all the things. I can be so successful! But when you begin to use that mentality as fuel and you do it for so many years…. you eventually run out of steam. And that’s exactly what happened to me in 2023.
A major business failure that turned into a financial crisis also played a role… but that’s a story for another time. I know it might be hard to believe, but I did take the time to slow down at the beginning of 2024. I kept reverting to times when I was a child and how I felt so much happier then. Which led me to wonder - why do we stop doing the things that we loved as a child? Why do we let growing up and becoming an adult take the magic out of our lives? I decided that in 2024, I wasn’t going to do that anymore. I was ready to fully dive into doing more things that I loved. Things that I had not done since I was a child. One of which was writing. Little did I know that picking the pen back up would lead to my first-ever published novel. It would also unlock this creative side in my brain that had not been touched in years. After I wrote my first novel, The Club by the Sea, I quickly began to draft my next novel. While also drafting a coffee table book. While also drafting a book of poetry. All of which I plan to release sometime in the future. One project at a time. (:
I traveled more in 2024 than ever. Each destination, each face, and each story I made along the way filled my soul with so much happiness. Speaking of my soul - I realized that in 2024, I needed to seriously get my health in gear. Unfortunately, I let my life consume me and it started to affect my health. Stress and anxiety were turning into bigger issues that were really messing with my body. So, in 2024 I consistently worked out with a personal trainer who helped me work on my fitness goals. I didn’t want to be stuck in previous habits where I would become a gym head for months then return to old ways then repeat the cycle all over again. I wanted to be consistent and sustainable with not just fitness, but my relationship with food as well. I realized that in addition to working out, going for walks does help get the job done. What started as one day going for a walk through town turned into my favorite activity of the day. Daily walks through town made me notice things that I often overlooked while driving. It made me feel so much better mentally as well. And if you ever saw me dancing and singing while on my walks…. no, you didn’t….okay, maybe you did.
In 2024, I realized that there is contentment in the now. Happiness can’t always be in the next big thing. It’s sometimes just simply that cup of coffee on a slow Saturday morning. It’s sitting by a fire with your friends just chatting about life. It’s getting up each day and getting the choice to do something that you love with your life. I know that for me, I want to live a life where everything I do is centered around love. A life where I give love, I do all the things I love, and I surround myself with people who I know are going to always make me feel loved. Even when it’s tough love.
To wrap up 2024, I am not saying all of these things as a way of bragging. There were many moments throughout the year where I didn’t always feel optimistic. I do say all of these things because life is forever changing. Maybe 2024 was not your year. If it wasn’t, I want you to know that is okay and I send all of my love. I also want you to know that your next big thing is coming. And if you need something that will remind you of how valuable you are - I am sharing a poem below that I wrote this year originally as a reminder for myself. Because sometimes we just need to remember that we are the sun.