Author: thatblonderebel

What did I learn in 2020? I learned that I don’t like to be alone (I am not one in favor of permanent WFH), I fell back in love with reading, my relationships with friends and family are extremely important, and that the only person who can make you happy is YOU! My word that I verbalized in my intention setting for 2020 was FOCUS. I focused on my job, on saving money, on the blog, and honestly, by the end of it, just making it through the year. I wrote a blog post at the beginning on 2020 about how setting resolutions has really set me up for failure in the past and I am really happy I didn’t put the pressure on myself to hit specific goals. Intention setting is my route that I’m enjoying and I’ve set some intentions for this upcoming year (in no particular order):

I intend to read 24 books this year (2 books x month) – I read 16 books in 2020 so I want to continue that and increase! I think it’s so good at night to close my laptop, put down my phone, and get lost in a new story. I’m looking forward to it!

I intend to eat at home more. I’m starting this month by purchasing meals from Home Chef. The meals look absolutely yummy and I cannot wait to put my chef’s hat on. What seems awesome about this is that each meal (you pick three) come in two servings, so essentially I’ll get six meals for the week. I’ll keep y’all posted on what I think! The first week’s meals will be here on Tuesday!

I intend to intentionally move my body several times a week and can’t wait to get my Peloton on the 16th. I’m committed to 30 minutes 2-3 times a week and will see how I do. I also want to make it clear that I am not doing this to lose weight. It truly is to move more (I was so sedentary in 2020 and that needs to change) and improve my mental health. I always feel better and am honestly nicer and happier once I’ve released some endorphins.

I intend to save three months salary this year. I accomplished that goal in 2020 (and then I bought myself my Chanel bag) and would like to do it again in 2021! I work hard and I’ve realized I need to make my money work hard, too.

I intend to grow this community even more – recommitting to several blog posts a week, asking to be compensated appropriately with brand partnerships, and expanding my lifestyle topics (wellness, cooking, home decor) even more. I dipped my toe into the home and beauty sectors this year and am excited to continue!

Here are my top nine Instagram posts of 2020

We covered a lot of topics on my Instagram this year: body acceptance, my move and home decor, body positivity (especially in swim season), athletic wear on a soft body (thanks Fabletics for continuing to work with me), wore amazing dresses, the election and BLM. I used my voice, I didn’t shy away from tough conversations and although I lost hundreds of followers, I gained a deeper relationship with so many of you! This year was hard, but I’m also grateful as I feel like I’ve grown so much as a human being. I’m looking forward to the inauguration, to getting vaccinated, and to finding another new normal!

So what is my word for 2021?!

ABUNDANCE – we are going BIG this year. So here’s to being abundant in health, wealth, and happiness! That’s really all I have to say about my word of the year at this time and I think I summed it up pretty succinctly LOL.

Thanks for being here for another year!

Xx