Saying goodbye to 2023...

To be quite honest, I’ve hesitated many times when writing this post. 

I’ve spent the past few days reflecting on this year and everything it has taught me. While I can say, this has been one (if not the most…let me not jinx myself there) of the most challenging years of my life, as I reflect on each month, I have to acknowledge the amount of growth and strength I have developed this year. It’s been a hell of a year, and I proudly say I survived!! 

As I mentioned a while back in my newsletter, I didn’t go to Madrid as planned. A lot of medical (both physical and mental) issues suddenly came up, and I had to make the hard decision not to move to Madrid. I spent the better half of this year thinking that Madrid would be it; it would be my place where I felt just right, and I would end up living there for life. I would look back at my time in Paris, seeing how my friends thrived in the city, hoping Madrid would be that for me. August and September were tough months, with me realizing that I had been escaping from many things since the pandemic. In these months, I realized I needed to confront many realities before moving anywhere. I spent a few months thinking I had made a mistake; I was a failure, I would say. 

However, life truly works in the most mysterious of ways. October and November became monumental in my life. I realized the best decision I have ever made in my life was not moving to Madrid. With much love and support from my family and iconic friends (love you, Meg, Sofía, Lex, and Sofía), I realized many things I needed to fix in my life. The biggest being my confidence. 

I can’t quite remember when I let myself go, but 2023 showed me that I needed to start loving Nana so much more, and she desperately needed some TLC from herself. While some days I find myself in a rut, still thinking negatively, I found that inner guiding voice that has helped me be much more compassionate with myself and realize all the good things I am. 

While I can confidently say I HATED going through this year, I also realize the amount of power I have gained. I know this sucks to say, but as my friend Sofía says, growth is such a painful process with the greatest reward. I’ve slowly realized who Nana really is, what she likes, what she doesn’t, and what her boundaries are, and I also began not to take personally what others thought of me and give much more importance to what I thought of myself. 

Today, I am proud to say that I am on my way to becoming a luxury travel advisor and even more proud to work alongside Ana. She has been incredible, and I could not be more happy to be on her team! 

So, as this year ends, I don’t know what my plan for my future is. Albeit a scary place to be (I am very much a type A person), it is exciting to live day by day working in a job I genuinely enjoy. 

Finally, I want to thank all of you for your support! It’s been amazing to grow my brand with you, and I cannot wait for 2024! I hope you all have a magical time with your loved ones, and if you’ve made it this far from the bottom of my heart, thank you!