As 2020 comes to a close, I have been reflecting on these past twelve months. This year, many unexpected events occurred; both good and bad. I know that many people around the world have struggled a lot this year due to COVID-19, and this was something that absolutely none of us saw coming.
For me personally, I was able to take a step back and relax, spend time with my loved ones, take care of my overall wellbeing, and start/continue some projects that I had been wanting to work on. I am so extremely grateful that I live with a big family, and they made being in quarantine so much easier. I feel lucky to have them because I recognize the fact that not everyone has been able to be with their families, and some people have had to spend this year completely isolated from everyone they love. This crazy pandemic has affected everyone differently, but one thought that has been helping me through is knowing that the entire world is going through this challenging time together, and that (for the most part) people have been doing their part to stay safe and end this pandemic.
Today, I wanted to share some important moments and milestones that occurred in my life this year. While these events are all positive and exciting, I want to say that I don’t want anyone to think that I am being insensitive to all of the sadness that occurred this year. My heart sincerely hurts for those of you who have experienced pain, loss, and grief this year, and I recognize that this has not been the best or easiest year for a large number of people. 2020 may not have been the year that we expected, but I truly do believe that a lot of good has come out of it. It can be really difficult to focus on the positives at a time like this, but we have to try. I often describe myself as a positive person, so with all of that being said, I would really like to share some of the good moments that I went through in 2020!
- Went hiking once a month for twelve months
In 2019, my uncle and I decided to try going on at least one hike a month for the year, and we completed that goal. I am happy to say that we reached that goal again for 2020! Every month we found a place to hike; some hikes were more intense than others, but we sadly do not have a ton of great hiking locations in our area. Still, there are some beautiful places to hike, and I really enjoy being out in nature from time to time. It always feels good to get up and get moving, and really anyone can go for a hike or walk! It was especially nice to do this when I felt like I was just in the house for too many days at a time. Some days, quarantining took a toll on me, so I was thrilled to spend some time outside!
- Celebrated my four year anniversary of weight training
On February 23rd, I celebrated my four year anniversary of weight training! I truly can’t believe that I have been on my fitness journey for over four years at this point, and now more than ever, I am feeling ready to get back in the gym and push myself! Of course, this year my fitness journey took a bit of a turn and my motivation dropped significantly. I persevered and I did my best to continue working out through at-home weight training, HIIT, and even yoga! I began doing yoga daily in April, and I am proud to say that I have not skipped a day since! Yoga really became my main form of exercise this year, and while I do enjoy it, I miss weight training. My gym opened back up in September, but I won’t be going back until I feel safe to do so! I am feeling ready to reach new fitness goals in 2021!
- Went on my dream trip to France
This was truly the trip of a lifetime for me! I had always dreamed of traveling to Paris, and in November of 2019, an opportunity came my way and I simply couldn’t refuse. On February 29th, I left for a week-long trip to Paris and Lyon! I was hesitant and nervous to go on this trip for multiple reasons, but I am so happy that I decided to go, and I have zero regrets! I am very fortunate to attend a university that allows for students to travel through multiple study abroad programs, and I never imagined I would have the confidence to actually go on one! It was my first time being away from my family for that long, but once I was there, I realized just how ready I was for something like this. I learned to be more brave, confident, and independent. One of my biggest dreams came true, and I was able to check the biggest item off of my bucket list! Click here to read about my trip to France!
- Traveled locally
Sadly, our big family vacation was canceled this year due to COVID-19. We stayed hopeful, however things had not gotten much better by June (when we would have been leaving). I will not share exactly where we were going to travel just yet, but I am excited to share it with you when we reschedule the trip (hopefully for the summer of 2021)! Hint: it is a country in Western Europe! We safely booked a two week trip to the beach at the end of June, and we were able to get away from home for a bit! At that point, I was happy to go anywhere, because being at home all day everyday was getting frustrating. We stayed in a nice beach house at a private beach, staying as safe as possible. In November, my family and I also went on a weekend getaway to the mountains. Although our original travel plans were canceled, I was very grateful to be able to do some exploring this year!
- Celebrated my 21st birthday
On July 14th, I turned 21, surrounded by my family and my best friend! It felt really nice to simply dress up and feel special for the day! Every year for my birthday, I always choose to eat dinner at The Melting Pot, which is a delicious fondue restaurant! We hadn’t been out to eat since early March, but we decided to eat out on this day. We did this as safely as we possibly could by going a bit earlier in the day to avoid crowds, wearing our masks, and sitting in a private room. Later on, we had some cake and I opened a few thoughtful gifts. The years seem to go by faster and faster the older I get, but I was never one to be afraid of growing up. I was excited to turn 21, and I am happy to be in such a good place in my life, surrounded by some amazing people!
- Fell in love
They say that the best things happen when you least expect it, and I can say that this is 100% true. Over the past few years, I’ve really been taking the time to learn how to love myself. It hasn’t always been easy, and it is something I am working on each day. Little did I know that by starting my self-love journey, it would eventually attract the right people into my life. I ended up connecting with someone who now holds such a special place in my heart. I truly feel like the luckiest girl in the world, and I wake up every day feeling confident, happy, and grateful, and he is such a big reason why! He is patient, understanding, generous, loving, kind-hearted, funny, witty, and everything I could have ever wanted in a person and more! I have felt things this year that I didn’t even know a person could feel. At one point in time, July 22nd was just another day, and now it is the most special day!
- Celebrated one year of “Compass to Confidence”
On August 15th, I celebrated one year of blogging on Compass to Confidence! It is so crazy that I launched my website over a year ago now! I remember how nervous I was to put my personal writing out there, but now my words have a home in this world, and I am always very excited to share more content with you all! I have always had a love for writing, and I have big plans for my blog in the future! I want to continue to share my passions, give tips, and inspire anyone who reads my writing to be confident. I am very outspoken when it comes to self-love and self-care because I have directly seen the benefits in my life, and I think everyone deserves to feel this way. I have a lot planned for my second year of blogging, so I hope that you will stick around, or if you are new here, I would really appreciate it if you would subscribe, and share my blog with your friends and family! Thank you so much for the support! Click here to read about my first year of blogging!
- Started my senior year of college
My second semester of my junior year ended differently than I had planned. After I got back from my trip to France, everything changed and we very quickly switched to virtual learning. Although it was a little bit sad, stressful, and even confusing at times, I got through and completed my junior year! I truly can’t believe how fast my college experience is flying by! I’ve been working really hard, and I just recently finished up my first semester of my senior year, and I will be graduating in May of 2021! This is an accomplishment that I am already so proud of, and although I am nervous, I am also excited to see where life takes me after school!
I feel like I’ve learned so much this year about patience, self-care, love and relationships, and even myself. While of course this year was not perfect, I’ve been able to find so much beauty in it. If I’m being honest, I was a bit hesitant to share this blog post because I feared how others would perceive it. I don’t want anyone to think that absolutely nothing went wrong for me this year, or that I never had a bad day, because this wouldn’t be true. But I do believe in expressing gratitude and sharing positivity, so that is what I am doing.
I also wanted to share this blog post to say thank you so much to those of you who read my blog. It means the world to me to have your support! I know in my heart that helping others through my writing is my purpose in life, and I will never stop working toward that goal. Whether my writing reaches ten people or ten thousand people, I will be living my dream! I hope to grow my blog and the Compass to Confidence community. If you are a returning reader, I hope that you will continue to follow me along on this self-love journey, and I hope to help guide you through yours. If you’re new here, welcome! If you are curious as to what “Compass to Confidence” is all about, click here, and I hope you will stick around as well!
Thank you all so much again! I am feeling so positive and hopeful heading into 2021! I know beautiful things are coming our way. I am wishing you all a happy, healthy, and safe 2021, and I’ll be back with fresh and exciting content in the new year! Until next time!
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