2020 Reflections + 2021 Resolutions

Last year I wrote about how it was a tough year, but now I know that 2019 was simply preparing me for 2020. This was the year of the pandemic, homeschool, and all of our worlds turned upside down. Not to say that there weren’t some beautiful highs and accomplishments, but for me, this was also the year my momma died and everything changed.

My momma was my best friend, my cheerleader, and an amazing grandmother. Losing her has been the hardest thing I’ve ever been through, and her death has forced me to step up in ways I never imagined I even could. But she was the one who taught me that. My momma always encouraged me to go big or go home and that’s what I’ve done this year.

I decided I really had to change the game with my work.

So I listened – really listened to the smart people around me — and I made some hard but necessary changes. I’ve always taken advice, always made a point to surround myself with people who will challenge me to grow, and so when they asked me what my five-year plan was and I realized I didn’t have one, I knew at that moment I needed one. Oh did I need one!  We sometimes have to ask the hard questions and actually answer the questions to really see the path we want to take.

I took some big chances this year.

I bet on myself, and sometimes that can be a scary thing to do, you know? But I’m so unbelievably grateful that I did. Acting in The Wrong Missy and producing The Home Edit were absolute career highlights that never would have happened if I hadn’t taken big chances. I have some amazing projects that I am producing and that came from really being focused, passionate, and let me tell you, I hustled like it was my first year on a job. I couldn’t be more excited about all the seeds I’ve planted for 2021 and I cannot wait to share them with all of you.

So here we go! I want to take what I’ve built this year and just keep building, keep adding the little Lego blocks, with a side of a Paloma of course. I have something huge planned for all of you in the world of BEAUTY. Watch out… we have some BIG THINGS coming your way.

This year has been so hard, but also incredibly meaningful. It’s been the best AND the worst. It’s been everything all at once. I’ve learned to slow down, to really be present. I’ve always been appreciative of my family but this year has added another layer to what that means. The people we love, our families, our friends, our health – those things are everything. Those are the things we need to be investing in.

On top of everything else, my family and I got COVID.. yep after being so incredibly careful, we got it. It made us appreciate our health more than ever. It honestly terrified me to my core. I would obsess over the what-ifs, the stress of taking care of everyone, and the sheer and utter panic if one of us really gets incredibly sick. I still have some side effects from it, unfortunately.  Honestly, those scares are the ones that make you hold the ones you love a bit tighter and truly not take anything for granted.

I learned to deal with my stress— (still working on it) and sometimes that even meant that I would hide from my kids with an occasional cocktail. Please give me ideas for other places to hide 😉 But in all honesty, this has been a year of learning and growth. I have a hard time with things that I cannot control and this year was something that was completely out of mine and everyone else’s control. It’s a scary thing. A truly scary time that we’re all managing. I am so incredibly grateful for our doctors and our frontline workers who are giving their all day in and day out. I pray that we have an end in sight.

So, with that— I’m taking everything I’ve learned this year to continue to grow and challenge myself. I challenge all of you to do that with me. Let’s take what we learned this year and make it worth something. Let’s all be a little braver, love a little harder, and take a few more chances, and invest in ourselves a little more! I love you all, I hope you have an amazing New Year.