And just like that I find myself on the last day of 2023.
I have to say that I’m experiencing something quite new to me. Instead of rushing to end the old year , leaving behind whatever stress it brought, and coming up with a list of resolutions I have no intend to follow through on for the new one, I’m having mixed feelings about letting this year go. You see, 2023 has been exceptionally enlightening. There were countless lessons, challenges and a lot of growth, some quite painful but necessary nonetheless. But because of those challenges and hard times I became the woman I am today, a woman I am incredibly proud of.
It is almost as if by letting go of 2023 , I am also leaving this new amazing version of me behind. I read somewhere recently that we don’t suffer from letting go but from holding on to what we no longer need. And as proud as I am of this new version of me, what if she has served her purpose and its time to look forward to the brand new 2024 version? Undoubtedly she will come with some standard features, but she will also be packing some state-of-the-art, spanking new goals and mindset.
I feel like 2023 was only the stepping stone onto the platform of greatness. Now, it’s time to get ready for the big stage. No more playing it small. No more dipping my toes into tiny puddles. This new year, its full body Yesses and complete immersion into new experiences. So, yes, while it is with sadness that I say goodbye to 2023, it is also with anticipation, determination and childlike enthusiasm that I get ready to start writing the first page of this new book, titled 2024.
Travel
2023 was filled with travel experiences. It started with a short trip to Savannah, followed with visits to Statia, Antigua, countless trips to Anguilla. Then there was my annual Euro trip to the Netherlands and Belgium to see friends and family but this time I added a few short visits to the Ardennes, Dublin, and Aachen in Gremany. I ended the year with an amazing trip to New Orleans, a place I’ve always wanted to go to.
But as amazing as these trips were it’s the connections, friendships and experiences that will forever live on in my heart. So, 2024 will see me travel not necessarily more often, but with more intention. My focus is no longer collecting stamps and taking pretty pictures for the Gram. In fact, I no longer want to focus on creating travel content at all.
I want to travel for me, without documenting every step of it. I want to experience more of the US, I want to attend seminars and retreats that focus on personal growth and mindful practices, and I want to create new meaningful connections and friendships, all while cherishing and nourishing existing ones.
Brand Upgrade
In 2023 you saw me introduce a new chapter to The Traveling Island Girl brand called Island Girl Awakening, which is all about healing, personal growth, and creating your best life. While my brand wouldn’t have existed without my drive to explore and share the Caribbean with you all, especially my home St. Maarten, I am no longer the island girl who started this blog 8 years ago. My life has changed and with it my ambitions and dreams.
No, this does not mean that I will seize to be your go-to for authentic Caribbean travel tips and recommendations. Not at all. I will still be doing some of that but now mostly through my podcast Paradise Perspectives and my e-Guide. When it comes to my blog, I will be going back to the original reason for starting this journey in the first place, and that is to Empower Women Through Travel.
What does this mean for you? Next to the standard travel how-to stories, you will now get to enjoy content on the subjects of empowerment and personal growth as well.
Breaking up with Social Media
As I catch myself scrolling endlessly and a little too frequently on social media, which leads to me feeling like I am not not enough because I’m constantly comparing myself to others on the app, I decided it’s time to quit Instagram.
I tried this before but I always come up with an excuse to go back to it. Its an addiction I desperately want to quit, and I think I’ve come up with the perfect way to do that.
I recognize that as bad as Instagram and Tik-Tok are for my personal mental health, they are necessary evils when it comes to promoting my online brand and ti stay connected with my audience. So, I decided that this year will be the year I waste less time scrolling on social media and more time actually creating and living my ideal reality.
Instagram and Tik-Tok offer means to escape our reality, which we have dubbed “not good enough” for whatever reason. But what if we create the life we love, a life we need no escaping from? I’m planning to be more in tuned with myself, to focus on living a life I love and am proud of. I plan to find joy in the work necessary to get there. I will express more gratitude for what I already have, and for what is yet to come.
The time I’ll free up from scrolling less, can now be spent writing for instance, which has always been my first passion anyway. Social media may have blinded me with its glitz, attractive features, and instant gratifications, but I am the happiest right here on my blog and now, my podcast where I can express myself freely, without the constant influence from others.
No More Island Tours
My private island tours will be a thing of the past as well, starting from June 2024. The tours were always supposed to be temporary, but because of the high demand they went on much longer than I intended.
But fact is that they’re taking up time that I would love to dedicate to other things, like writing and the podcast. The only tours I will be offering after the month of June, are specialty luxury tours once a month, if time allows for it. After all, I do still enjoy showing people all the good and the great about life here on St. Maarten.
Another Podcast
To say that I am obsessed with podcasts is putting it mildly, and since starting my own podcast journey last summer with my Caribbean travel podcast Paradise Perspectives, I have been dreaming of using my platform to talk to women who might be feeling stuck, especially after experiencing heartbreak or divorce. I want to share my own stories and hopefully inspire and empower others.
So, I am starting a second podcast this summer. Do you see now why I need to let go of some the things I used to do? I need to create space for these new introductions to my brand.
If you are as excited about the introduction to the Island Girl Awakening podcast as I am, let me know in the comments below. I would love to read your take on it. This new podcast will be more interactive. I will be sharing personal stories, talking to women who have found a way to live a life they love, and answering questions sent in by you. This is seriously giving me so much joy and I am really looking forward to it.
Note to self: Time to hire a podcast and video editor!
Transformative Retreats
My plan is not to only attend several retreats on personal growth myself this new year but to also host my own.
I am hosting my first intimate gathering on St. Maarten from June 4th to 9th. The Island Awakening Luxury Retreat will see max 10 people come together in a private luxury villa, where we will spend 4 full days healing from heartbreak, setting new intentions, and creating goals to live the life we want.
The retreat will feature daily meditations, workshops, unique island experiences, delicious gourmet meals prepared by a private chef, and a fun trip to nearby Anguilla. You will leave a new upgraded version of you, ready to tackle whatever life throws your way but with a newfound love for the life you will be creating.
This retreat will be one of many of its kind and with these I hope to form a tribe of adults eager to becoming the individuals they are meant to be. Its also a nice way to combine personal growth with island life.
Stay informed here.
Goodbye Unhealthy Habits
In 2023 meditation, journaling, affirmations and gratitude became part of my daily routine that helped change my life. It’s a routine I look forward to continuing in the new year. But this time I am adding healthy habits to it.
Yoga, stretching and healthy eating are being added to my daily practices.
I”ll be turning 49 in April and my body has been trying to tell me for while now that it can no longer sustain the lifestyle I had in my twenties. My diet needs to change, I need a stricter routine, and I definitely need to stop eating so unhealthy.
I also need to move more. I had to get into a cab recently and it was a van. Nothing super big, just a van-type taxi. I couldn’t get in and needed help lifting me into the seat. That was the WTF moment I needed to commit to making some much needed changes in my life.
I am dedicated to living a life I love. A life I love waking up to in the mornings. One in which I get to help visitors experience a more authentic Caribbean but at the same time help women empower themselves. I want to live a life purpose, while also giving myself the attention and care I need.
I’m excited for 2024 and cannot wait to share all about it with you here on my blog. Hopefully I get to positively touch some souls along the way.
I want you to know that it’s ok to change. Its a good thing, sometimes even a necessary thing. Don’t be afraid of it. You have been giving a new year, a blank canvas that you get to create something beautiful with. Go create. Let your imagination run rampant.
Happy New Year, friend. Today is the first day of the rest of your life, you will never be as young as you right now. So, make each new day, your best day yet.
With love form St. Maarten,
