I've got the WANDERLUST!

WANDERLUST (n.) A strong desire or urge to wander or travel and explore the world.

Last year, a week before my birthday, when I was 25 about to turn 26, I had my “quarter of a life crisis”. I reached my 3^rd year as a bank teller, and I was panicking about the plateau I hit that seemed impossible to move upward from. I had no idea where my career or life was going. Now this year, as I have just turned 27, I am more focused and well on my way to a successful career in the Beauty Industry working with ipsy.

Although I’ve remained dedicated to accomplishing my career goals this past year, I found that I don’t take enough time to reflect and appreciate what’s actually in front of me. Not in the simple sense that I Instagram every moment of my life, whether it's my meals or majestic views from my outdoor workouts, but in that I do not embrace life’s moments and opportunities to wander. I am definitely proud of everything I’ve accomplished, but I know that I want to see more and do more with my life.

At ipsy, we have a weekly lunch roulette where we are paired with other team members that we may not get the opportunity to interact with on a daily basis. I love how these lunches allow us to get to know each other in a more informal setting. In my last lunch roulette, as we were going around the table telling our “story”, I quickly realized how uneventful my life has been thus far. My co-workers have stories of picking up their lives to move to California or exciting tales of living in other countries, whereas, I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. Besides a brief period of time, when I moved to Merced, CA for college, I haven’t done much traveling. I’ve always said that I wanted to see the world, to explore and go on adventures whenever possible. I’ve been on a few family vacations to Germany, France, and the Philippines, but I have since developed a wanderlust.

I want to experience something new and different. It’s time to leave California and go on a real adventure. I want to see the world: The Great Pyramid of Giza, the Colosseum in Rome, the Great Wall of China, Stonehenge, Machu Picchu, the Taj Mahal, and so much more. I want to rent a glass igloo in Finland and see the Northern Lights. The list goes on and on.

Said beautifully in French, “Le monde est un livre et ceux qui ne voyagent pas lire une seule page.” (The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.) So far I have only read the first page of my world and my life, but I eagerly look forward to my future adventures. Like the Disney Pixar movie UP, "Adventure's Out There!" It's just up to me to take the next step.

Do you have a thirst for travel and adventure? If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? 

xoxo

Denise Joyce

2013 Reflections and Goals for 2014

Last year, instead of having a New Year's resolution, I decided to set more realistic goals for myself that I could work towards throughout the year. This decision was inspired by Nikki Phillippi's "How to Be Happy" January. (You can see her original video here.) Instead of the usual New Year's resolution, I decided to set goals in 5 important areas of my life: Career, Finance, Relationship, Spiritual, and Wellness Goals. Along with these goals, I decided on small tangible steps I could take that would help me achieve them within the year.

By using this method, I found that I accomplished a majority of the goals that I had set for myself. In 2013, I managed to find a new job, find an even better job in the Beauty industry, earn a pay raise, gain 1,000 subscribers on YouTube, blog and upload YouTube videos on a regular schedule, have a substantial Savings account, feel closer to my friends and family, live more optimistically, and run my very first 10K.

With these amazing accomplishments that I've made last year, I immediately knew that I wanted to do the same thing for 2014. So with that in mind, I'll begin sharing my goals for 2014 with you all.

CAREER GOALS
ipsy
- Earn a raise or promotion
YouTube/Blog
- Hit 2,000 subscribers
- Keep my YouTube Channel and blog active

Tangible Steps
- Speak up during meetings and share my ideas and opinions.
- Consistently exceed daily ipsyCare resolve goals
- Create a new blog and upload schedule

FINANCIAL GOALS
- Continue to pay down debt and school loans
- Have an even more substantial amount in Savings

Tangible Steps
- Stop using credit cards
- Consistently pay all monthly bills
- Save 10% of every paycheck & any extra funds whenever possible

RELATIONSHIP GOALS
- Strengthen friendships with co-workers
- Spend more quality time with family

Tangible Steps
- Be more open to invites from your co-workers
- Plan family time whenever possible

SPIRITUAL GOALS
- Be optimistic
- Be kind
- Inspire others

Tangible Steps
- Always look for the silver lining
- Perform random acts of kindness
- Be supportive of other's dreams and goals

WELLNESS GOALS
- Run a Half-Marathon
- Drink more water and tea
- Eat pescatarian more often
- Be more mindful of the foods you choose to eat

Tangible Steps
- Set a running schedule
- Always carry your re-usable water bottle with you
- Be open to pescatarian options
- Consider healthier options before indulging

Those are my goals for 2014! I'm excited to see what the year will bring, and I'm eager to see what goals I'll be able to accomplish this year. The best part about setting goals for specific areas of your life is how these small tangible steps make your goals more easily attainable. With this method, I can slowly work my way to accomplish them throughout the year.

What are some of your goals for 2014? Let me know in a comment below!

xoxo

Denise Joyce