Wow here we go. First Blog Post.
Every year on my birthday I make a goal for the following year. It can range from relax every night with a cup of tea to read more books for fun or worry less. For my 21st birthday my friends and I had brunch at a quaint French café that looked like it was out of a fairytale. With the hard wood floors, exposed brick walls, velvet chairs, and freshly picked wild flowers on every table, it was quite magical. We wore cardboard crowns and enjoyed extra foamy lattes in each other’s company. This moment made me realize how lucky I am to have so many friends who are loving and supportive, to have a group of strong women to fall back on and look up to. They are the ones who have been there through thick and thin, through medical problems and midterms. In that glitter filled moment, with a gold crown still on my head, I decide to choose a quote to live by for this next year of life: I chose “Think like a Queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness” by Oprah Winfrey. Failure can be scary and hard. Especially in college where a difficult class, a breakup (friendship or romantic), or not getting an interview for a job you want can seem like the end of the world. Framing your mindset to think of these “failures” as moments to learn from and as a stepping stone towards success, instead of missteps, can be hard. In the moment when emotions and stress are high it can seem impossible to find a bright side. Setting high standards for yourself is the only way to push forward, but sometimes the greatest skills and lessons are learned in the moments it does not go right. Sometimes you just need to sit down with lavender tea and laugh it off. In the last year I tried to get better at seeing every new change as another step towards success; I tried to find a positive side of every situation. There are still days where this is hard, but thinking of this quote for the entire year has definitely begun to change my perspective on life.
I have been working on creating a blog for over a year now, but felt like I could not get it right; I was not ready to publish it for the world. A few weeks ago I came to the realization that I may never think it was ready, but it’s something I want to do and there is always time for improvement. Oprah’s quote once again reminded me that it is okay to fail. The only way I was going to see if this idea was where I wanted it to be was to go for it. So now here we are, almost one month after my 22nd birthday. This is my first blog post and the blog is now live. As I move on to this next year of life, I have come up with another goal. This year of being 22 will be one to remember. It’s my senior year, I am taking the hardest class for my major, job recruitment is happening, my world is changing. By my next birthday I will be a college graduate, I will have a grownup job, and I will be living in a new place. As someone who is not always great with change, I will admit I am a little scared, but also excited about this new path ahead. In this year of big life changes my goal is to enjoy every moment, try new things, and let the cards fall as they may. You’re only twenty-two once after all, and boy am I feeling twenty-two. Here's to many more blog posts.
Love & Laughter, Kaitlin