Reflecting Back on 2017

December 31, 2017 New York, NY, USA

NYC Sunrise

I cannot believe 2017 is coming to an end in a couple of hours, but seriously where did this year go? As I look back on my year, reflecting through my journey in 2017 is very important.

2017.
A lot of things can happen in a year, whether it's good or bad, life happens to everyone. In the beginning of the year, I grabbed a journal and wrote down all the goals I wanted to accomplish for the year. I actually never did that before, I would always say to myself that I was going to do something but never held myself accountable. Writing things down weather it's in a notebook or on your phone brings it into existence. When you constantly see the list of the things you want to accomplish, it encourages you too do them so you cross them off the list.

The Blog.
Most of my goals for 2017 were pertaining to my blog. I really felt inspired, motivated, and encouraged to dedicate my time to being consistent in posting. I crossed off many posts on my list and I'm proud that I stuck to my goal. I've received more traffic on my blog because of my posts this year which really encourages me to continue. In this world of blogging, it's easy to feel discouraged but just keep pushing through if it's what your passionate about! I also set out to switch up my layout and look this year on the blog and loved how it came out. I'm constantly learning more about html and coding and loving the process.

Travel.
This was certainly the most I've traveled in a year. I usually just take two trips per year but this time I was able to do three. Not only did I get to travel but I gifted travel to my parents. It was my goal this year to do give my parents something worth remembering on their milestone birthdays. Instead of doing a family dinner or have a party, for me the gift of travel is priceless. They work so hard and never get to go on vacation. I know I always feel bad when i come back from traveling and wishing they could experience it with me so I made it m mission to save money to make it happen. For my father's 60th birthday present, I sent him to Colombia for a month. Although I wasn't able to travel with him, I know he had blast with his family visiting new cities within the country he has never been to. For my mother's 50th birthday, I surprised her with a mother-daughter trip to Aruba. She has always mentioned on her 50th birthday she wants to be on a tropical island, so she got what she wanted! Being able to to do that meant so much to me and I hope to continue doing that in the future.

In the summer I went to Morocco, my first time being in Africa which was unbelievable! That trip was such a culture shock and my first time staying as a true local. A trip I will never forget and hope to visit again sometime soon. My blog posts will be up soon! My Moroccan photos were my most liked photos of the year, if you haven't checked them out go do so! After my 11 day trip to Morocco, I headed to Spain for 16 days on another group tour. I've been obsessed with Spain ever since I visited Barcelona two years ago and was able to visit multiple cities. Those blog posts will be up soon as well.

I didn't get to scratch off the other countries that were on my 2017 travel goals but hey, there's always next year right? This year's trips specifically humbled me in many ways and truly changed me. I would love to visit more of Africa someday and also do a volunteering trip somewhere and help out the community. I hope 2018 has much more amazing traveling in store for me.

Started a Youtube Channel.
I've always been an avid youtube watcher and once was a beauty vlogger back in the day. Although I stopped making beauty videos, I still watch a few on youtube and keep up with new trends. I shifted into watching more travel vlogging videos and I'm just obsessed with that community. I told myself that this was the year I was going to start a new channel and share my past travels with the world. I ended the year with 100 subscribers gained and 18,000+ channel views! Youtube has changed a lot over the years and so it was a learning curve getting back into the swings of the things. With each new video I publish, I've learned new editing techniques and tricks. I found a new love of editing and hope to improve my skills as time goes on. Hope to see where this new venture goes, if you haven't already go subscribe to my channel www.youtube.com/wanderlustbeautydreams !

Instagram, Twitter, Facebook +Pintrest.
Although I didn't reach my goal on hitting 10k followers this year, I grew my Instagram from 2,000 to 5,425 followers. I told myself to be more consistent in posting and accomplished that with 349 posts and 54,240 likes, which is amazing! I've met incredible bloggers throughout the year and was inspired by many boss babes who are killing the social media game. I still don't know all the IG logistics but hope to learn more on growing next year!

My twitter started from 100 followers to know over 2,000 followers. I created a Facebook page thats linked to the blog. I began with 5 likes and I currently have 1,323 likes. I really want to grow a community and a space where we can interact, support, and encourage one another! And I started to get into Pintrest and learning more about pin designs. I started with 15 followers and currently have 276 followers, which I also hope to grow more in 2018.

Personal Growth.
I truly felt authentically me this year. I use to be the type of person who puts people before myself, horrible at time management, and always doubting myself. I changed that about myself and love everything that came with that. I truly focused on myself, even if I had to step back from friendships or relationships with people. I focused on the things I wanted to accomplish and nothing was distracting me. I kept myself accountable on time management on different aspects of my life. I made sure I was truly happy and focused on my passion projects with full force. Instead of self doubting myself like I have done in the past, I kept positive thoughts and vibes in my head only. If I ever felt a hint of self doubt or in funk, I quickly listened to inspirational podcasts to keep me going. I accomplished a personal achievement that I thought was once far fetched, but I did it, I truly did it. I haven't felt this fulfilled in a long time and love every moment of it. I encourage everyone to truly focus on themselves in whatever form that means to you. I promise you by the end of the year, you will be a better you.

Thank You 2017.
Thank you 2017 for the laughs, tears, smiles, confusion, highs and lows that life threw at me. I appreciate everything that happened this year because it led me to this moment of gratitude and reflection. Whatever you're going through shouldn't discourage you but make you stronger, wiser, and grow as a person. There's always a light at the end of the tunnel, just keep pushing through! Hoping for much more happiness, growth travels, health, and accomplishments for everyone! Thank you for following my adventures and supporting me on this journey, it means more thank you know.

Comment below,
What are you thankful for that happened in 2017?

Until the next post!
-WanderlustBeautyDreams 

8 comments

  1. wow! you had a great 2017. You've done a lot of things, that's awesome. Best of luck this 2018!

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  2. It's nice of you to gifted your parents a trip on their birthdays. I'm sure they would remember it and talk about it with their friends all the time. Parents proud.

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    1. Yes, they mention those trips frequently which makes me so happy they had a fantastic time. I hope to do these type of surprises more in the future!

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  3. Gifting your parents a trip ... that is a fantastic thing that I am sure meant just as much to you. And congrats on all the progress on social media and your YouTube channel ... editing is a skill. What program do you use to edit?

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    1. Thank you so much! I'm currently using iMovie but hope to upgrade to Final Cut Pro at some point. Editing can be tricky sometimes but once you take the time to learn new techniques, it all comes together :)

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  4. Yes, same here: besides many very personal problems and achievements alike, my year was dominated by travelling and blogging, too. All the best for 2018 to you!

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    1. Thank you, same to you. Just checked out your blog and you've been to amazing places so far!

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