Gratitude Lately

First and foremost, it's been a while. But I'm SO excited to finally be in a place where I feel compelled to write again, and share blogging content which has always been near and dear to my heart.

The current digital landscape is all about video content so a lot of my content this year has been centered around this for growth. And while I enjoy a good Tiktok or IG Reel, I still love writing a good blog post. So I'm bringing this space back to life to share all the things that I love sharing like my thoughts, things to do in Philly/NJ/NYC, lifestyle and wellness content and more. Basically, there are no limits here and I look forward to re-opening this platform to connect with my community!

Anyway, let's get into this week's post.

I've been reflecting a lot lately as we approach the end of the year and I've been experiencing a lot of special moments that has me feeling extremely grateful in my current season. For context, up until now, 2022 has been extremely difficult and I went through really tough adjustments and transitions that left me questioning if they'd ever pass. There were a lot of low moments and anxiety that constantly had me worrying about the future or ruminating on the actions in the past that put me that current reality.

Basically, being present and finding moments of gratitude seemed impossible.

As the the months went by and the dark times slowly faded away, fast forward to today, I'm feeling extremely grateful for so many of the things currently happening in my life. My current season right now looks completely different than it did 6 months ago which a lasting reminder that hard times don't last forever.

It's easy to feel helpless when it seems like things keep getting harder, when the going keeps getting tough, when you feel like you keep getting knocked down. But my today is my own proof that there is always light at the end of the tunnel.

Over the last few weeks, I've felt so many moments of gratitude right there in the moment which feels so good. Letting go of the hold that anxiety has had on me this year has allowed me to be present in my experiences and enjoy the moment right then and there as it's happening. This has also allowed me to express the gratitude that I have for others in real time as a moment of openness and tender vulnerability. This has been especially special being able to share with my loved ones the impact of their presence in my life and the way sharing time together makes me feel.

So, here were some moments of gratitude that I've had over the last few days:

1. Over the weekend I spent time with my boyfriend's extended family celebrating his birthday. Seeing him in his element around his family makes me feel extremely grateful to be in a long term partnership with someone who values family the same way I do. I'm also grateful for my partner himself for bringing me around his family and them accepting as one of their own. Family is so important to me and this shared value of ours is one of my favorite parts of our relationship.

2. I was relaxing on Sunday evening after a great weekend and as I was sitting on my couch, I sat in gratitude over the fact that I no longer experience "Sunday Scaries" as I had been experiencing all year. I recently started a new job and it has been an complete change from the work environment that I'm coming from. I'm on a great team doing work that I really enjoy. I have flexibility in my schedule and I'm working with a workload and a pace that is comfortable for me. My Sundays are no longer ruined by anxiety wondering what toxicity the work week will bring. I'm extremely grateful for this current season of my corporate career.

3. I recently hit 25k followers on Tiktok which brings me to over 30,000 followers collectively across my online platforms. This year, my community has grown so much which is making my 18 year old self smile from ear to ear. I've been a "content creator" since my freshman year of college, starting with blog and article writing to sharing pieces of my life and my thoughts via my social media platforms. I never really obsessed over numbers/views because I genuinely enjoy making content that inspires and empowers others but seeing my community continue to grow in the way that it has this year has been heartwarming. I've been granted the opportunity to work with some really cool brands, began being paid for my work, secured my first travel partnership and I've been able to bring my loved ones along to exclusive experiences and events. My online platforms have opened up so many doors and opportunities and I am so grateful for this journey and the growth I've seen this year.

Now to be real, things still aren't perfect but in reality, life rarely is. But rooting myself in gratitude allows me to focus on the bigger picture and appreciate life as a whole, rather than focusing on the parts that aren't so great.

I've been working on journaling daily and writing down 3 things I'm grateful for each day. No matter how big or small. And I challenge you to do the same. Whether it's gratitude for the leaves turning colors, a delicious coffee that you had from your favorite coffee shop, or a new promotion that you received, focus on finding the moments that make you say stop and say, "I am grateful."