What I Have Discovered This Year

I've officially been posting on the blog for 6 months! The funny thing is I almost stopped myself from starting. I wrote out a bunch of sample blog post ideas just in case I ran out of things to write about which is hilarious in hindsight. I would encourage anyone thinking of taking up a creative pursuit or outlet to do it. Even if nothing comes from it except nourishing your creative side and soul it is worth the effort. Here are a few other things I have discovered this year or rediscovered. 

My undying love of podcasts

Like all good addictions I started out with just a few. Now I listen constantly, on my lunch break, when I'm driving long distances, when I get tired of the radio. I have a few posts highlighting the beginning of this love affair starting with Podcasts for Undercover Adults but now it has turned into a full on commitment.

My current favorites, in no particular order, are Becoming Fearless for it's enduring positivity and ability to inspire, GirlBoss Radio for having authentic conversations that happen to be informative and fun, The Call which deep dives into questions that don't always get asked and sparks great conversations, The High Low which can be hilarious and light hearted but also cover heady topics and Monocycle which ranges from being delightfully random and simultaneously profound.

I don't think it is a coincidence these podcasts all focus on women and have female hosts. They all inspire me in a multitude of ways and make me feel positive even as the world seems increasingly negative. Look them up if you are a podcast junkie too.

Using Skillshare to learn and expand my skills

At the very beginning of the year I wanted to start learning new skills beyond what I was using at work. Enter Skillshare which I heard about through the grapevine of Career Contessa, a great resource for all aspects of your career journey with a focus on women. I find the interviews on Career Contessa with different women in varied careers very insightful into what they do everyday and the industry they work in.

Skillshare has classes for basically anything you want to learn about. I started with the Seth Godin's The Modern Marketing Workshop since I wanted to learn more about marketing. Since then I've learned about Squarespace programming hacks, authenticity on Instagram, building your online presence and many more.

If you would like to try 2 free months of SkillShare Premium membership with access to all classes just click here.

Pinterest, again

In my post about Falling Back in Love with Pinterest I talked about finding a new use for Pinterest beyond wedding inspiration and planning. There are many niches populating Pinterest and if you find one you love it will keep inspiring you.

Man Repeller, again

I've known about Man Repeller the same way I know peripherally of many things through the internet. I've visited the site before but started reading their articles daily via email this year which always brings joy to my inbox. They do a great job of balancing many topics ranging from fun fashion frivolity in photo shoots to more topical issues without skipping a beat or sounding artificial.

I would like to think my newfound willingness to try new things in fashion and styling is from seeing new outfits and ideas I could actually implement on their site, buying a whole new wardrobe not required.

A favorite Leandra Medine quote is, “A love of fashion doesn't minimize intellect.” I found this very revelatory the first time I heard it. Even though I believed it I was conditioned through various sources and media to conclude any discussion around fashion was frivolous and made you look dumb.

I'm happy to say through Man Repeller's gentle coaxing I fully subscribe to this quote and would buy or make this into inspirational wall art if I had the time and design skills. It shouldn't be a surprise that two Man Repeller affiliated podcasts are also on this list.

I used to be the type of person who would lament all the things I didn't do or didn't accomplish at the end of the year because the finite end date to do anything profound is the end of December?!?

Going into the new year I feel inspired to try even more new things and hone new skills to see where they will take me in 2018. I think constantly learning and being inspired by incredible women, in podcasts and other avenues, has played a major role.