January 2nd of any year… The SECOND blankest slate there ever could be, but in my mind it’s the true blank slate because the first day of the year jitters, expectations and hangovers are over and it’s really time to BEGIN, pursue and maintain those New Years goals and resolutions we all spoke so adamantly about.
Today is January 2nd, 2015. That means I’m in my 25th year of life. A quarter of a century. Holy double you tee eff. I couldn’t be more excited, anxious and quite frankly curious about starting a brand new year.
This will be my first year starting off the beginning of the year as an entrepreneur, a full-time blogger, clothing line owner, app developer (okay, I didn’t develop it, but I developed the content!), AUTHOR (my first book will be published by the end of 2015… ahhh!), and now YouTuber/vlogger.
This time last year I was managing the blog while going to graduate school full-time for creative writing. I was juggling my semi-newfound passion for writing on the Internet with my longtime passion of writing fiction, I was deep in the midst of my eating disorder and I was also, at this exact time last year, suffering from a MAJOR case of strep throat and tonsillitis.
The things that can change in a year!!! I left grad school to pursue the blog full time, I created the clothing line and the app, enrolled in the IIN health coaching program, started recovering from my eating disorder, transitioned from veganism, appeared on national television, moved back to Los Angeles, started my YouTube channel, met incredible people who are now some of my colleagues, and started blogging seriously as my job versus as my hobby that was taking up 99% of my time.
I’m still single, but hey, I think for the moment the blog is my boyfriend and I’m more than okay with that…
To commemorate how much my life has changed for the better in the last 365 days, I thought I would celebrate NYE in a way I’ve never done before… or at least in a way I haven’t done since I was about seventeen. I rang in the New Year (pretty much) sober, AND in a much, much, MUCH more low key way than I have in the past several years.
Ever since the beginning of high school when my social life took the reigns as unarguably what felt like the most important part of my life, New Years has been one big party every single year. I have gone hard, surrounded myself with tons of people, drank myself silly and bought tickets to expensive events wearing similarly expensive, sparkly, festive dresses.
Not to mention I was always the one planning the NYE event if not hosting the party. I still love getting everyone together and surrounding myself with people I love to ring in an occasion, but I would definitely say I have outgrown my wilder years and I am tired of immersing myself in that lifestyle just because it’s what I’m used to.
So instead of having a crazy & wild New Years planned out months in advance… I didn’t pin down a plan until the day before NYE. I dabbled with the idea of staying home, working on the book and taking a nice long bubble bath to ring in the New Year (which would have been AWESOME), but I decided instead to head to San Francisco to celebrate with some of my closest friends.
We went out to dinner in the city and then headed to a party to have a low-key celebration with great people. No bars, no shots of vodka, no jumping into a pool fully clothed, no trips to the ER at 3 a.m. with strep throat… And instead of being AFRAID of alcohol as I sometimes have been in the past because of eating disorder and stomach problem reasons, I sipped on red wine throughout the night that probably amounted all in all to a glass and a half.
I did spill a glass of red wine fifteen seconds into the new year… so not THAT much has changed. 😉
The best part? No January 1st hangover! We woke up and went to breakfast at my favorite brunch spot in Lafayette, and I got to spend the day snuggling with my favorite people and my favorite pup. Then I headed back to Sactown and had a SUPER low key dinner with my parents and was in bed before 11, working on the book.
Now that’s what I call New Year, new me.
PS… NYE 2010, 2012 & 2013:
Embrace who you are. Love who you are. I’ve spent the last 2 or 3 years stuck in a time warp, unsure of how to move forward and afraid to leave my wilder, “fun Jordan” years behind. But guess what? I’m still fun, and I’m actually more fun because I’m doing what I love and I’m exceptionally happy doing it! I’m more financially independent than I ever have been, and I’m working toward pursuing my dreams in all aspects.
I have been getting to work setting goals for 2015, which include… following more of a schedule/routine so I don’t get stuck doing a trillion unrelated things in one day, not letting the large scale of my dreams scare me or deter me, continuing developing a better relationship with food, running a half marathon (and training properly this time!), worrying less (especially about pleasing others… I have an issue with that), getting a new TATTOO (!!!), and staying focused on what I really and truly want out of this life, which is to continue being blissfully happy with what I do and finding success doing it.
Cheers to January 2nd! Cheers to making changes and not being afraid of them.
Who’s with me?! What are some of your goals & changes this year?
Also, we have a new TBV Apparel tee, inspired by my favorite sentiments. Perfect for the New Year. 🙂
