Mind. Beauty. Simplicity

Books You Should Read This Year

Towards the end of last year, I became more of a reader to the point my younger self would be proud. I don’t know if it’s because of technology & social media, but my attention span isn’t what it used to be so I’m trying to regain that again through intention & good habits. Reading in my opinion, is a time to shut off the world, be at peace even for just a short while & have a bit of self care time just for me. With that being said, here is a list of books you should read this year.

The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse

This is one that is on my list for this year. I’ve heard great things & the genre is spot on to what I usually gravitate towards. Following a woman who has recently taken leave from being a detective, she heads to a hotel called THE SANATORIUM high up in the mountains of the Swiss Alps who comes across a group of unusual group & a shadowy killer awaits her arrival.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This is one I haven’t yet read but one that is raved about all over social media. It tells the romantic escapades of Evelyn Hugo & her seven husbands & from what I’ve been told, the stories are supposedly based on the writer’s life?

Atomic Habits by James Clear

Like a lot of people at the start of a new year, you want to develop better habits for a better life. This book is talked about all over social media & definitely one I want to read next.

The Twelve MonoTasks by Thatcher Wine

I love self improvement books & after watching Thatcher Wine’s GMA interview talking about the technique of monotasks, I was very intrigued. I’m someone who would pride myself over being a multitasker but it never occurred to me that way of being could be self sabotaging. This year because of this book, I’m learning to take things one at a time & one task at a time & learning not to feel like I need to overly rush life away.

Harry Potter Series

I can finally admit I’m a Harry Potter fan. But I’ve only seen the movies. I decided since we already owned the books, I would read the entire series this year. I’m currently in the middle of the second book & I love all the details that were left out of the movies.

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

As a 2022 bride, of course I read a haunting thriller of a wedding gone wrong. A flood of guests make their way to a secluded island mansion to celebrate the wedding of the most attractive & upscale couple. But of course, everyone has secrets & through the backstories of the many guests in each chapter, the truth slowly comes to fruition. It was a bit of a slow read I will admit, but I still enjoyed the premise.

Goodbye Things by Fumio Sasiko

A minimalist book about focusing less on things & more on experiences. I also read his book about habits so this is one I definitely want to check out because it feels so on brand!

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

An artist turns silent after the murder of her husband but psychologists & therapists don’t know why. Through the detective skills & self reflection of one psychotherapist, the answers become more clear.

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

After reading Verity – I want to read all of Colleen’s novels tbh. This one really intrigued me as it is about a friends with benefits relationship & the twists & turns of that. And we all know FWB can get pretty complicated.

Signs by Laura Lynn Jackson

One of my closest friends gifted this book to me after hearing about the death of my father. It’s an uplifting & spiritual read that tells the stories of signs of loved ones. Whether you believe it or not, this book definitely provides the reassurance & peace our loved ones are always there even when they are not longer physically here.

What books are on your 2022 reading this?

-B

Mindsets To Leave Behind In The New Year

The start of a new year always sparks inspiration to clean house, reflect & begin again as Taylor Swift would say. I’m always finding an excuse to declutter & downsize my belongings but I’ve also taken some time to reflect on non material items I wish to change as I’m feeling 2022. [ alright – I’ll be done with the T Swift references – as they just come naturally all too well for me. HA! ]. Last year, I talked about how we can all simplify our lives – check out that post here if you haven’t already. But to extend off that post, I wanted to share with you some mindset changes I’ll be leaving behind this year.

I’ve battled with having a healthier relationship with social media & at the end of 2021, I was posting a ton on my personal accounts & just living for the photo op which was a bit of a regression if you ask me. Some of it could have been because I was going through grief & it was a way to heal, BUT I’d much rather go into the new year with better ways to mend such grief & focus on self care offline. I’ve talked about how I primarily use social media for my blog & although this is true, I was definitely getting carried away with my online persona. Even for my blog, I want to be more intentional as a blogger & truly walk the walk instead of just talk the talk.

Less Isn’t Always More

This may be a little contradictory if you’ve been a reader of my blog from the beginning. I decided to be less strict when it comes to living a minimalist lifestyle. Sometimes less isn’t always more & I don’t want to limit myself to x amount of items. Sometimes it’s nice to treat yourself now & then. And I don’t want to feel deprived. Minimalism, if you decide to follow it, looks different for everyone. Figure out what works for you & go with that. The main goal is to be happy in this life & not to be so tied down to our belongings. But if say, you love a large book shelf filled with novels, enjoy your library!

Stop Delaying Travel & Experiences

“It’s just not the right time” or “let’s wait until next year” are statements I want to leave in the past. I want to live more in the moment, experience all I can & say yes to adventures more often. I’ve learned it’s more rewarding to spend money on experiences than material items. And there’s still so much I wish to see & do. I’ll be manifesting milestones & adventures ten fold this year.

Letting Other’s Treat You In Ways You Don’t Deserve

I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a doormat but people pleasing is definitely something I’ve been working on lately. There have been too many times where I let my kindness get the best of me & allow people to treat me in ways that aren’t deserving. At the end of 2021 & going into this new year, I hope to develop more of a backbone & stand up for myself & my wishes in a respectable but firm manner. This means saying no more often & refraining from explaining myself to hard.

Include Self Care In Your Daily Routine

The world paints this picture that tells us we should be nonstop hustling to succeed. I’ve learned how important it is to implement self care [ even if it’s 10 min a day ] into our routines. Especially someone who is heavily wedding planning, taking time for yourself some is so important. We don’t want us to burn out. During the month of December, I took my longest hiatus from blogging – an entire month. And although I was casually writing content for the new year when I had the time, the pressure to keep up with a self inflicted schedule was no more. I was able to focus on real life tasks & enjoy the holidays with my family. I think all content creators should consider breaks more often. It’s nice to be consistent, but it’s also good & healthier to step away for a while. And speaking of self care activities – some of my favorites include binge watching a tv show, getting lost in a book, have phone calls with loved ones, taking warm showers / baths, getting active or listening to music. Plus, when you make time for your life outside of blogging, you come up with content to write about. It’s a win win for everyone.

Conclusion

Each new year provides a fresh page to an unwritten chapter. It’s always exciting to see how we wish to write said story. With this in mind, reflecting on your growth, perspectives & feelings toward your life will allow you to evolve & make each sequel to your own personal novel another page turner.

What are some things you’d like to leave behind in 2021?

-B

The Aesthete Blogger Award

Thank you so much Katie of The Dating Bitch for nominating me for this award back in 2021. I’m finally getting around to answering your questions & nominating a few other bloggers for this same award. Be sure to check out Katie’s award post here & subscribe to her blog. She posts amazing content all about relationships & she also wrote an E book!

But First: What is the Aesthete Blogger Award exactly?

The Aesthete Blogger Award is a peer-recognized blogging award. Ashmita from The Fictional Journal created it as a way for bloggers to encourage and support one another.

Here’s how Ashmita describes it in her own words:

“This award is to honor every creative person, irrespective of their number of followers and views. Because, as long as you create, that is all that matters. This award is for those bloggers who put an insane amount of thought in each of their posts and for those who spread creativity like wildfire! Just wow!”

The Official Rules:

Use the official logo/graphic of the award and display it on your blog.
List the rules.
Show some love to the one who nominated you!
Mention the creator (Ashmita of The Fictional Journal) and link back to the original post.
Nominate 7 lovely people and notify them by commenting on their posts; spread some love!
Ask your nominees four questions.
Share something you’ve created!
ANSWER THE QUESTIONS:

Tell me something about this world you admire?
What is your favorite form of creativity?

The Aesthete Questions:

Tell Me Something About This World You Admire?

I truly admire how talented people are. In terms of the blogging community for instance – I’ve just been so amazed by people’s talents & skills. I feel like we can be so hard on ourselves when we all have gifts that need to be shown off.

What is Your Favorite Form of Creativity?

I feel like writing is an obvious answer here for me. It’s the best way I can express myself & tell my story in a sense. As a creative person though, so many mediums inspire me like music, art & even graphic design.

The Dating Bitch [ Katie’s ] Questions:

What is the best thing that has happened to you today?

As I’m writing this, my fiance & I have locked in all our vendors for our wedding which is super exciting! The wedding planning process has been quite the journey & it’s these little accomplishments that make all the difference.

What’s your favorite thing about yourself?

In all honesty, Ive been rather critical of myself. I don’t know if it’s a combination of going through grief & just being overall busy in life, but I’ve neglected giving myself time to reflect as much as I’ve wanted to lately. But to answer the question, [ lol ] I would say for the most part I try to maintain a sense of optimism throughout my life. On my best days, I’m a very bubbly & happy person. Lately though, I’ve learned it’s ok that I’m not this way 100% of time. It’s actually more human to be more balanced with my emotions. So, I’d say my favorite thing about myself is my ability to give myself grace.

It’s a Saturday afternoon and you have no plans or obligations – what are you doing?

100% sleeping in, most likely until noon if I can. To quote the Tiktok…”I’m from the sheets not the streets, baby.” LOL! On days I have no plans, I spend it binge watching some series on Netflix [ lately that would be Downton Abbey] , walking aimlessly through Target & buying things I don’t need or getting some form of takeout because I’m an extreme foodie. And most days my partner in crime aka the future hubby will accompany me for said outings.

Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

For the longest time I didn’t really understand the proper definition of an introvert. But now that I’m fully aware, I’d say I’m definitely an introvert because I gain back my energy through alone time. This does not mean I’m not a social butterfly or despise social events in any means. It just means I may need a few days to recover after a weekend out on the town.

Drum Roll Please: I Nominate….

Life Begins At Twenty

Paul Passing Through

Just Jenna

Now for My Questions:

Describe your blog theme / aesthetic in one word.

What goals do you have for your blog in 2022?

What is something you are looking forward to this year?

What’s one interesting fact about you?

Thanks again to Katie of The Dating Bitch for nominating me for this blogging award. I enjoyed answering these questions & am excited to keep the nominations going with my questions.

-B