JANUARY CLASSY CURRENTS + WORD OF THE YEAR REVEAL

HAPPY NEW YEAR & Happy First Day of 2019!

This month's classy currents will look a little different than they normally do. Instead of sharing some of my favorite style & beauty products of the past month, I've saved my top winter beauty products for a post coming later this week! Today, I want to share what I'm currently hoping for and dreaming up for ACF this year. It's also more like a pep talk for myself and for you as we head into a new year together. I'm also super excited to reveal my word of the year.


If you remember last year, for 2018, my word of the year was Cultivate. Honestly, what a year 2018 was. It was a year of cultivating a ton of different adventures and actually sticking with them. From cultivating community & friendships with my readers and those in real life, to cultivating dreams and goals for myself--not only as a blogger, but in my personal career outside of blogging.

2018 brought many obstacles, but I was able to keep moving forward and reach goals I never thought that I could achieve. After almost a year and a half of looking for a full-time job, I finally found one that I love. It was definitely a struggle for me to head back to work--especially after blogging full-time. It was an adjustment that I almost didn't make it through, but I kept pressing on, and I began to land new opportunities I myself couldn't have dreamed of.

Before I started my full-time job back in retail management, my blog wasn't doing as well as I needed it to do. I wasn't getting the sponsorships I needed to stay afloat, and I wasn't inspired to write like I normally had been. That's when I decided to go back to work full-time and pursue blogging as a full-time side hustle. Within a month of working full-time, I landed more sponsorships than I ever thought I could--literally every day off from my FT job was spent working on content. I pulled several 80+ hour weeks between the two jobs, and I had no choice but to push through it. Contracts were flowing in, almost to the point that I was slightly past overwhelmed--but in an amazing way. I was still able to manage it all (somehow!)--God only knows how.

I am so thankful for the opportunities and for brands believing in me. My campaign managers are the real MVP's honestly--they're all such a joy to work with and a blessing to me. As I'm sitting in a random coffee shop on vacation, I can't help but get emotional about how many people it takes to make ACF possible. From campaign managers, my husband who helps shoot my content, my Mom who edits each and every one of these posts, to anyone and everyone who simply supports me.

I know I'm probably going off on an emotional tangent, and the old fellas at the table across from me are probably wondering what the heck is wrong with me, but honestly, I don't care, because y'all mean so much to me. This blog means so much to me. It's become a huge part in who I am, and it's because of ACF that I've been able to live dreams. The money I made in 2018 from blogging has helped pay over $25K of debt, and my student loans are almost gone! I can't wait to be able to tell you all that we're debt free--oh what sweet words those will be! The money that I've made from ACF has also gone towards a down payment for a home. This blog is much more than style & beauty, it's my lively-hood, too. So, with each and every pageview, you're helping a girl with a dream live them out.

For this year, that's why I've decided that my word of the year will be persistence...here's why...

Persistence
firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition. 

Last year we cultivated those dreams, and this year, we are going to be persistent--no matter how hard things may get, no matter how much it hurts, sucks, or even if everything falls apart, we're going to keep working towards those goals & dreams. I'm going to be persistent in killing all of our debt. I'm gong to be persistent in advancing in my full-time job, with blogging, and I'm going to yet again double--even triple my blog income again. From 2017 to 2018, I more than tripled my income, 2019 I don't expect anything less from myself.

The more persistent we are, the more dreams & goals we can bring to life. If you think it and believe it, it will happen. I honestly believe that with every fiber in my body. At the beginning of 2018, I wrote a list of all of my dream brands I'd like to work with, and you know what? I worked with over half of them! Whether you're dreaming about what brands you want to work with, what goal you want to hit, if you want to get a better job, pay off all of your debt, or save to buy your first home--it can all be done if you stay persistent. Stick with it, keep pressing on, and never give up.

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