Over the year I have folders divided by each quarter that contain lessons and quotes that I’ve gathered throughout the course of each month. These pieces of wisdom tend to support me in my overall growth and I often reflect on them at the end of each quarter. Of course, given the New Year, and given that I’m still adjusting into it, I took some time to reflect over the entirety of these lessons in order to grasp a macro view of the growth that I’ve made throughout the year and how this can be translated into my year ahead. I share these understandings publicly because while they are notions that are personal to me, I know deeply the significant impact that shared knowledge brings when supporting the overall social and cultural footprint. So whether I’m writing more sartorially on fashion or music, critically on production or culture, it’s the energy and intention within the words themselves that support me in my all encompassing goal of just that– social betterment. My contribution towards social betterment can be summed up with the word, Integrity.

I then want to begin with the idea that diligence over discipline makes the integrity of an Individual. While both of these concepts are equally important to building a life of success and joy, the general idea is to create a life of consistency and sustainability. Have a vision in mind, work towards that with a passion, but understand that it is not about who can do the most work or the best work, but who can do the work the longest spread out over the course of a lifetime. Time and space are not things to be feared but are accomplices to work in tangent towards your goals– be excited that it doesn’t happen all at once.  

While you are moving and striving, don’t forget to explore with a child-like curiosity and wonder. Beauty and creativity is all around you if you take notice. This sort of observational lens necessitates stillness not solely in the context of being absolutely idle but being absolutely present. Prioritize this type of stillness just as much as you prioritize your pursuits. Understand the significance of a moment while you’re in it and utilize it to your greatest advantage for your highest reflection. These surroundings act as the perfect medium to a perfect creation; everything that you need is right in front of you. 

While a majority of my reflections deal greatly with the pursuit of an elusive goal, something that tends to be attributed with masculine energy, I also observed as I grew firmly into my femininity this past year. The process of womanhood is one which ever-evolves and this is known by any woman or girl who understands the psychological awareness that is asked of them to operate self-sufficientaly in a patriarchal, capitalistic system. Given this, my pursuit towards social betterment will first and foremost provide aide and relief to those same women and girls who have been historically separated from bipartisan treatment within a much grander social outlook. I will be referencing the word feminity and power interchangably as I believe the process of coming into one’s own femininity is a process of coming into one’s own power. Coming into my own power began with this idea that the source of my creativity and passion is directly tied to my femininity.  To be woman is to be creation incarnate and so when I dug into the ways that I represented creation both mentally and physically, I began to show up in the world in a way that represented me wholly and authentically; Integrally.  The power of femininity carry with it a few key values with one being that power has a soft hand. It is not boastful or prideful, it does not attempt to be right in every situation as well as it does not allow itself to be overshadowed or condemned. It is patience and tolerance, observance and allowance. Walking into this power is to have a full understanding of the gravity and sincerity of that power; the everything-ness of it all. There is power in your voice as much as there is power in your grace but in order to maintain balance there is just as much power in listening. The quality of your questions determine the quality of your life. When you do use your voice, use it willfully and purposefully. Use it, if nothing else, to give praise. 

One last lesson I had that I didn’t quite know where to fit in but felt it was just as important as the other pieces of wisdom is that in life it is often times more important to subtract than to add. In a society where we’re driven by more, it is crucial to give yourself the limit of ‘enough’. It’s crucial to simplify rather than to complicate, to make decisions from a few rather than a bunch. Subtraction and a firm awareness of our ‘enough’ point allow us to take our heads out of the modem of striving and achievement to realize that there is a whole life outside that is meant to be lived however we want. Whether living our lives means taking amazing trips around the world or sitting at home reading a book; life is meant to be enjoyed, savored and appreciated.  Life is meant to be enjoyed. A stranger at a coffee shop this morning reminded me of that. Life isn’t as serious as we make it seem. At least, it doesn’t have to be. We all have our responsibilities which should be handled dutifully, but when are the moments that you can subtract your own self from that equation?

It is a culmination of all these lessons and more which create a clear pathway into your heart— to accept and love life for exactly as it is— amazed by both its mundanity as well as its novelty. This leads to a life of integrity; wholeness. I hope while you are striving you don’t forget to live. I hope you don’t forget to thank your friends and your family and I hope you don’t forget to thank yourself most importantly. May this lead you into new perspectives in the new year.