Every year I pause to reflect on what I've accomplished. And this holiday break is no different. Here are my top ten posts from 2015--all focused on appreciating the haves in your life and embracing life's unpredictability.
Before I pull together the top ten posts of each year, I put together my top ten. Sometimes the posts between the two lists are pretty much the same. And sometimes, like this year, the lists differ greatly (only two posts in common this year).
This year's top ten posts mirrored the theme from 2013: unscripted lives. Unlike 2013, the 2015 posts started with a different premise.
The premise? We don't have enough time. We need to embrace the chaos, try our best each day, and celebrate the little details. The posts in 2015 recognized we were being bombarded with external pressures to "have it all" and to measure ourselves against others' styled lives and public successes.
And 2015 was definitely an interesting year for The Road To The Good Life--one where time played a crucial role. And a year where every day life was at direct odds with aspirational lifestyle images. A year where I was unable to close the gap between expectations and execution.
At the end of April, we made an offer on The Nest. Little did we know, closing would take an excruciating three months. We finally moved into The Nest mid-August and closed the doors to The Station for the last time the weekend before Labor Day.
This meant that not only was there less open space for DIY projects, much of my supplies were (and are still) in boxes. Downsizing from 1600 square feet to 849 square feet means there are lots of boxes and very little room for uncluttered, aspirational lifestyle images.
Just as life was beginning to settle into a comfortable, predictable pattern, November came and everyone in the house got sick. I got off easy with just a cold. cubes had walking pneumonia as did Gates. Gates also got double ear infections.
The past couple of weeks have been a nice break as most of our kitchen is unpacked and there's space (albeit a small area) where I can take photos. That means you'll be seeing a lot more recipe posts and crafts in the upcoming weeks!
The Top Ten Posts of 2015
- A Personal Definition of Success
- Setting Priorities
- Having It All - A Myth or Obtainable Reality
- Making Time for Reflection and Celebration
- We’re Getting it Wrong: Styled Lives not Body Image Are the Problem
- Appreciating the Haves and Cultivating an Abundance Mindset
- The Comparison Trap: Owning One's Bravery
- A Romantic Glamping Retreat
- Starting a Conversation about Diversity
- Mindful Consumption: The 8 for 4 Challenge
Curious how this top ten differs from years past? Check out the top ten posts from 2014, top ten posts from 2013 and the top ten posts from 2012.
Monthly Goal Planning and Traffic Conversion Reports
2015 was also the year I stopped focusing on pageviews and social media growth just for growth's sake. Instead, I wanted to see how both were translating to more concrete goals.
To this end, I created a monthly Goals Planning and Traffic Report (August to September 2015, October 2015, November 2015), which I plan to continue in 2016. I'll be talking more about how I'm defining my metrics and setting up tracking in upcoming editions of Letters to Entrepreneurs newsletter.
Credits: All layouts designed by and images taken by Eden Hensley Silverstein for The Road to the Good Life.