2016

As the first day of 2016 is here, I look back on 2015 as a year of change. I graduated from The University of Kentucky, moved to a new city with the love of my life, started a new job and chopped off 10 inches of hair. To say the least, there's been a lot of new things headed my way. With 2016 being the first full year out of undergrad, the pressure for adult life sometimes sets in. But, looking forward I wanted to set realistic, opportunity-driven goals.

As cliché as it is, I usually always try to come up with at least one New Year's resolution. When starting my new job, my boss and I discussed goals I wanted to set for myself, both personally and professionally. Having this in mind, I came up with a list of things that I want to accomplish or  start on the path of accomplishing in 2016. 

Give More.

I take the bus each day to work and I pass the same homeless man every morning about a block from my building. Everyday I see him and every day he tells me how much he likes my shoes. As silly as it was the first time he said it, it became a ritual for us in the morning. I would pass him and say, "Good Morning," and he says, "Good Morning, I like those shoes!" 

I am guilt ridden pretty much everyday because I usually cannot give this man more than a smile and "Good Morning" each day. In Chicago it is hard to not have this feeling as you pass multiple homeless men and woman on each block. I wish I could help them all, but as you know, you give what you can. In 2016, I want to strive to give more of myself, whether that be monetary or not. I want to be more intentional about giving back.

Dive Deeper.

As most of you have read, I struggled with finding a job after graduating in May. The industry I thought I would be thriving in, is the one that wouldn't hire me. As you can imagine this was a big blow. To not be where you were pretty certain you would be creates somewhat of an identity crisis. With that being said, I took a leap and tried something new - a completely new industry, while still doing what I love. 

I want to adapt this to all aspects of my life. I want to try new things and once I've tried them I don't want to be scared to dive deeper into them and really find out how they can create value in my life. 

Grow the Blog

2015 was a confusing year for TCB. During my months of finding a job, I had tons of time to devote to TCB and all that running it entails. The blog received more hits, likes, comments and shares than ever before. As my job and work load grew, the blog took a downward turn and so did my motivation to really put effort into keeping the momentum. I apologize to y'all who have been wanting more, but I'm hoping to change this in 2016 and really be devoted to something I love doing so much. 

I've had great feedback from readers and want to give y'all the best experience through TCB. I'm going to be committed to making blogging more of a priority this year!

Deepen My Relationship with God

While I wouldn't call myself deeply religious, I began feeling like something was missing this year. I follow two pretty popular bloggers regularly and began reading their outlooks on God and the way it has affected their lives. 

Kollin and I got back into going to mass and I always had better days and weeks when we did. I began praying more, learning more about the Bible and Jesus' life and thought that if I call myself Catholic I should know more about the person I'm praying to. I bought a journaling Bible and began doing daily devotionals. I really enjoyed having that time, but as I'm sure many of you can relate to, adulting got in the way. Long days at work and the normal household duties were pushing my motivation for "quiet time" down. In 2016 I want to be more devoted to this relationship. If you've been where I am and have some advice about your path through the journey I would love to hear about it!

Always Be Learning

I'm a pretty curious person to begin with, but in 2016 I want to be even more curious about culture, political events, news, art, music and more. I personally think that no matter your age, it is so important to keep learning and developing. The people I've met and opportunities I've had in just 6 months in Chicago [how has it been that long?!] have already taught me so much, I can't wait to see what 2016 will teach me! 

What are your New Year's resolutions? I would love to hear from you!