The Stripe

This post was meant to go up so much earlier but here we are… more than halfway through January! Tomorrow on the podcast Becca and I will be talking more about our goals/intentions for the year ahead (and how we did vs. last year’s goals), but I also wanted to share them here.

2022 Intentions and Goals

This year, my biggest goal is to slow down. In my personal life that means taking the time to actually pause and savor life’s little moments. A laugh with a girlfriend, taking in a really beautiful sunset with my boyfriend, arts & crafts with my niece… being fully present in everything I do, especially when I am with my family. With work, that means being intentional with every thing I post here and on social media: not rushing to create content, saying no when I am overwhelmed, feeling really proud any time I hit “publish.” Slowing down, scaling back!

I have seen a few things on the internet that have really resonated with me that I wanted to share before I share my actual goals.

First of all, Chinae said something really beautiful in her instagram stories a few weeks ago and it really resonated with me. “I think we always feel we need to add more stuff to life and thrive and sometimes, removing things or simplifying life is the road to happy.” 

Also, there was this – from James Clear’s newsletter a couple weeks ago (you know by now that I am getting a lot otu of his book but I love this newsletter, I have been reading it for years and find it so worth the read every week). “Slowing down enables you to act in a high quality way. Kind rather than curt. Polished rather than sloppy. It’s hard to be thoughtful when you’re in a rush.”

Lastly, this Bill Murray quote which I referenced in this blog post: “The more relaxed you are, the better you are at everything; the better you are with your loved ones, the better you are with your enemies, the better you are at your job, the better you are with yourself.” AMEN. I want to let that quote guide me!

Things I want to do this year:

Be able to run 3 miles in a breezy way.

I could run 3 miles (very slowly, with walking breaks) right now if forced or chased. But what I want is to be able to hop on the treadmill and run 3 miles (even just at 6 mph) without any walking breaks and have that not be a big deal. Right now that feels so hard but I also know from past experience that if you stick with it, it gets a lot easier.

Be a little bit bored.

This may seem weird but I really think that when you have time to be a little bit bored, the best ideas happen? I have dreams of books I’d write and products I’d launch but not enough time to explore them. I would like more boredom in 2022.

Build out a better morning routine.

I hate mornings and would like to change that. One thing I’ve been doing is starting my day with an audiobook. While I tidy the apartment, feed the cat, and do my skincare, I let myself just relax a bit and get ready for the day! Along those lines I have also been making it a point to make sure I go to bed with a clean kitchen. Waking up to a clean space puts my mind at ease.

Learn to drive.

Lolz I do know how to actually drive but haven’t had a license in 15 years (when I lived in New York I accidentally let it expire). I need to take drivers ed, get my license, and get a car. My three year old niece has such a hilariously mischievous sense of humor and her favorite question is “Why can’t Grace drive!” (it makes everyone laugh which encourages her, so she asks it nearly every time we are in the car together). Honestly, I’m fine not driving in Charleston (I walk pretty much everywhere except to my parents’ house, and if I am going there I usually have wine which means I wouldn’t want to drive anyway) but the more time I spend in LA (where you definitely need a car), the more I realize I probably should have my license.

A thing I want to stop doing this year:

Spending too much time on social media

When Instagram is a huge part of your job it is easy to get sucked in. There are nights before bed (or weekend mornings) where I will lose an entire hour of my day. What an enormous waste of time. There’s been a lot of talk in the industry about “creating vs. consuming” and I want to create more and consume less!

On the work front:

A big, bold blog redesign.

We are working on a redesign! I relaunched my site seven years ago (when the blog turned 5 and I rebranded from Stripes & Sequins to The Stripe) and we’ve made tweaks to the design throughout the years but it’s time for a broader redesign. I am really, really excited about this.

Grow my email newsletter

My email newsletter is a big focus right now. I am currently at jussssst over 41,000 subscribers and would be psyched to get that number up to 50,000 next year. I send emails every Friday, plus if there is a big sale or launch. You can sign up here if you’d like!

Pushing myself creatively

I really want to get more creative on the visual side of the blog. My friend Laura and I have been shooting together a lot lately… photos like this and this. She is one of the most talented people I’ve worked with and has such a great eye. On my end, I’ve been working harder to plan my photo shoots in advance… creating mood boards ahead of time, having the proper photo styling, props, etc. I want to get better with video and reels as well. Reels has been a huge learning curve for me. I’ve signed up for a few workshops to learn more, and ordered a new tripod.

Shallow Stuff:

Dry brush regularly.

Dry brushing is soooo good for you and makes your skin feel amazing. Over the break I made it a point to dry brush every day and I was shocked by how good my skin felt. My arms are always a little rough and after a week or two of dry brushing before every shower, they felt like silk. I have stuck with it post-break and plan to keep it up. You can read more about the benefits of dry brushing in this blog post!

Take Better Care of My Hair

This is a superficial one but when I cut my hair, I really liked the shorter length (it felt cute and fresh) but also how healthy it suddenly felt. My previous mentality around haircuts was that they were only something I would do every six months or so, when my hair really needed it. Now I am aiming for every six weeks. Plus using a treatment once a week (I love this one!!!).

If you feel comfortable sharing, I’d love to hear your goals for the year ahead!

Photo by Laura Saur.