Show Up For Yourself

Happy new year, and happy first blog post of 2019! Wow, I can't believe we're already nine whole days into this thing. This year is all about making wise decisions, being fearless, taking some risks, being consistent, and diving deeper into the things that bring me joy. You know the deal, no new year resolutions for me. It's all about constant evolution. Intentions and goals, big and small, and so far, I've been doing pretty good with mine. First off, I started Adriene's 30-day yoga journey just as I promised myself I'd do.  I've gotta say, it feels good to be on that mat again.  I may not always be in the best of moods or even feel like doing it, but I show up anyway, and I always feel so much better afterwards. Practicing yoga right before bedtime is a great relaxer (I tend to land on the mat between 9:30-10pm every night; I've been experiencing some of the best sleep.

For me, it's all about not letting my damn self down. My #1 commitment is to consistently show up for myself, and that means sticking to the goals and intentions that I've set for myself. I wrote my intentions down, some much more crucial than others, but all things that I am focused on sticking with. Some of them as simple as taking more walks, keeping my home decluttered (just made two Goodwill runs this week), only investing in relationships that invest back (word to Rachel Nguyen), watching more movies & documentaries, discovering more music, reading more books, meeting Madlib (shut up; it could happen).

Secondly, I've been writing in my journal much more consistently. I purchased a journal for all of my intimate thoughts, in addition to a Moleskine notebook to use for jotting down things that inspire me, places around the city (and beyond) that I want to explore, ideas that are swimming aimlessly around in my head, blog post ideas, and notes on photography. I've been watching tons of youtube videos about the art of photography, and have become so inspired and more importantly, fully committed to learning more. I really want to become more comfortable shooting in Manual mode. Can you believe I've never used the manual feature on my cameras? I've just always stuck with auto mode because it's "safe." I'm truly ready to get my money's worth with this camera. ISO, shutter speed, aperture - the holy trinity of photography, and it's high time I understood how they compliment one another in order to achieve the perfect shot.

I've also been obsessing heavily over film cameras. I plan to purchase a nice vintage one very soon. I've become completely enamored by all of the beautiful, moody photos taken on 35mm film these days. Nothing excites me more than an amazing photo, shot on an old Minolta film camera. One of my favorite Instagram accounts right now is selfieonfilm. So many creative shots. It really gets my wheels to turning. I just love how everything old is suddenly new again. What interesting times we're living in. I've always been a true nostalgic, so I've just been super gushy over photos with that raw, vintage feel, even more now than ever.

As with every new year, we tend to go into it with our boxing gloves on, ready to kick ass and take over the world. It's always the intention to keep that energy all year long, but we all know that isn't realistic, and because I'm a realist, I'm here to tell you, this journey ain't a fairytale. My advice is to simply do your best. Carve out time in between working, and obligations, and taking care of everyone else, and do something for YOU. Stop making excuses, and do that one thing you keep putting off. Self-satisfaction and personal fulfillment is real, and absolutely essential for a more fulfilling life, and this is why I am so hopeful for 2019. Let's create magic within ourselves.

PS. Rachel's vlog about her journaling process is really good.