Top 5 Lessons from 2022
New Years Reflection of 2022
I cannot believe 2023 is already here! Boy what a whirlwind 2022 was. In the last 12 months, I quit my job in food, became a full time influencer, went mega viral and blew up my Instagram and moved twice! I am now living in my favorite city Spokane with a booming business that I love, surrounded by the best of friends. While there have been some beautiful highs this year, there were also some bittersweet lessons learned these 365 days and I wanted to share the 5 that stuck with me the most!
It’s Okay To Change Careers
Lauren out at her first gifted experience of 2022!
I am going to be honest with you all I was not prepared for entrepreneurship when I took it on full time but let me tell you it was the best thing I could have done for myself. I left a horrible job that I felt like I “should” have as a post-graduate but I was so miserable that it wasn’t worth the consistent salary. Instead I took a risk on my social media pages and it paid off in dividends. While I was not quite as profitable as I had hoped, I learned rather quickly how to advocate for myself as a creative and get myself some work.
In the past year alone, I was a jack of many trades. I did some social media management for small businesses, I was a consultant for nano influencers, I made affiliate income, created user generated content and predominantly completed influencer sponsorships! It’s been so fun in the freelance space and learning the various aspects of short form media has been a rush. I feel like I’m finally doing what I’m supposed to do and running my socials and blog has been such a gift!
It’s Okay to say Goodbye
Lauren walking away from her hometown days before moving to Spokane!
Another difficult aspect to this year has been saying goodbye to a lot. I said goodbye to some relationships that I’ve had for years and I said goodbye to two cities in western WA. It was difficult moving a lot and forming connections only to see those people a few times a year now. While it really sucks to leave behind what you know and are comfortable in, there is something so magical about the future and a reality you didn’t expect for yourself. As I’ve started to take more risks and betting on myself at the cost of certain connections, I am so grateful for the aftermath and it’s only led me down a happier path!
It’s Okay to Go at your own pace
Lauren out on a nature walk shortly after another failed date
Another lesson I really struggled with this year was yearning for a relationship when I was the only single friend. A lot of my girls had boyfriends and my closest friend got engaged this year! As happy as I was for everyone in my inner circle, I kept wondering when it would be my turn. I had countless failed things this year and just when I thought I was doomed, I met mystery man less than a week into moving to Spokane. We’ve been dating for about three months at the time of writing this and I have healed so many past wounds already it’s incredible. While I do not know what 2023 has in store for us, I know my expectations are high now and I found someone worth keeping around as long as I can.
It’s Okay to get Help
Lauren is sitting next to her best friend and mentor Kathryn
So fun fact another thing I’ve struggled with for years now is asking for help. Whether that is getting help for my anxiety and depression (shout out to my therapist Tanya, she came into my life this year and has helped me so much with the challenges I’ve been experiencing) or help with my business, for the duration of my social media journey I tried doing everything on my own. That all changed this summer when I invested in my first pitching course with Sidewalker Daily. This class quadrupled my income and made me feel like an actual creator and business owner. I do not know where I would be today without this class and it’s the main reason I know I will be okay as a creative in 2023.
Alongside the business growth came the growth in my friendships and overall relationships. While 2022 was not quite the year for me and my bestie Kathryn, we were certainly able to rely on each other through all the ups and downs. I gained so much strength from her during my toughest nights and she knew she could rely on me during her roughest days. If you don’t have a friend like that, I highly recommend finding that person asap!
It’s Okay to dream big
Celebratory 30k+ photoshoot
The final lesson of the year happened almost by accident because I genuinely did not believe it would happen to me. See, this October I finally went viral online for midsize fashion and style and my life completely changed in a few short weeks. Instead of chilling out at 10k for nearly two years, I exploded to 35k followers and saw a huge shift in income and community. I truthfully never thought my page would really grow and I wasn’t exactly sure if I was mentally prepared for it to. Once everything did though and earnings quadrupled, I knew I had to switch my mindset to knowing I do deserve good things to happen to me and I am capable of running a business at this level. It’s been quite the learning curve but I know it will make 2023 an unforgettable year as a creative.
Happy New Year
I hope everyone has had a happy New Year! I cannot wait for 2023 and all of the highs and lows it will bring. Having learned the lessons above, I can’t imagine a better way to start the new year. I feel like the hardships of 2022 set the stage for a beautiful 2023 and I cannot wait to share the journey with each and every one of you!
Until next time,
Lauren