My 2016 In Review — The Flourishing Hippie

Happy New Year! I can't believe it is already a new year, and how fast this past year went! The last week and a half Brandon and I have relaxed and enjoyed the Christmas season with my kitty after both having very crazy work schedules.

With the new year comes the time to reflect on the last year and to prepare for the new year. Here are seven things I have learned and grew from in 2016.

1.) Take a leap of faith and face your fears. Start following your dreams no matter how big or small they may be.

2.) Get rid of all the negative vibes, people, and/or things that surround you. Final move away from anything in your past that has weighed you down and start surrounding yourself within a positive environment and around people who encourage you.

3.) Don't ever be afraid to fall in love again!

4.) Learn to love yourself, never try to measure up to anyone else.

5.) Be confident in who you are and your work, but always leave room to learn and improve.

6.) Spend time away from your phone and social media. Take quality time for yourself and your loved ones.

7.) Always look for the bright side in all situations.

Here are my top 5 goals for 2017:

1.) To reach my fitness goals and to take my health more seriously. In 2015 I really began my health and fitness journey where I lost 40lbs and in 2016 I managed to maintain my weight for the whole year. This year I want to finish losing the last of my weight and to continue to feel more confidence in myself.

2.) Use my spare time more constructively. When I am not photographing or working lately I tend to laze around and binge watch TV. I want to spend more time in nature, learning, reading, and growing through my photography and this blog.

3.) Traveling! I absolutely love to travel and have not been overseas in a few years. I love to experience, learn, and see other cultures and landscapes, it's life changing traveling!

4.) Vlogging, blogging, and more. Now vlogging will be entirely new but it will definitely be an interesting experience for me! Blogging more and really figuring out the direction I want to go with The Flourishing Hippie. I have been growing and learning a lot through blogging the last four months but it has definitely been a great experience for me! I have learned more about myself and feel really good about the direction I have been going.

5.) Stretch my creative boundaries. I want to continue grow more creatively through my art and photography and make it into a profession. This is something that I was afraid of in the past but now anything feels possible!

Here is to wanderlust and never losing my sense of adventure and living freely. Seeing more mountains and conquering the climb. To live life with more kind words and a gentle love for the world and my self. To continue to stretch my creative boundaries with consistency and exploration through photography, art, and fashion. To healing myself, feeling stronger in body and mind, and being more consistent with exercise and eating those vegetables.

To exploring the direction of my blog. To living with less clutter and things, donate more. Creating deeper relationships with friends and family, deeper conversations and continuebeing a more active listener. And to more photos of all the memories to come in this next year! Here's to 2017!