The past 14 months have been difficult for everyone. We all were torn from our sense of normalcy and thrown into a world of loneliness, anxiety, anger and lack. What we thought would be a few weeks or months of staying home to keep ourselves and communities safe, has turned into something that feels like it has no end. It's been infuriating and depressing and so many other things that I can't put into words.
But it has also been reflective for me. Having so much downtime and alone time has caused me to have to spend more time with my own thoughts (yikes!) and really think about who I am and what I want in life. I've learned some valuable lessons over the past year and some change, and I thought I would share some of them with you.
The first is that I had time to really nail down my core values. When everything you love is ripped away from you, it gives you time to take stock of what is the most important. I was able to spend time really looking at my life and came up with the five things that are most important to me and my existence.
Seeking new knowledge every day
Maintaining and growing positive relationships
Creating
Sharing my gifts with those who need them
Taking care of my physical, mental and spiritual health
These five things are the things I need to make sure exist in my life every single day, and it isn't always easy, but I truly feel like my best self when I've included all of these in my life on any given day.
Knowing these values has led me to the second thing I learned - I need StyledByKaylaXO. This platform is so important to me and my life and my values. When I started it in 2012, I naively thought that it would be my ticket to recognition and a fun thing to do and nothing more. What SBK has become in 2020 and 2021 is a way to walk my values out in a big way. Creating for SBK causes me to constantly seek more knowledge about the platforms I use, how media works and what my audience needs. It gives me an opportunity to meet so many different people either through collaboration or being the people who consume and enjoy my content. It has given me an outlet to create and share and explore, and I can't imagine my life without it now. I had a friend tell me last year that because she had never known me without SBK, it was an inherent part of who I am to her and she couldn't ever imagine me without it, and I agree with her. My goal with StyledByKaylaXO has always been to be authentic, and in being authentically me on these platforms, these platforms have become a part of me and I am so grateful.
The third thing that I maybe didn't learn, but reinforced in my life, was the importance of the people in it. I am an extrovert in a big way and I don't think I truly appreciated my need to be surrounded by other humans until it was taken away from me. I've learned to put any anxiety I feel around friendships aside and really push for time with my people... even if it is just game nights on Zoom or socially distant walks around the bookstore. I am pushing aside some of my workaholic tendencies (some, not all, let's not get too wild here) and really making time for those I love. In my adult life I've so often been the kind of person who rushes through phone calls or stays late at work or puts almost anything before my people, but this last year has given me time to work on that.
The final thing I learned (or at least that I'm going to talk about today, because let's be honest - I probably learned a hundred things this year), which doesn't seem like something new, is that I love coaching. Now I know you're probably thinking "ummmm Kayla, you're a teacher and lifestyle blogger and director and so many things that also make you a coach..." and yes, that is true, but the way I approach teaching and creating content has changed. Last year, right before lockdowns hit, I started advising collegiate members of my sorority and I have fallen in love with it. I love getting to work with other incredible women who want to make a difference and help guide them on their journey. I truly think working with incredible officers has changed the way I teach my campers and create coaching and. advising content on SBK. It has resurged my love of consuming content about coaching and feedback and management, and is making me better in so many areas of my life. I can't wait to see what I continue to do with these young women and also with SBK!
There are so many other things I could go on and on about that I've learned or grown in over the last year, but these are the ones that really have shifted my world view and are helping me get through these weird times.
What is the most important lesson you've learned in the past year? What has it taught you about yourself? Let me know in the comments or over on Instagram!
xo,
Kayla
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