The goals I want to work on this year aren’t groundbreaking.
They’re not huge. They’re not pushovers, either. The plan is to find ways to better self-motivate and accomplish what I truly want.
Travel more—especially throughout New England and the West Coast.
Last year, I was living in Paris, France and focused on traveling through different parts of France as well as Europe. I’m stateside in 2019, so I want to take the time to explore “my own backyard” of coastal New England. An exciting new journey doesn’t have to be a crazy international trip…
… With that being said, I cannot wait to go to France for a week in late March!
My boyfriend and I will *hopefully* live together in the United States by the end of this year. Until then, we’re Facetiming and taking turns flying over the Atlantic to be together.
Buy less black.
I work retail full-time for a New York City-based contemporary brand… I have so many black silk blouses and black pants from my work wardrobe alone. My plan is to add lighter neutrals like ivory and camel tones to lighten up the color scheme.
Buy more green.
Although I do find myself buying less material objects, I want to do a better job of being a sustainable and ethical shopper. One of the things we discuss in class all of the time is how consumers want to buy green, but their purchasing behavior says otherwise. I want to research more sustainable brands for everyday items that are also affordable.
Note: Generally speaking, I have the “buy less” concept down—before Marie Kondo’s book and Netflix show became mainstream in 2018/early 2019, I completed the Great Closet Purge of 2017 by donating and consigning nearly 150 articles of clothing, accessories, and shoes.
Read more.
I’m thrilled to be enrolled in the International Fashion Marketing (M.S.) program at Glasgow Caledonian New York College in SoHo, NYC. The readings for my classes so far have been powerful and informative. There’s a lot of material to go through, but it’s necessary to pore over because there’s so much to learn—leadership, sustainability, ethics, finance, government, international relations, and agile business strategy are all interconnected components that inform and lead sustainable profitability.
For leisure reading, I’m getting into some short stories published in The New Yorker.
Write more.
I am willing to admit that this is my own fault entirely. I feel like I’m always coming up with more ideas to blog about, but I don’t act on them as fast as I used to. I’m working on it…
“Stop seeing mistakes and focus on finding opportunities.”
Last year challenged my emotions. While I attended a French language school, socialized with new friends, and spent quality time with my boyfriend doing amazing things together like visiting chateaus on weekends, I could feel that something heavy weighed inside.
All I could think of was how there wasn’t “enough.” How I wasn’t doing “enough.” I wasn’t working enough on my side-hustle. I didn’t have enough money. I wasn’t studying hard enough. I wasn’t able to express myself enough in French the way that I could in English. I wasn’t keeping in enough contact with my family and friends in the U.S. I wasn’t socializing enough with my friends who were in Paris. I couldn’t clean the apartment clean enough. There was never enough time in the day.
In reality, I wasn’t able to step back and realize that I was doing more than enough.
Being back in the U.S. has restored optimism that I had lost in France. I not only want to hang onto it, but I also want to fortify my optimism in preparation for whatever else comes down the road.
New England Parisienne 