The past year has been one of amazing change and growth for me. I graduated college, left my first real-ish job as editor of the university newspaper, jumped into a career as a social media consultant, learned to let go of people who didn't bring me joy, watched two of my closest friends get married, lost someone who I loved, and began to find myself-- as cheesy as that sounds. Okay, it's not like those were huge events-- well, some of them were-- but they have paved the way for some major changes to come in 2016.

But before we think about the future, it's time to reflect on the past. Last year I posted a few sort-of resolutions and goals and I wanted to post a little update on if I made any progress with them.


Be kinder to others. Be kinder to myself. I won't say that I've accomplished this goal because, really, it isn't that type of goal. I have made strides to become more positive and to weed out negative thoughts, which has helped me be a kinder person. I'm not always kind-- trips to Walmart are especially difficult-- but it's something that I will continue working on.

Read good books. Watch good movies. Look at good art. I did technically read good books and watch good movies... I just didn't read or watch a lot of them. And I think maybe part of that was because I didn't carve out a lot of time to just sit down, relax, and take in a good book or movie; I always felt like there was something more important to be done. Maybe me-time should be a 2016 goal. I did, however, take a class on Western Art, so I learned about a lot of interesting and amazing art. Checkmark.

Take care of myself. Cleanse more. Moisturize morning and night. Definitely a goal I've accomplished. I mean, I have a routine now! I never had one of those before.

Eat more fruits and vegetables. Drink more water. Use that NutriBullet more. Mission accomplished. I use my NutriBullet to create smoothies filled with fruits and veggies nearly each morning.

Meditate. Breath. Be positive. Again, this is a goal that is constant work and not one that I feel like I can say I've accomplished. I do meditate occasionally, though I want to do it more. I don't take enough time to just be and breathe, sadly. I have, however, been working on being more positive and I think I'm headed in the right direction.

Support local businesses, local artists, local musicians. I did go to a couple of local art shows and I've been supporting local artists and musicians though social media. And I've definitely been shopping local more often-- how can I not when Kin Ship Goods is a local company?

Overall, I don't think I did too shabby. But I really feel like 2015 was just a springboard for an even better 2016, and I hope to harness that optimism and use it to accomplish even more in the next twelve months. You know, stuff like...