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Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Schedule Your Next "Meeting of the Minds"

A lot of you would be sad to know how many blog posts I have sitting in my drafts. So many times, I am blown away by an idea. I start typing furiously and then it never quite comes to full fruition. Little sparks that fill my head before they fizzle out. This is not just spread out across my blog, "writer's block" has become a permanent home for me when it comes to writing my book.

A dear friend of mine (hi, Sharon!) was visiting Charlotte this weekend and asked me if I've been keeping up with my writing. I dropped my head and meekly said that I have been really bad about it for awhile now. She began to tell me how much she loves following my blog and how fascinated she is with what I write. She finished this conversation by saying "please, please start writing again."

Mind. Blown. 

Here I am, thinking I'm just simply taking up space on the Internet. When in actuality, I have a person that I love begging me to continue writing for their enjoyment. It was powerful. Moving, even.

This is not the first instance of 2019 where I've been pushed into a productive spiral. Another close friend of mine (hi, Caitie!) is an amazing artist and quite possibly has the biggest heart of anyone else on the planet. She is a creative force to reckon with. Knowing that I have been struggling with writing (my blog and my book), she suggested we start having evenings where we visit a coffee shop or a cafe, just sit and let our artistic minds flourish. 

Tonight--as I type this post--we are having our Inaugural Meeting of the Minds. First of all, I'm obsessed with this title. It's amazing what you can accomplish when you get out of the house and meet up with another brilliant individual who has just as much passion as you (probably more, if we are being honest).

I hate to sound too cheesy but I feel like 2019 is a year of inspiration. My favorite and best years have always ended in odd numbers. I found a perfect travel buddy who wants to explore the world with me, I have huge initiatives at work that push me to do more and do better, and I feel like I know where I'm heading. It's up to me to get myself there.

All I'm missing is my writing. I've started gradually with writing in a notebook. For me to own a domain and host a public blog, it's alarming to know how secretive I can be with my writing. Something is so comforting about writing what I'm feeling--just a pen to a piece of paper.

For those of you who have been on this journey with me since I began in 2016, you know my real reason for creating this blog was traveling. I still have so much to tell you about visiting South Korea last year and I'm very excited to return to Europe next month, my first time going back since studying abroad in 2013. My boyfriend and I will be going to Denmark, Iceland, and a pretty sweet little layover in Canada.

Lots of friends are getting married this year--all of which require me to travel. I've started reading again (don't think that I've completely stopped, I set an unachievable goal last year to read a book a week and it ended up being discouraging). I've been spending more time focusing on what makes me happy and what makes me feel good. I'm trying to ignite more healthy habits in my life and I cannot wait to share them all with you. It seems like a perfect year to get my footing back.

The moral of the story is... say something encouraging to someone you know. You never know if they've lost their way or if they're feeling like they do not make an impact. I'm very thankful to my friends who push me, challenge me, and encourage me. I've said it before but I'll say it again, find the people who make you want to be a better version of yourself.

Photo evidence of our Inagural Meeting of the Minds below!


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