Reflecting Back On 2018

January 2, 2019 New York, NY, USA

reflecting back on 2018

Another year has passed and it wasn't the best year of my life. As I reflect on 2018, I wanted to share how my year really went and be a bit more vulnerable.

2018.
Ohhh, 2018. I'm glad this year has ended and I'm really looking forward to see what 2019 has in store for me. But before that can happen I want to reflect back on this past year and share with you guys the real, the raw, and the ugly. Last year I shared a reflecting back on 2017 post (click here), if you want to go read up on that. I definitely wanted to continue the tradition and post one this year as well. During this time of year, you'll see many people just sharing their highlights of the year all over social media. While many people have had an amazing year with great experiences and opportunities, many don't tend to share their lows.

Personal Growth.
Let's just say, every year can't be an amazing year. 2018 was not my year for many reasons. I started off the year hopeful, excited, and motivated. I wrote down all the things I wanted to accomplish and work on. For the first couple of months I was on top of everything and feeling great about working towards the goals I have set out for myself. I can't pin point the exact moment but that light and motivation just seemed to dimmer and dimmer as the months passed by. I found myself in hole of self doubt and depression. I don't like to put labels or self diagnose myself but I would definitely consider what I went through a dark place where I couldn't find my light and happiness. I'm not a person who reaches out to people when I'm feeling down. This led me to push people away and just keeping to myself the whole year. Which isn't the way to deal with your depression or whatever you may want to call it. It's so crazy how your own thoughts or the opinions of others can convince you to believing certain things are true. These thoughts lead to limiting yourself and that's exactly what it did to me this past year. I don't want to be a downer but I've always been the type of person to see the positive of any situation but I couldn't do that this year. Negative thoughts and energy can drain you and change you not for the better. This past year was rough mentally, physically, emotionally, and financially for me. I wasn't happy with myself and in turn with how my life was going. 

But towards the end of the year things were happening to me where I felt like I was getting myself out of that dark hole. I was finding that light, passion, and motivation again. I think it's important to share these type of moments on social media because not every day, week, month, or year is a going to be amazing. We all go through highs and lows and everything in between. It's okay to feel what you're feeling because you're only human and that's life. Not everything is butterflies and sunshine. You may be admiring someone's life on social media but don't know what their really going through. At the end of the day, only you can push yourself to where you want to be. Don't let your current situation determine your final destination! I strongly believe everything happens for a reason. I know this past year was just another learning curve and lesson learned in a chapter I hope to close and move forward to a new chapter in 2019. Now that I mentioned my lows, I want to mention some of my highlights of this year.

The Blog.
My blog is my baby. It's crazy to think I've started my blogging journey back in 2015. This year I really wanted to post more and be more consistent. This was the year where I have written the most blog posts since starting. My readership has been at it's all time high which makes me so happy that many people enjoy what I'm doing here. Also seeing many readers from all over the world finding my content always astonishes me! Since I noticed how diverse my readership is on this blog, I added a new feature on my blog where you can translate my posts to many languages. I'm always learning new things about the blogging world whether it's from podcasts, looking things up on google, or learning from other bloggers. Can't wait to see how I improve my blog in 2019!

Travel.
Travel is a big part not only my blog but it's something that really makes me truly happy. Although I didn't get to scratch off all the places on my 2018 list, I did get to scratch off three. In the beginning of the year, my family and I took a spontaneous road trip to New Hampshire to visit the Ice Castles. It was nice experiencing the ice castles with my family (click here). We also made a pit stop in Boston, Massachusetts which was my first time visiting as well (click here). We walked in the Women's March while we were there, visited Harvard University and explored the city. It made me realize as much as I love traveling very far away, I haven't really explored many states in the U.S. I definitely want to change that and explore more of my own country in the future. One of the craziest and unforgettable trips I have ever taken was to Russia to see two live World Cup games (click here). I went with my dad and brother which we haven't taken a trip all together since I was fifteen/sixteen years old. We spent a whole month exploring Russia and we visited five cities (click here). Never thought in my wildest dream I would ever attend a World Cup. These trips were definitely a highlight of my 2018 and can't wait to see my adventures I get up to next year!

Youtube.
If you didn't know, I also have a youtube channel (click here)! I started uploading my travel videos in 2017. My goal for 2018 was to upload more video content and be consistent on this platform as well.  I uploaded 26 videos this year and gained 52,038 channel views! I kind of fell off towards the end of the year but I'm so glad I kept pushing myself to upload. Not only did I upload my usual travel videos. I started showcasing accommodations of the places I've stayed in, added a few lifestyle videos, and also completed a personal project of mine which was doing one minute monthly videos for the whole entire year. Another youtube goal of mine was to create a second channel for spanish speakers. As a latina, I thought this was a great way to expand my audience in the hispanic travel community. I haven't really promoted it a lot on other social media outlets but I've been uploading my video content in spanish as well! So if you want, go subscribe to my spanish channel (click here).

Instagram, Facebook, and Pintrest.
Being on many social media platforms is very hard and time consuming. There's so much to think about when posting to different platforms and to grow each one is another story. Of course I wanted to have my instagram grow this year but that wasn't the case and it's okay. I love instagram because I'm able to connect with other like minded individuals, sharing my photography/travels, and getting inspiration from others. But it's been a really hard platform to grow on this year because of algorithm changes and just a different direction of what people are liking nowadays. I invested in learning ways to grow, learned different photography techniques, finally invested in lightroom, and learned more about curating a feed. I must say I took many instagram breaks because of feeling discouraged about my content. The comparison game is real in the instagram world but don't let that affect your creativity. It's not all about the numbers. There's so many creative people with a lower following who kill it with their content. So if you're feeling down about instagram, take a break and come back refreshed!

Apart from my blog's instagram account, I had another goal this year which was to create a second account. I created WanderlustSueños as a feature account! It's an inspiring community for wanderlust souls that are living out their sueños (translation= dreams). There are many feature accounts on instagram that feature different things in different niches. I've been sharing accounts of females, males, and couples who are traveling the world. I thought this would be a great way to discover smaller accounts in the community. I really enjoyed working on this passion project this year and hope to continue to grow it in 2019. If you want to join and help the community, use the hashtag #WanderlustSueños on instagram to have a chance to featured on the account!

I was more active on Facebook page which led me to reaching 2,000 people following it! My facebook page was also rated and recommended by 45 people which made me so happy that people are sharing my stuff. Pintrest is another platform that's hard to understand. Little by little, I'm learning  more about the platform and have been posting more on there. It's insane how much your pins can get shared and the amount of traffic it can bring to your blog!

Achievements.
I have always struggled acknowledging my small wins. I want to change that because no matter how small or big your achievements are, you should always feel proud of them. It doesn't matter if other people don't think it's something worth celebrating or being proud of but at the end of the day- it's something people can't take away from you. With that said, I had my first feature ever this year on Hostel World, as one of the 19 Latina Travelers That Will Induce Severe Wanderlust (click here)! I'm so happy I'm representing latina's in this travel industry because in reality there are many few of us. I want to change that and inspire other latinas to travel the world. I got a second feature from 'My Getaway Guru's, and was one mentioned as one of the Best Travel Instagram Account to Follow in 2018! This feature was so encouraging to keep doing what I'm doing because there are people out there who enjoy my content. I was also interviewed to be on a podcast that will be coming out some time in 2019. I'm a huge podcast lover so to be able to be on one was such a cool experience. Last but not least, I worked on a project with Google Maps! I can't even believe that even happened but it was so awesome to work with a brand like Google Maps.

Thank You 2018.
How basic do I sound if I say- thank you, next to 2018! But seriously thank you 2018 for the many crying sessions, smiles, laughter, patience, road blocks, failures, small wins, and lessons learned. Without the lows that life throws at you, you can't appreciate the highs. It's been a whirlwind of a year but I'm glad it's over. Most importantly, THANK YOU for following my adventures and supporting me whether it's through my blog, instagram or youtube! It means more than you know when you comment, like, or send me emails/messages. 


Comment below,
What were your lows and highs of 2018?

43 comments

  1. Thanks for sharing your year! I also kind of had a rough year with anxiety.

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  2. I’m glad that you started to come out of that dark place! Hope this year is a much better year for you!

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  3. Thank you for your openness and transparency. That will certainly help others. Hoping 2019 continues the trajectory of feeling happier and more confident. You have a lot to be confident about!

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  4. Triumph over tribulation. Onwards and upwards for 2019. Wishing you all the best. And well done for your honesty.

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  5. I wish you a much better 2019 and wish you the best of luck with everything you are hoping for out of this year!

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  6. I’m sorry about your dark place last year. It seems like you hit a lot of highs too. I’m just starting my blogging journey (2 weeks in) and I love reading about how far others have come. I hope this year is filled with more happiness also for you.

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  7. Congratulations on your achievements and I'm sorry to hear about your dark moments.

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  8. It’s always nice to reflect on the year previous of all the good things. Keshia Richmond

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  9. Woow!! Very nice reflective post you have shared for 2018 in here!! Love it!! thank you : D
    cheers, siennylovesdrawing

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  10. It sounds like 2018 was a rollercoaster! It sucks being stuck in that dark place, but sometimes thats the place where we make it or break it. And, love, it sounds like you definitely are going to break through everything in 2019! A lot of people dont take the important time to reflect, appreciate, and set new goals! You sounds like a strong person, and am looking forward to seeing more posts about your journey - self and destinations!

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  11. You have Achived a lot in 2019. hope you are ready for 2019 to smash it and go for your personal goals.

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  12. Thanks for sharing your personal experience. Hope this year, it will be more awesome :)

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  13. Have a great 2019! Best of luck!

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  14. oh, you have touched everything! Blog, YouTube,social media, travel... superb! I wish you to achieve more and more goals in 2019. All the best :)

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  15. You achieved so much in 2018, let's hope you achieve as much in 2019

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  16. I'm glad you grew so much as a person in 2018! Congrats on your achievements and good luck for 2019!

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  17. So many wonderful blessings for you in 2018. Congratulations on your achievements! I hope this year brings you more success.

    Ivan
    www.ivankhristravels.com

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  18. Congratulations on your achievements! Can't believe you were in Russia during the World Cup. You know the next one will be in Qatar in 2022 (if we will still be here by then). Social media is indeed time consuming. My husband always tell me I am always on my laptop or iphone. I really want to let them go, but it is a necessary evil. It comes with blogging. I want to be a YouTuber too!!! But first I need to learn how to make quality videos (plus I am still shy and don't want to talk in front of the camera, lol). Looking forward to more of your travel posts! I decided to limit writing this year so I can focus on my ebook, journal/book, and my studies (Master's). It just a matter of prioritizing. Hopefully by next year, I can continue writing posts and start making videos (crossfinger). Anyway, here's to a greater 2019. Cheers!

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    1. Yes, I hope to go to the one in Qatar! Hope you all the best for 2019 as well :)

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  19. Thank you for being honest in your review of 2018. It could be very easy to only speak of your accomplishments (which there were many-good for you!) and not share the hard times. I hope that 2019 holds more accomplishments and a lot of happiness.

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  20. Congrats for enjoying your 2018 and for gaining these achievements. Am pretty sure you are also excited on what 2019 will give you.

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  21. Good for you! You had a fantastic year in my opinion. All those small wins add up to bigger and better wins. All the best in 2019!

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  22. Sorry for 2018 being a rough year for you. It was also not a great year for me. Here is to a better 2019!

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