Hello! Happy 2021!!
I hope you had a lovely holiday season and are enjoying the first few days of the new year.
Back in 2017, during what I refer to as the “apathetic & stuck” phase of my life, I sat down one weekend and decided to write this blog post. Today it feels like such a small thing, but back then it was a huge milestone for me!!
It was the first time I ever finished and submitted a written piece to a media site/magazine, something I’d vaguely thought about doing for years.
If you’ve been reading this newsletter for the past six months, you’ve seen me radically transform pretty much everything about my life. I moved across the country, bought my dream car, launched an online program, released three different dance music videos, grew a business, and expanded my dreams. And I did it all coming out of what was one of the lowest, most challenging periods of my life (remember June’s newsletter?).
But none of these things would have been possible if I hadn’t sat down one weekend years ago and made a commitment to myself not to leave my run-down Brooklyn apartment until I’d finally finished at least one of the dozens of half-written articles I’d started over the years.
Skill sets build upon one another. So too do the goals and dreams you believe are possible for yourself and the investments you’re willing to make to bring them to life. The same way a solid foundation supports the walls of a house and those walls support a sturdy roof.
My New Year’s wish for you, Brielle, is that you forget making big proclamations and instead start showing up for yourself, your ideas, and your goals in small ways every day in 2021.
Maybe that means repeating a positive affirmation or mantra when you wake up in the morning. Maybe that means taking a weekend to create your first YouTube video or investing in a workshop about personal branding.
Whatever it is, know that that small tiny step forward will continue to gain momentum and grow.
And if you’re curious, I wrote a big recap about 2020 (including a section about love and relationships) on my blog here.
Here’s to the best year yet.
with love,
Brielle
Ask Me Anything
What was co-living really like? Would you do it again?
I really enjoyed my time at Haven and definitely recommend it for co-living. Because it’s focused on wellness/well-being, I think it attracts very positive people and I made some really great friends there. The house itself is also beautiful –– and for me, the aesthetics of my environment definitely impact my energy, so that was a really great aspect of living there.
It was also really incredible to arrive in LA not knowing anyone and walk into a community that embraced me with open arms. I felt so supported, even as I was moving into my new place and getting my car, and that was huge for me.
At times I found the sheer amount of people around all the time overwhelming. I’m very introverted and value spending a lot of time reading, writing, and kind of hanging out with myself, so living there forced me to own that aspect of my personality. Everyone in the community was very respectful/accepting of that and I think overall that was a good thing for me to practice communicating around, as well as just getting more comfortable taking up space in shared space.
Co-living means there is always something to do, and someone to hang out with –– which is great –– but also means you have to take responsibility for how you spend your time. I generally think I am really good at that, but I did feel a bit distracted from my business while I was living there because not everyone is working during the day/has the same schedule. This is of course always true, but I noticed it more when I was living with 40 people 😉
You don’t have your own room at most co-living houses. Instead, you have a pod, which is basically a bed with a curtain, kind of like at a hostel. Because I knew my move to LA was a long-term move, I wanted to have my own room and start really creating my space in a way that felt like me as soon as possible, so I knew my goal was to stay at Haven for a month and then move into an apartment. But if I was trying out LA (or a different city) or knew I was only going to be staying in a specific place for a few months, I think I might have stayed longer.
Hard to say if I would do it again (because right now I don’t see myself moving again or living in a different place for an extended period of time) –– but who knows what the future will bring!
A Few Other Things...
🙏 11 women share what they’ve learned this year
💓 This essential oil spray smells so good!
🎓 A commencement speech that will give you all the feels for 2021
📚 How to do less when you have way too much to do.
🎧 I’ve been taking dance breaks to this song (and blasting it in my car)