Happy 2020! I love reflecting on the past. Not because we can change it, but because in the past you can visualize growth, you see an older version of yourself that longed for something and went after it. I’m a huge believe that you need to fail a thousand times before you can succeed, and this year I had a lot of fails.
I enjoy doing these yearly recaps as a way to remember all my personal milestones and share my learnings. It’s so fun to look back on how I was feeling and see how much growth can happen in a year. This is my 3rd year doing this. I’m changing up the format a little bit, but if you’re curious you can take a peek back at 2018 and 2017 goals.
This platform has brought me so much joy (while incredibly challenging at times), I feel so grateful to have this little corner of the internet to express and discover myself while having a hub to visualize my personal growth. THANK you to those of you that read my words and share this experience with me. It means more than you will ever know. Let’s recap the end of the decade!
Contents
Favorite Personal Moments of 2019
1. Moving in with CJ
Obvs, I had to put this one first. Cj and I have been friends for 7 years and have been dating for 3 years! We weren’t originally planning to move in together until April/May 2019 but we started looking at what was available and fell fast for our apartment. We moved in on Valentines Day.
2. Traveling to some magical places
This year I visited South Africa, Namibia, Chicago, Utah, Phoenix, Cabo, NYC, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Austin and Hawaii. It was one of my favorite years of travel. We took CJ’s parents on their first international trip and they LOVED it. We’re currently working on another trip for 2020!
Best Career Moments of 2019
This wraps up my first year of creating content full-ish time for my blog. It’s definitely a challenge trying to be consistent while having a full time job and trying to shoot, respond to emails, write new content, pitch brands, and do all the things. But it’s been incredibly rewarding. I hope to be more consistent in 2020. A few things i’m proud of this year:
- Releasing my first FREE digital product, How to Save Money & Travel the World
- Increasing my earnings by over 600% and having a few 3 figure months
- Working with brands I admire
- Traveling to Hawaii and Arizona for work
Leona Marlene Blog Fun Facts:
- We gained over 4,000 new friends on Instagram
- I started to play around with video more and it’s been such a fun learning experience
- Top 3 favorite blog posts this year were Bachelorette Guide to Palm Springs, Weekend Escape to Tuolumne County, Mexico City: Day Trip to the Pyramids
- CJ started helping with travel guides and has helped write a few posts
Advice & Things I’ve Learned
- Life is fragile. Losing my aunt at the beginning of 2019 was one of the hardest things I’ve ever gone through. It’s encouraged me even more to say yes to new challenges and experiences. I want to live this life to the fullest.
- I will never regret a workout. Just get off the couch and do it
- Stop waiting for life to slow down. There will never be enough hours in the day. Embrace the pace or find ways to re-prioritize
- I need to be more patient. I’m very critical at times and it’s something I need to work on
- Invest in those that invest in you. Friendship is special
- Don’t mind the opinions of others if they aren’t in the ring with you and fighting the same fight
Cheers to the last year in my 20s. I aim to be more patient and understanding. Say yes to things that bring me joy. Have less fear around judgement. Take more videos. Love hard. Find joy in ever day. Chase my dreams.
Above all else, I want to thank YOU. You, reading this right now. Thank you for being apart of something that’s so special to me. Thank you for reading my words and engaging with what I create. You are truly special and I wish you the happiest year ahead.
xx
