Now what?

One. Grateful. Year.

I started this blog in 2020 on my 29th birthday. Born from a time in my life that was littered with stress and anxiety, I had to take a stand to take control of my own thoughts and feelings, and move toward a stronger version of myself. For me, that meant committing to a daily gratitude practice, and I promised to bring you along with me.

I’ve shared my heart along the way, and I’ve learned so much about myself and about life. But more specifically, what did blogging my gratitude practice through one of the most difficult seasons of my life teach me?

A commitment to a daily gratitude practice forces you to see beyond what is right in front of you.

On one hand, this commitment kept me honest. It forced me to find gratitude through many dark days, and the influence this drove was a positive force helping to keep me grounded. On the other hand, there were days it felt inauthentic at first. When I was sitting in the hospital wondering what the fate of my baby’s life was, or stuck at home tethered to my bed while my son played outside, I didn’t feel grateful. I just felt sad. My gratitude practice, however, helped me see beyond the ugly surface-level bullshit, and dig deeper to find hope and meaning. To remember that this too shall pass and that you don’t have “good days” or “bad days”. You just have better times or tougher moments. And moments are temporary.

A public-display of your life can leave you feeling both liberated and naked.

Anyone who knows me well knows I have no problem being transparent about my life. A 1:1 conversation with me can feel like an intimate journey into both our souls and I'm not afraid to share my perspective on just about anything you ask #scorpio =P There were many times in the last year that my blog offered a safe space for me to share what I was wading through. But there were also times that I just didn’t feel like sharing certain parts of me or my family with the world. The pressure of a public display of life left me feeling like I was being inauthentic or “keeping secrets” if I didn’t share all the juicy details. I had a lightbulb moment when a good friend said to me, “There’s a big difference between privacy and secrecy.”

I’m not here to keep secrets, but the world doesn't need to see every little detail of my life, and that’s OK.

My best work is born from creativity, not commitment.

I love writing. I’ve always loved writing and it is something that brings me comfort and cathartic release. However, a daily commitment to blog posts left me feeling burnt out and uninspired at times. The chaos that life threw at me didn’t help, and I found myself feeling disappointed when I realized I wasn’t going to deliver the “epic insta-blog-like” experience we’re all exposed to on the daily. I learned that this isn’t for me. I want my content to feel inspired, not required, and letting go of this expectation is both liberating and the right choice for me.

So what’s next?

Tomorrow, I turn 30. My commitment to One Grateful Year has ended and I embark on a new decade of life. To say I’m ready for a fresh start would be an understatement, but as I continue to live, learn and love through this beautiful journey, I want to have a space to document my reflections along the way. I’m excited to say that One Grateful Year will live on! Things will look a little different going forward and I hope you will come along with me!

What can you expect from One Grateful Year going forward?

• Authentic & Raw

You can continue to expect pure honesty, authenticity and transparency here. I’m not going to sugar-coat the happenings of life and when shit gets real, you might just find me here sharing it with the world with an open heart and maybe a little profanity too.

• Creatively-inspired

I’ll write when I want to and I won’t when I don’t. I will still continue to strive for a daily gratitude practice, but I won’t always be sharing every day of my life with the world.

• Community of compassion

One of my hopes for my blog has always been to help at least one other person feel loved, heard or at minimum, not so alone. One Grateful Year is a place for community, compassion and connectedness. I’m hopeful that this space will continue to drive engagement and dialogue, and I encourage you to share your perspectives in comments or slide on into my DMs with your thoughts. :) Who knows, you might even meet a new friend! We are better together.

• Collaborative & Connected

I’ve got some pretty amazing friends and family that loved on me this year offering inspiration, guidance and support when I needed it most. I want to use One Grateful Year as a space to rise up the works of others who are doing things to spread more love in this world. If you think the world needs to hear what you have to say, reach out and let’s chat!

Ultimately, my development of One Grateful Year has taught me so much and I’m so excited to continue on this journey. I hope you will come along with me! Let’s see what 30 has in store!

XO

SS