Word of the Year: SOAR
Dress: Badgley Mischka (you can also rent via Rent the Runway) // Earrings: Park Lane
Location: South Padre Island
Wow! What a weekend! I had an incredible time on South Padre Island and will be sharing tons of fun content over the next few weeks for Spring Break ideas (both snow and sea) but this morning I wanted to talk more about the overarching theme I’ve chosen for 2022. For the past five years, I’ve chosen a word every single year as a focus for my life throughout the year. First, it was the word “health” after getting pneumonia at the end of 2017. Then, it was “simplify” in 2019 where I share my struggles with feeling a lack of purpose in my life. In 2020 I chose the word “explode” where my entire life took a huge leap forward. I ended a relationship, moved cities and my business doubled that year in followers, website traffic, and income. This past year I chose the word “abundance” and let me tell you, I had no idea what was in store. My life took another large leap forward and I experienced success in professional and personal areas of growth. Moving into a home after living in apartments and cottages for years was huge. I started traveling a lot on my own and experienced an increase in peace in my life. Here we are at the beginning of 2022 and I’m choosing the word - “soar” to rise above anything I’ve ever done before in my life. I’ve set some pretty remarkable goals this year and will be working on hitting them one by one.
Goals have always driven my life. From an early age, you would find me in my room list-making away the things I was looking to do in my life. Sometimes it would be what I would wear the next day or the ballet exercises I would practice, but I did it. When I was in seventh grade I met a girl who invited me over for her annual NYE slumber party. We had the best time playing games, hanging out, watching movies, and then her mom had us all gather in the living room and take out a sheet of paper. We were to write a letter with one resolution in it. She would later mail it to us at the end of the year so we could see if we did it! I wrote that I was going to get on point in ballet. I had no idea how, the ballet school I was attending didn’t even teach pointe but it was my aspiration as a kid and I was determined. Little did I know I was calling forth my future self who would later perform ballet with professional ballerinas.
That year I started rising before anyone in my house so I could have the living room all to myself. I’d practice over and over each more of my barre exercises before getting dressed for school. I would later see in my medical records that my mom told the doctor I was “obsessive” and a “perfectionist”. Both were needed in ballet to find success. Each day the alarm when off before my military father was back from PT and before the rest of the house was up and I would stretch, warm up, and practice tirelessly. I was building the muscles and strength needed in my feet and legs to safely start dancing on pointe. It paid off, that summer I began attending an exclusive ballet studio and received my very first pair of pointe shoes that October. Dreams do come true when you turn that dream into a goal.
Close your eyes. Imagine what you want your life to look like in 5 years. Then, write it down. Find a way to get closer this year to that dream. If it’s live in a house, put it on paper. Maybe your dream is to go volunteer to spend time with animals and you need help in your schedule to be able to. Maybe you want to be able to finish that painting or project. Whatever it is, no matter how big or small - WRITE IT DOWN. There’s magic in calling it forth when you put your dreams on paper. As you choose your own word of the year this year, I challenge you to look inward at what’s missing in your life. Document it, put that word on your bathroom mirror, social media and share it with everyone. As for me, I’ll be sharing all year long on the blog and to anyone within earshot. It’s been working for me for half a decade, that’s enough proof for me. Happy New Year! - Xoxo - Crystal
