Out with the old, in with the new!

Before 2018 ended, I promised myself that I would create the best possible reality in 2019. I envisioned growth, prospering, and great, fantastic new things.

However, the difficult thing about introducing new elements to life is that often times, this means letting go of old things. If you buy new clothes, you eventually have to get rid of your old stuff, unless you want a monstrosity of a closet. I guess the same applies to life. In order to stay healthy and organized, I need to throw away things that are no longer useful to me in order to make room for these newer, arguably better things coming my way.

Booties and beer. Girls trip to Houston!

My best friend, Abby, is a certified yoga instructor. She has completed her yoga teacher training, attends workshops, and goes to yoga all the damn time before returning to her hip and over-priced NYC apartment. I love her dearly, and she gives some pretty great advice. Abby has shared with me a helpful and yoga related concept of letting. shit. go. Shit=bad=not healthy=does not increase the value of my life. Hanging on to unhealthy habits and toxic people will ultimately tear me apart and ruin any hope for a stable lifestyle. Slowly, I am learning how to better take her advice and apply it.

My good friend, Lyyli, introduced me to aerial silks. We have been going to classes weekly!

I would like to share some of the habits and ideas in my life that are no longer serving me.

1.  Doing stupid shit. Listen, I am basically the Dionysus of dumb bitch juice and am known to chug that ish like a college frat student. What kind of stupid shit does Natalie do, you ask? While I stay out of legal trouble and avoid drugs like the plague, I still manage to do incredibly dumb and self destructive things. Not sleeping enough, not eating enough, and otherwise neglecting my body are just a few examples of this. I also have a terrible tendency to let trash-humans treat me terribly, which leads me to my next point…
2. I LET TRASH HUMANS TREAT ME TERRIBLY. Oh, you know, the usual. I love people with my heart on my sleeve. Friends, relationships, family, you name it. I care so much, in fact, that I have a hard time drawing firm boundaries and standing up for myself when people yell at me, call me names, or otherwise treat me like absolute garbage. No more of this in 2019, y ‘all!
3. Not prioritizing my own mental health. I have always focused on helping others while miserably failing at helping my own self. I’ve realized I can’t exhaust my resources and never refuel.
4. Trusting too easily and freely. Not everyone is malicious, obviously, but I have learned the hard way to not take someone’s word until I can reasonably justify their ability to follow through or be truthful. Actions speak louder than words.

Brunette moment happening for the first time ever!

I have had some very bad habits that I am proactively working to mediate. Now let’s chat about the great new stuff that is happening NOW, and will (ideally, absolutely, positively) continue to happen this year.

1. Growing in my professional life. I am super motivated to continue down a successful path at my current position and want to open new doors for myself.
2. Going back to school for my LPC license. I have a strong sense of direction for my academic future and know that obtaining a higher level of education will only improve my ability to perform in the workplace I am already in. I have scheduled to meet with an academic advisor at a school local to me in Dallas to see what my options are.
3. Finding validity and happiness within myself, for myself. People in your lfe should make you happy. This is healthy and expected. However, I’ve had the tendency to rely solely on my partner or my friends to contribute to my happiness while neglecting myself. For the first time in my life, I have found the ability to be comfortable and okay in my own skin. I am learning to not crave validation from anyone to feel secure within myself. Not only this, but I am also learning to do these things solely for the greater good of ME, and not anyone else!
4. Doing nice and healthy things for ME, ONLY ME, MUAH. I am drained from catering to everyone and anyone. I have tossed away major prospects in life from apartments to jobs to even school to accommodate others. When, Natalie, do you start saying “fuck you” to haters and do things simply for your OWN health and happiness? I’ve started NOW. If I want to get Panda Express at 10pm with my own credit card in my own damn car all alone, I will do that ish and make sure to blast Taylor Swift the entire ride. Random weekend trip to the beach? Sign me the hell up, hasta la vista. I feel so empowered doing things for MYSELF because I deserve it.
5. Surrounding myself with healthy people. I have learned that the people you surround yourself with will eventually influence your decisions! With this being said, I am developing an absolute no tolerance policy for the people I allow into my life- no tolerance for drugs, lying, toxicity, or negligence. No one is perfect, but the last thing I need in my life are people who use terrible coping mechanisms that inflict damage both internally and externally to those around them. I am wanting to be healthier with my struggles, so I can’t be around people who live and cope in unhealthy ways.
6.  Traveling. I have a itch to move around and see the world. Even if it’s just a short weekend trip, I LOVE to go visit a new city with some friends. Just a few weeks ago, I took a girls trip to Houston and we had a blast. This past weekend, I packed a bag and flew off to Memphis – speaking of which, I have a new item on my bucket list to visit all 50 states.

FIrst. Ever. Tattoo. Will make a post about it 🙂

Of course, more is on this list. Maybe I will make a part two to this post. But for now, I send good vibes!

xoxo Nat