It might seem a little odd to be posting this in February, but there's a pretty good reason behind that, I promise. I actually sat down to write this post a few times and recent events have actually allowed it all to flow a little bit better!
You might not know this, but Seize the Sparkle was actually started as part of my New Year's resolution back in 2013. And here we are, just a few weeks into the year 2016. Seize the Sparkle turned three halfway through January, and I'm still working on digesting it! Oh, and you didn't miss any Anniversary or Blogiversary post, because there wasn't one. (Good reasons for that too!)
No, I was busy working on making my biggest Resolution come to fruition. It was a search that actually started out in late September of last year, and got put on hold a little during the holidays, then slammed into full force at the beginning of the year.
The job search. (duh, duh, duuuuuuh...)
I've worked at my current job for almost ten years, and it was just time to start looking. Really actively looking. Any of you that have had to do this recently know just how much work goes into it! But I put my little nose to the grindstone and I start my new job the day after Valentine's Day.
And I'm sooooo excited!
You know, when I started out with this blog, I just wanted to see if I could do it for an entire year. That year turned into two, and now we're past the three year mark with no plans for quitting anytime soon. No worries about that. I'm sure it will take a little while for me to adjust to a new schedule and a commute and everything, but I'll figure out a way to make it work.
That's the thing about change. You adapt. It doesn't matter if you don't want to or you're not prepared. When circumstances around you change, you change with them.
When I started this blog in 2013, I was incredibly lost. I'll admit that. Fear and negativity had really crept into my life and changed me. Hardened me. To a point that I didn't recognize myself and neither did anyone else around me. I knew that writing had always been a form of expression for me, and I had a short-lived nail blog prior to Seize the Sparkle. So, I took a big leap of faith and started this blog.
Seize the Sparkle was a way to combat the negativity and turn it around. I wanted to get back to myself and find a way to reconnect with everyone and everything around me. All fears aside. I wanted to be brave and have courage.
That was three years ago, and I really haven't looked back since, or had any regrets at all. I've come to embrace change and see it as an opportunity, rather than something to be afraid of. With my head in a better place, the more I looked around, the more I started to see chances and opportunities all around me. Ways to be better. Think better. Act better.
So, for the first time in a long time, I finally have a direction. And on top of that, I have ideas, goals, and plans that feel like they might actually go somewhere now. It's exciting and refreshing at the same time!
Why am I sharing all of this? Well, I guess because if you're reading and feeling the way I felt, I just want you to know that you're not alone. I've been there too. There's nothing wrong with trying to improve yourself. There's no shame in starting over from scratch. And there's no shame in doing it a bunch of times before you get it right!
I've tried to define Seize the Sparkle as so many different things over the years, but the truth is, it's the process. They say that life is about the journey, not the destination. Well, Seize the Sparkle is really my way of capturing that journey. My journey.
Thomas Edison once said that "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." I've always loved that quote, but I think I have a better understanding of it now. He also said, "Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time."
If I could wish anything for you in 2016... it would be to keep trying. Even just one more time. And then one more after that. Challenge yourself to actively try. Even if it's something small. I promise, you won't regret it!
Are there more things on my Resolutions list? Absolutely! I always make it a goal to do something new and different with the Blog, even if I have no idea what that might be right now. I'd like to win NaNoWriMo 2016. I'd love to get better at planning meals during the week. I also need to organize my 3rd Helmer.
The list definitely doesn't stop there for me, and I don't find that I really confine goals or resolutions to the beginning of the year. Do you? I'm curious... What are some of your resolutions? How are they going? Let me know in the comments!
-S
You might not know this, but Seize the Sparkle was actually started as part of my New Year's resolution back in 2013. And here we are, just a few weeks into the year 2016. Seize the Sparkle turned three halfway through January, and I'm still working on digesting it! Oh, and you didn't miss any Anniversary or Blogiversary post, because there wasn't one. (Good reasons for that too!)
No, I was busy working on making my biggest Resolution come to fruition. It was a search that actually started out in late September of last year, and got put on hold a little during the holidays, then slammed into full force at the beginning of the year.
The job search. (duh, duh, duuuuuuh...)
I've worked at my current job for almost ten years, and it was just time to start looking. Really actively looking. Any of you that have had to do this recently know just how much work goes into it! But I put my little nose to the grindstone and I start my new job the day after Valentine's Day.
And I'm sooooo excited!
You know, when I started out with this blog, I just wanted to see if I could do it for an entire year. That year turned into two, and now we're past the three year mark with no plans for quitting anytime soon. No worries about that. I'm sure it will take a little while for me to adjust to a new schedule and a commute and everything, but I'll figure out a way to make it work.
That's the thing about change. You adapt. It doesn't matter if you don't want to or you're not prepared. When circumstances around you change, you change with them.
When I started this blog in 2013, I was incredibly lost. I'll admit that. Fear and negativity had really crept into my life and changed me. Hardened me. To a point that I didn't recognize myself and neither did anyone else around me. I knew that writing had always been a form of expression for me, and I had a short-lived nail blog prior to Seize the Sparkle. So, I took a big leap of faith and started this blog.
Seize the Sparkle was a way to combat the negativity and turn it around. I wanted to get back to myself and find a way to reconnect with everyone and everything around me. All fears aside. I wanted to be brave and have courage.
That was three years ago, and I really haven't looked back since, or had any regrets at all. I've come to embrace change and see it as an opportunity, rather than something to be afraid of. With my head in a better place, the more I looked around, the more I started to see chances and opportunities all around me. Ways to be better. Think better. Act better.
So, for the first time in a long time, I finally have a direction. And on top of that, I have ideas, goals, and plans that feel like they might actually go somewhere now. It's exciting and refreshing at the same time!
Why am I sharing all of this? Well, I guess because if you're reading and feeling the way I felt, I just want you to know that you're not alone. I've been there too. There's nothing wrong with trying to improve yourself. There's no shame in starting over from scratch. And there's no shame in doing it a bunch of times before you get it right!
I've tried to define Seize the Sparkle as so many different things over the years, but the truth is, it's the process. They say that life is about the journey, not the destination. Well, Seize the Sparkle is really my way of capturing that journey. My journey.
Thomas Edison once said that "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." I've always loved that quote, but I think I have a better understanding of it now. He also said, "Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time."
If I could wish anything for you in 2016... it would be to keep trying. Even just one more time. And then one more after that. Challenge yourself to actively try. Even if it's something small. I promise, you won't regret it!
Are there more things on my Resolutions list? Absolutely! I always make it a goal to do something new and different with the Blog, even if I have no idea what that might be right now. I'd like to win NaNoWriMo 2016. I'd love to get better at planning meals during the week. I also need to organize my 3rd Helmer.
The list definitely doesn't stop there for me, and I don't find that I really confine goals or resolutions to the beginning of the year. Do you? I'm curious... What are some of your resolutions? How are they going? Let me know in the comments!
-S
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