Happy Friday sweet friends!
We’re so excited to introduce a new tradition. Every Friday we’re going to give you guys a peek into our lives with The List. (Life In Struggle Town….get it?)
Even though it sounds like a cheap takeoff of The View, we promise it will be a lot more interesting, significantly less catty, and with way less Raven-Symoné. Note: this could be a good or bad thing….depending on which era of Raven we’re talking about.
We crafted five questions to give you a glimpse into our lives every week. Both of us have experienced a lot of transition in the past few months and we know you’re dying to get some BTS intel. And you might even learn something about yourself along the way…probably not because this isn’t a sitcom on the network formerly known as ABC Family, but maybe! DRUMROLL PLEASE!
Introducing….THE LIST.
This week’s list is about what we learned this week, and some of our goals for this next year in honor of our one year Struggle anniversary.
One: What we learned this week
W: This week was a week of lessons. I have been pouring myself into work since I started in advertising, and I’ve taken a step back many times and wondered if I put too much into my job. I’ve given up a lot for work – vacations, dates, dinners, etc. – and the work doesn’t always pan out the way I want it to. This week I found out that a project that I worked really hard on for the past couple months didn’t go my way, which bummed me out. But then, I realized it’s okay. I have enough other things in life that keep me happy and satisfied. I have great friends, a family that loves me, a fun social life, and my writing pursuits outside of work. Not to mention, I really like my job. So next time I get afraid that I put too much into work, I can take a deep breath and know things always work out. If I was out of balance emotionally about work, I would have gone into a deep funk after the lackluster news this week, but I’m just looking forward to this weekend’s plans, seeing my mom next week and getting the blog back up and running. And I’ll hit the ground running at work again next week with a good attitude.
C: This was a big learning week for me. Since I went freelance in March of 2015 I’ve been booked pretty much solid. Any time I wasn’t working I traveled and because I’ve already been on a lot of big trips this year I decided that I’d take this time to hang in New York for a bit. I sometimes I forget that I live in one of the most exciting cities in the world and I really haven’t taken advantage of it this year between work, travel, and the five months I freelanced in San Francisco. I spoke about this a little in my Sometimes* post but this has been a somewhat emotional few months for me. I think my body is finally recovered from Mexico and while I had originally planned on taking this time off to catch up on sleep, writing, and relaxation, I remembered that I can’t sit still for 10 minutes. So instead of fulfilling my original slug life fantasies, I’ve become the most active I’ve ever been in my life. It turns out that if you have literally nothing to do, working out becomes the most exciting part of your day. (Side note – I’m now understanding the allure of being a “kept woman.”) Last week I walked up to the new Equinox in Williamsburg (I know, I know), basically threw my wallet at them, and lunged out the door with a shiny new gym membership and a brand new personal trainer. I’ve worked out every day this week and I can’t remember the last time I felt this good physically.
Other learnings include: (1) Always backup your fucking phone. Can not stress this enough. (2) Crying in public is surprisingly easy and I think one of the true signs of being an official New Yorker. (3) My friends are the best people in the world (I already knew this but I just feel like it’s important this week). (4) When you don’t work, it’s not smart to spend money carelessly but my GOD, it’s so much fun.
*By the way – thank you to the multiple people who reached out to me after this was published to tell me it helped them in some way. It made me feel so happy to know that I was a part of your day.
Two: What we’d like to accomplish with the blog in the next month
C: In this next month I think consistency is key. Every few months Whit and I meet and talk about the future of the blog. The topic that pops up the most is that we really want to create some consistency with the amount we’re posting and the subjects we’re writing about. My main goal is to have at least 3 posts up per week for the next four weeks. Also I had to tell my trainer a fitness goal and the only thing I could think of was that I’d like to run a 5k so prepare yourself for a lot of blister talk, tears, and chafing.
W: I agree with Chels. The biggest goal is to set up a system so we’re always posting. Even with an insane work and travel schedule, there’s always 30 minutes in the day for us to write. Even if it means getting up early or staying up late, it’s not that big of a deal if it means this blog picking up and becoming a real thing. We’ve got big goals and this is the year we reach them!
Three: What we jammed to this week
W: My jam sesh is pretty embarrassing this week. A little backstory: last weekend my LA homies and I went to a pumpkin patch to try and fake some fall vibes. (Is that sentence LA enough for you? Homies AND vibes in the same place. You’re welcome!)
In the car on the way back, we started in on a nostalgia trip and put on Michelle Branch radio on Spotify. I haven’t stopped listening to it for the entire week. Sorry dear readers, I’ll do better next week.
C: I started a Michelle Branch-free playlist that we’ll add to each week. Also I’d like to add that I love Michelle Branch and that is NOTHING to be ashamed of Whit. She’s everywhere to me. When I close my eyes it’s her I see.
We struggle / we jam / we dance
Four: How we expanded our BRAINS this week
W: Since work has been so hectic, I’ve been on a comfort entertainment binge (hence the Michelle Branch), so my book of choice for the past 3 weeks has been The Complete Sherlock Holmes. This is my third time reading it, but I love it. When my job is crazy, there’s nothing more satisfying than when someone (almost) always solves the crime and gets the bad guy.
C: One benefit of being unemployed is that I’ve been able to read. A lot. See Mom – positivity! I have serious book ADHD but I’m flipping between So Sad Today, The Tsar of Love and Techno, and Purity. (Full disclosure: I’ve been trying to get through Purity for 6 months.)
Five: Something we’re looking forward to
W: I’m looking forward to this year of The Struggle. I’ve got a new fire under my ass and I’m so excited about making big things happen this year. Every day I’m feeling more and more like this is destiny (I know, I know. So lame. But it feels real! Don’t judge me!) The universe is definitely aligning for Chels and I to make something of this blog. And I am STOKED. (Okay I think I need to leave LA. My slang is getting rad. I mean bad. Oh god.)
C: File this under “things I normally buy and shove into a bin in my closet never to be seen again until I go on a bad date and throw out everything in my room à la Marie Kondo.” But not this time, Marie. On one of my many wanderings this week I stumbled upon a new store in Williamsburg called Leif. Have you ever walked into a store and wanted to immediately go back to your apartment to grab your toothbrush, retainer, and phone charger, and head back to that store because it’s your new home and you never want to leave? Well, that’s how I felt in Leif. I found the Happiness Planner and really like the format. I’m going to try not to drive myself crazy and won’t beat myself up if I forget to write for a day or two but something shifted this week and I am so excited about life again. On Wednesday when I was writing Sometimes, Whitney mentioned that she felt like it was a momentous day for the blog and I felt it too . Be it cosmic activity or good juju or just pure luck but that’s when we realized it had been exactly one year since we kicked off. Our long term goal is to make this blog our career and we can’t wait to see what you guys think.
So that’s it y’all. That’s our Friday debrief.
Hope you guys are easing your beautiful selves into the weekend!
We love you guys, and thanks for being the best.
Xoxo, The Struggle
The Struggle 