17 Life Lessons in 2017

Through the process of dealing with loss all while having to continue to work and go about my life, I’ve learned a few lessons the past year. Here are 17 life lessons I learned in 2017 that I want to take into 2018

1. Judgment tells me more about the person judging than who they are judging. Friends, family, and strangers can judge me all they want, but it really tells me more about them than me. I remind myself of this when I catch myself judging someone.
2. No One Really Cares. Now this is not absolutely true, but when it comes to work, deadlines, and the majority of the world, it is true. This is a lesson I’ve known for sometime thanks to having been an actor. No one cares because everyone is trying to do their job or live their life. They can have sympathy, but your problems should not affect others work or lives.
3. I am not alone. So many of you have reached out with your own loss or stories of your parents getting sick or even having a stroke. When my mom first got sick in 2016, it was sudden and unexpected. I felt alone, but this community reached out and shared their stories with me and offered support. I’m beyond grateful for the support and comfort this community has shown me the last year.
4. People are hurting. The last year social media really took a turn for the worse. While I try to stay away from the drama, I can’t help but hear about it. The beauty community use to be a place of support and love, but watching creators turn on eachother has been troublesome. All I can glean from this is that people are hurting. Despite the popularity, money, or perception, all this must come from a place of hurt. We need to figure out a way to uplift and heal each other, not tear one another down. I can only do this by example.
5. YouTube can be high school. With that being said, YouTube can be a lot like highschool. Sad, but true. I don’t think we as humans thrown into a group can avoid it, we just have to decide how to navigate and who we want to be. I hope I’m a better person now then I was back then. Remember at the end of the day, you know who matters in your life. 
6. I am stronger than I ever imagined. I don’t sit around thinking “oh I’m strong” in fact most of the time my inner monologue is critical and self deprecating. But I got through a tough time while continuing to grow my channel, blog, socials, and launched a magazine! I channeled my grief into creating content that I enjoy. I continued to live my life to the best of my ability as my mom would have wanted me to.
7. There is such thing as too much of a good thing. Case and point, I ate my feelings to a point where my doctors are now concerned and I’m the heaviest I’ve ever been. I also retailed therapy myself way too much. 2018 will be the year I figure out my finances and health.
8. Kindness goes a long way. True kindness and generosity can change someone's life. This must come from an unselfish motivation.
9. Time is precious. This gives me anxiety, but it’s true. Time is so precious. We only have so much time on Earth and it could be cut short at any minute. What do you want to be remembered for?
10. People are good. Sometimes it’s hard for me to see this especially with what’s going on in the world, but at the end of the day people generally are good.  Of course there are the bad seeds out there, but when tragedy strikes, people will help each other. I choose to focus on the heroism and humanity during tragic events.
11. I can only ever be myself. This was a struggle for me to come to terms with. Following trends and trying to keep up with other creators, one can lose oneself. By the end of the year I’ve come to realize I am me and I do what I love, hopefully it’ll be interesting for my audience.
12. Priorities. Being in my 30’s I feel I have a solid set of priorities. It’s okay to say no when things don’t align with them.
13. It’s okay to say no. One of the hardest lessons. Naturally I’m a people pleaser, but it comes at a cost. It’s time to say no and be okay with it. Don’t get me wrong I still feel a bit guilty when saying no, but I also know it’s the right thing to do for my own sanity.
14. Communication is important. I’m not always the best at it, but now working with Chris full time and having Karina working with us, I’ve had to learn how to be as clear as possible. It’s still a process, but it’ll be a lifelong task especially when communicating personally. It’s okay to take time to think about what you’re going to say before saying it.
15. I only want to create content that I would want to consume myself. Having been on YouTube for 4 years and blogging along those 4 years, I got a bit burned out. Following trends and feeling repetitive, but I decided from now on I will ONLY EVER CREATE THINGS I WANT TO WATCH, READ, OR LISTEN TO MYSELF. That’s part of why I started my channel.
16. Fear will kill my creativity. I never thought I was a fearful person, but when my mom got sick I suddenly became afraid. Things I never thought about before became things I feared. It was crippling. I’m afraid to travel now for example. Something I never was afraid of before. The list goes on, but I wanted to acknowledge that I have fears so that I can hopefully conquer them.
17. I have the best community! I know lots of people say this, but I really do. You guys have shown me so much support and understanding the last year. I feel like I know some of you. You are what keeps me going. Because of you I am stronger. I am better and I want to be better for you.

What to Expect in 2018

I’m excited for the year ahead. My “Best Year Yet” Goal Setting Workbook is done. I’ve created my 2018 bullet journal and we are planning the content schedule for the year. There are so many things we hope to achieve for the channel, blog, and of course my new interactive digital magazine By Serein now available!

Content Schedule

YouTube Videos Every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday 5PM PST (with bonus uploads) Make sure to SUBSCRIBE, turn on the bell notification, and check back since YouTube does not always push my videos to your feeds. 

Behind The Beauty Podcast Every Friday (Season 3 starts January 26th) find us on iTunes HERE. 

Blog Posts honestly, this is where I write when I can. You can expect about 1 to 2 posts a week. Sign up for new blog post notifications if you’d like new posts to be emailed to you. Sign up below. 

By Serein Every 1st of the month. This is a paid subscription based digital magazine. Subscribers will also be invited to join the private Facebook community. My goal is to create detailed, educational, and fun content that is community based, interactive, and offer a safe place for subscribers to interact.