02 jan 2019

Looking back on 2018.

This year was filled with growth and learning and lessons. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know everyone says that, but I truly believe it! So here's what I did in 2018.

• Got hired as an RA at Hamline University! Built community and made connections with the people living on my floor, and they are all pretty awesome.

• Became a Lead Ambassador at the Hamline Undergraduate Admission Office. Learned a lot about patience, listening skills, team building, and company culture. I’m real thankful to work with such incredible people.

• Went on a road trip to Canada with one of my closest friends, eh?

• Planned a 5k with my foundations of management class, raising nearly $10,000 for the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) of Minnesota. I served as Manager of the Marketing committee and learned a whole lot about accountability and holding people accountable.

• Declared my major in Business Management and minor in Psychology!

• Passed accounting with a B, and I’m so proud of myself for that. I wasn’t sure if I was even going to pass! Takeaway: getting A’s all your life teaches you NOTHING. It is when you fail that you learn and are truly challenged.

• Biked 12 miles around Green Lake

• Accepted an intern position for Vision 2040 of Kandiyohi County. It all started with a hashtag campaign! I made some really cool content for Vision 2040’s social media, attended nearly 100 local events and happenings, and learned the importance of engagement and community involvement.

• Spoke about Kandiyohi CEO in Sauk Centre. Spread a little love about entrepreneurship and Kandiyohi County!

• Went with some pretty cool people to see Gary Vaynerchuk speak. It was awesome. He believes in the power of authentic kindness, which I am all about.

• Started a blog!!!! (Which you are reading right now.)

• Designed a few logos

• Took a printmaking course at Hamline and designed cool stuffs. Art is a process, and the little mistakes create beautiful memories in the story that is your artwork. Based a lot of my prints off of this notion: “Let Ideas Grow”

• Applied for internships. Updates coming soon I hope.

• I also applied to do a TEDx Talk at Hamline!!!! Still waiting to hear. Do the things that scare you tho, am I right ?!!

• Booked tickets to NORWAY! This has been a dream of mine since I was a little kiddo. I get to experience it with three of my favorite people in the whole world.

• Worked really really hard, kicked butt on my finals, and finished the first semester of my junior year.

As I take a little time to reflect on what I've done this year, I think about how many times I did things that made me feel uncomfortable in the best way. This year I did things that pushed me outside of my comfort zone and world of quiet contemplation into a space for learning. OVERALL, this is what I learned this year.

1. Kindness: live it, learn it, do it.

2. To let go! I'm still learning to do this, and you should too.

3. Who cares what other people think. The only opinion that matters is your own.

4. Start asking yourself: What if this actually works? vs. What if it doesn't?

5. The only way to learn is to fail.

6. Just because you’re doing something you love, doesn’t mean it's not hard or scary.

7. Allow your purpose to fuel your passion.

What is my purpose you may ask? It is to create, communicate, and connect.

And now that I’ve found my purpose, it's time to find my passion. The only way that I'll be able to do that is by doing the things that scare me. One of those things includes writing and publishing this blog. Baby steps. Cheers to a new year of doing the things that scare me and make me happy! If you're reading this, I hope you do the same.

Kindness + Care,

Chloe