A Coffee Shop and A Dream...

An icy January week here in the DMV has brought me a random week of sabbatical, and I could not be more thankful. This week, I've learned that I have so many hobbies to keep me occupied, and I'm a little too good at being unemployed. Despite my incredibly hardworking and driven personality. I mean, seriously, who else is trucking to Barry's and Solidcore in less than 10 degrees, windy weather? Today, I find myself cozied up in another coffee shop that feeds my soul. One of my favorite places to spend my free time. Almost a month into the new year. How are you holding up? Have you started all those great ambitions that kicked off your new year? Have you already felt like you lost the battle? I'll share where I'm at, and hopefully that will help put your mind at ease and maybe light something in you.

Before I keep going, if you have yet to check out Good Company Donuts in Arlington, VA. Do yourself a favor. Currently indulging in an egg, cheese & avocado, paired beautifully with my chai tea latte. Yes, you know it's the little things when it comes to Life in Your 20s.

On January 1st, I set the tone for my year. I wasn't sure what to expect, like every other year, but this year felt different. I didn't want to set expectations in a way that felt "do or die". I didn't make a "2026 Bingo Board". I didn't make a vision board. Because if I'm being honest, my vision wasn't exactly clear. I wanted to keep it more open-ended. However, I did say that whatever I decided on this year, I want to go all in. Not to bring up the past, but for someone who has never gotten over anything in her life (LOL), there are so many opportunities that in the moment I felt like I was doing the most, but in reality, I just let it be. As much as I'd like to be, I'm not a nonchalant person, and I don't want to act like I am anymore.

So, a month in. A month of internal, subtle battles. A month of therapy visits where I beat the dead horse. A month of finding ways not to spiral from one of those previously mentioned things that I've never gotten over. A month of small triggers that still get the best of me. A month deciding what's most important to me right now. And finally, after a few weeks of intentionally taking time to figure out what is best for me right now, I know what it is. Sometimes, it takes time. And trust me when I say that is my least favorite line to hear. Patience has not always been my strong suit when it comes to my personal and professional growth. I'm working on it ;) The specific goal that I'm chasing is one that I'll save for another post because that's not really what this post is about. It's about making a choice and committing to it. It's about deciding to want something more for yourself and making it happen, no matter what other people think or say. It's about understanding that it won't be handed to us, and you have to be willing to be let down over and over and still want it. So, the dream that this post is all about? Looking out for me. But in a way that doesn't enable my fears and anxieties. Putting in the work for what I want, even when it tries to knock me out. Letting the hardships and challenges roll off my back. And when I'm having a particularly hard week, I'm going to come back and read this.

Maybe a year from now, I'll be living somewhere new. Maybe a year from now I'll be in a job that looks nothing like it does now. And maybe a year from now, I'll sit in this same coffee shop and be so content with my life.

I want you to sit for a minute. Like, yeah, intentionally sit in your thoughts. Scary right? Think of one thing that you genuinely want. Just one. What can you do today to take a step in that direction? Want to change your job? Pull up your resume. Want to move? Pull out your laptop and start researching cities you love. Want to start a fitness journey? Book a class. Want to start therapy? Make the phone call. Want to make more friends? Go on Instagram, find a club of people who share your interests. Want to get into running? Lace up your sneakers. Want to join the dating scene (think about this one again, lol kidding!), get OUT THERE. I say this pretty often when I'm teaching fitness: "Whatever you want today, you can have it, but you have to work for it." It will not be handed to you, but you don't need it to be handed to you. Everything you think you need to have to make it happen, you have it. Sometimes you need to give it intentional time to find it, or you need to be willing to try. That nonchalant piece needs to go! Wherever you are today, just know that you are not alone in the ways that you hope for something more.

If you take anything away, one more time, being nonchalant is OUT this year. If I said I wasn't scared of what I'm doing, I'd be a liar. I want it so much more than I fear it. That's who I am. I may not be exactly where I want to be in my life. I'm 26, soon to be 27, and feeling like I'm about to start over. But I will say, I'm the most driven I've ever been, and I will end up where I want. And so will you. I know it.

Stay warm, my loves.