I started 2018 in the hospital. It was three days into the new year and instead of focusing on my goals, I found myself getting wheeled off to have my appendix removed.

Luckily, it turned out to be a false alarm and I didn't have to have surgery after all! But even still, starting off the first week of the year in the hospital really killed my motivation. 

By the time I recovered my goals were already off track, I was behind at work, and I was majorly stressing about how much this hospital visit would cost me. It was like I did all of that planning for nothing... 2018 was going to be like every other year before it.

So often, we just accept these things as our fate and wait around for something to change, for someone to come rescue us. As your tough love friend, I'm here to tell you that no one else has a greater responsibility to giving you the life you want than you.

There were many times where I thought back to the goals and dreams I had written down ahead of this year, but they seemed completely unobtainable. I felt like I didn't have the time, energy, or motivation to achieve a single one.

Then I did one thing that changed the tone for the remainder of the year: I asked for help.

Instead of hiding what I was struggling with, I started sharing them. Loudly. With my inner circle, on my blog, with new friends, and even to strangers.

I created a sounding board of people I trusted and it instantly felt like the biggest weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I didn't have to carry every burden, I didn't have to save everyone, I didn't have to be strong all of the time. I could fail, I could grow, I could try again, I could learn, I could breathe.

All of a sudden, things started going my way. Doors started opening, opportunities were appearing, happiness was abundant.

There is someone reading this who feels as if every aspect of their life is crumbling right now. You have no control. You're on a losing streak. You can't get your mindset right. You'll never have the perfect life you've always dreamed of. 

If you're looking to make 2019 a better year I challenge you to start by doing just one thing: start asking for help.​

To the people who have made this my best year yet, there aren't enough words to properly say thank you. You know exactly who you are. 

Being interviewed on a podcast has been one of my dreams for a loooong time. This year, I put it on my vision board and promised myself that I would make it happen.

Thank you to Lené Hypolite, host of The Glow Up Podcast, for sharing so many incredible stories of success with actionable steps to help others glow up in their careers, finances, personal lives, and so much more. ​

It was an honor to share my story on the podcast, I hope you enjoy it! ​