2019 Year in Review: The End of a New Beginning

It’s strange that 2020 is nearly here, the end of a decade. 2019 felt like it just came and gone like the wind, as so did the holiday season. I feel like this 2019 is where a lot of things happened for me and actually, I feel like it was where the majority of my growth shined through! In my post “Celebrating New Year’s Eve With The Pine Cone Drop in Flagstaff”, I talked about all the things I overcame, my wins, and all the changes I had to experience that year. I also talked about how I came to end the year at Flagstaff by watching the quirky pine cone drop.

I feel like making a post for the end of a year is a tradition I will continue for my blog, From One Girl to One World. I make a lot of posts on content that I hope to help others, but I feel like these posts touch upon what is personal towards me and one that I think anyone can reflect on too if it resonates.

You can read about my other yearly review blog posts from the previous years here: 2018 | 2017 | Or read more about the more recent years here.

So let’s get into it…

A recap of my year in 2019

My thoughts for 2019

2019 was a tough year, but then again, most of my years felt like that. It was a year though FULL of damn realizations that hit me back-to-back. I needed a lot of work to be done for myself and I think this was the year I realized my goals for myself was more important than anyone else’s. 2019 was also a beautiful year, full of so many wonderful travels and interesting places I’ve come across. It’s also where I felt my healthiest in SO LONG.

Speaking on those realizations, I came to understand I should not compare my journey with others and to accept where I’ve come from. I also opened up my mind to understand that I do not have to follow the path of everyone else and I will need to go on my own. Timing is the biggest factor for almost anything and all that anticipation or waiting around is determined by the time that we cannot control, which follows up with what I’m about to mention.

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I’ve embraced my setbacks and used them to my advantage.

Rejections were the constant theme for this year. Rejected by several jobs and rejected by heartbreak. It tore me apart, but I stand here, tall and resilient. I had some breakdowns but I got right back up and days just felt easier after that. My friends who know me always tell me that I’m the type of person who never gives up and I hope that will stay with me.

However, I always look at rejections or setbacks with hindsight. You know that saying “Hindsight is 20/20”? Well, I never knew what was going to be in my future predictions, but some gut feeling in my stomach kept saying “maybe it’s not going to be your time yet.” That’s because if I did get back into the 9-5 schedule right away, I wouldn’t have been able to know how much my hobbies meant for my mental and spiritual growth and how much I value my blog and how I want to hone in my skills, as well as for the freelance projects I’ve handled. I wouldn’t have had the time to realize ANY of these, as I did not when I was in that workforce during college.

All I could be proud of from those moments on and with each setback is that at least I tried my best effort. I have factored in the bad and overly competitive job market too. Only God knows what is pushing me back from pursuing my dreams within my field, but at the same time, with my own blog, I have felt like I’ve been already living that dream… I created opportunities for myself by myself. You should continue to give yourself credit and don’t lose out on doing that.

Don’t let the negativity eat you up too much. Good things always come too.

Making a new place my home and making it feel like home.

On October 2018, I have officially moved to Arizona from New Jersey after graduating. For many months, I had no friends and I did not know how to put myself out there to meet those people. I still don’t believe I have as many friends as I do back home, but knowing that and as an introvert-extrovert, I had to get out of my comfort zone to meet people using apps like Bumble.

Little did I know, I would meet friends from friends and my confidence skyrocketed. Though, I still find that I cherished my solo time a lot more this year. I also became closer to my family once again while living with them again.

I’ve learned that in order to make a new home feel like home is to treat it like home already. You need to explore the places and experiences that your new home state has to offer! Follow the advice of locals. Put yourself out there to meet people who want to do things you want to do too. And not to mention, food and games always bond people together…

I became more active and practiced mindfulness.

I am healthier than I ever was. I talk about here often how I was sedentary and would not be committed to fitness as much as I am now, especially since moving here. I realized that mountains, which are plentiful to find in Arizona, were a part of feeling connected spiritually.

In fact, I joined the life-changing #52HikeChallenge. With conquering over thousands of feet in elevation in total in so many weeks, I am VERY close to finishing this challenge. But, as the holidays came by and with family coming over, I kind of took a break. I also JUST signed up for a short-term membership in a yoga studio (which I am deciding if I should extend it after), so I’m now learning about yoga and pilates through classes – albeit, they really make you feel good after!

I was very determined to making hiking part of my routine in life that I became accepted to be a Hike Like A Woman ambassador for 2019-2020, out of hundreds of women who applied. Their community is full of 40,000+ followers! It’s astonishing really.

I loved how all those forms of workouts are good for your physical health AND to help empower your mind to meditation more. As someone who grew up in a state full of a rushy mentality and being stressed out in that environment, I think that meditating was something I needed to do for myself long ago.

If I continue to do these, I know how these will all translate to me becoming a better person each time. In fact, until this year, I didn’t realize it but I am sort of an adrenaline seeker!

I honestly learned to also be more grateful for everything I’ve experienced in my life so far. Sometimes, I smile like a dumb fool because I am so touched by those beautiful moments that happened this year and those moments actually felt like it came from a movie (being in touch with nature, spending time with loved ones in nice cities, re-connecting with loved ones, going back to the moment I felt so accomplished out of my mind when I climbed that mountain, and etc.). Those moments sometimes help me put myself out of miserable thoughts I may dwell on.

I’ve taken this blog to a more professional level.

Actually, in November 2018, I made my WordPress.com blog into a self-hosted one, which is what you see now. I feel that I have more freedom to do what I can with this blog like placing ads and working with affiliate programs. So, this is only the first year where I’ve actually taken my blog MORE serious and see it as a business.

I also saw a growth in my traffic, which is so cool because I came from having only my friends and family be my readers. I’ve incorporated public relations and a lot more social media channels and sparked engagement a lot more this year to help my brand and as a marketer, I know how important it is to keep these ongoing. I actually just landed a few sponsorships this year, whereas I only had one in 2017 and none in 2018.

I also learned more about how to create better blog posts and with the amount of writing I did this year, I learned how to write better. I also became more consistent in writing blog posts weekly (yay!). After all, the more you practice, the better you get. Reading a bunch of articles on blogging and marketing helped; self-education is one way to learn better and since being out of school, I am going to continue teaching myself things.

I tried new things.

I think every year, we should all dare to challenge ourselves to try new things. Some of the new things I tried this year in 2019 were horseback riding, going to my first First Friday in Phoenix, going to my first Renaissance festival, camping in the desert for the first time, taking my first yoga and pilates classes, trying Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and trying out new food, just to name a few.

Also, going to new places/states/countries is always trying something new too.

In a nutshell

This post was getting longer than I planned! So, I made a video, which I posted on both of my Instagram and YouTube channel, to showcase some of my travels I did this year and a life-changing journey I encountered in 2019. All those things I mentioned before contributed to the person I am today and for that, I am grateful.

My pilates instructor mentioned we should all find balance. This is one of my biggest resolutions and wishes for the new year. Maybe, it’s yours too. Maybe you’ve already reached that state and you’re hoping for more, so whatever it is, I believe we can all do it.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE! And may we all continue to grow and be inspired by our own journeys. ✨

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