Hello Dahling,

I  know January 1st seems like a while ago, never the less I wanted to say Happy 2018.

Okay so, as usual, I intended on writing this post before 2018 approached but of course, during the Holidays things have a way of not going according to plan.

While I didn’t know exactly what I was Planning on saying here I know that I would to sincerely wish all of you an Amazing 2018, filled with Joy, Love, Happiness, Peace, an overflowing of blessings, Abundance, Divine Health, Success, and wonderful experiences.

All of the things I wish for you I hope for myself as well. 2017 is a complete blur for me – I have had some highs, some lows and as I started evaluating the year I could not find experiences that were wonderful or unforgettable (what a way to live huh?).

It was as if 2017 never existed (if that makes any sense at all) and the truth is, life is way too precious for us to have our days go by without beautiful memories, extraordinary moments, and wonderful things. Things we can sit in our rocking chairs and talk about when we’re 100 years old (according to my girlfriend, Pet :)).

I’m not big on New Years Resolutions, in my experience, they aren’t effective, and way too many of us lose motivation way too soon. But I am big on Goals and Intention and boy oh boy have I made some BOLD ones this year. Can you tell I’m shaking as I type these words because I am?

This year I’ve decided to set quarterly goals instead of my usual yearly goals and here’s why. Last year I accomplished some of my goals not as many as I hoped I would. The ones I did accomplished took way too much effort, quite a bit of frustration, and too many unkind days for me. I am not being ungrateful by any means but it felt as if my efforts and rewards were so out of sync. I believe with quarterly goals I will stay motivated, I will push myself to take action on a more consistent basis and I will experience greater satisfaction.

Every year I choose a WORD of the year – this year however I have decided to keep a collection of WORDS at the forefront as I continue my journey through 2018. Love, Faith, Trust, Discipline, Patience, and Determination are the words I’ve chosen and they have such great personal meaning to me. During the last quarter of 2017, I started working on myself in a very intimate way. I felt a deep yearning for wholeness, real security, greater peace, protection, love (self-love) and I plan to continue working on myself from the inside out (a cliché I know) but as I get older I know that the things that will make me genuinely happy do not come from anything or anyone outside of me.

For 2018 I urge you to take moments throughout your days to really evaluate how you’re feeling, to find out what your needs are, and most importantly don’t take yourself for granted. I believe if we are not right within ourselves there isn’t much we can offer to others, our family, our businesses, our employers, etc.

And Finally here’s a bit of news about Brooklyn’s Lifestyle – people very close to me knows how much of a struggle it’s been over the last two years – so many times I wanted to shut down the site and believe me I’ve had several valid reasons. I was inconsistent (not because I couldn’t be consistent – I write every day. I just didn’t publish them because I didn’t think they offered much value). There are several exceptional Brooklyn sites out there that are doing such a great job. No, I am not comparing and despairing, it’s a fact and honestly, what could I offer that was different? I took some much-needed time to really look into the situation, I gave myself a deadline and if I didn’t have at least three really great reasons why I should keep going I would shut the site down immediately.

I woke up that day of my deadline, said my prayers, and I started to journal…I had more than three reasons to keep going and I decided I would continue Brooklyn’s Lifestyle. Over the next few months, you will be seeing changes in the content, I will be doing some hiring (yes I have finally accepted the fact that I cannot do it alone), my designer will be sprucing things up a bit and we will be doing an official re-launch in March so definitely stay tuned for that.

I am being BOLD this year in so many ways – I am afraid of course but my need to be better and do better is greater than any fear I could have. I am excited to see me unfold and I am very interested in hearing about your unfolding as well and how you plan on making 2018 a year filled with Wonderful experiences.

Happy New Years Luvs

Cheers

XXOO

Nat