Originally posted June 2016
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Hi Beautiful Ones!
First and foremost, I wanted to say that I appreciate all the love that I have received over the past 9 months since I left my former website NecoleBitchie.com, and launched the women’s lifestyle brand xoNecole.com. The transition has been both humbling and rewarding! As I look back on all the obstacles I’ve overcome, as well as the people it has brought into my life, the lessons I’ve learned, and how I have personally evolved as a woman, I realize that this move was so necessary for me to get one step closer to living the life of my dreams. I’m not sure if the life I wanted for myself, and my old brand could coexist in the same space and it’s mainly because I really didn’t have a lot of time to do things that I enjoyed outside of working.
What I’ve learned is that sometimes you may have to give up something in order to get something else that you may want, all while believing that what lies ahead is far greater than what you are leaving behind. It’s all about trusting the process and surrendering to this beautiful journey we call life.
Lately, people have been asking me, “When are you going to update your personal blog! I love it so much!” and the truth is, I’ve noticed that it’s harder for me to write things when I’m going through them, versus when I’m on the other side and I am able to write about it from a more reflective standpoint. Just so you know, I’m on the other side (I’ve what I felt was a major meltdown) right now, so I’ll be writing about a lot of things I’ve learned, mistakes I made, LOVE, coming of age, and plenty of lessons over the next few weeks.
I’ve also noticed that since a lot of people have told me they were inspired by my personal site, I felt like I always had to write inspirational content, but that’s not necessarily the case. I want to switch things up and make the site more lifestyle, so I’ll be talking about everything from entrepreneurship, to travel, my fitness journey, my meal plans, self-care, books that have served as my mentors, and all things that I love in the future.
Which reminds me, I need to make a new bucket list!!!
Last year, the kind people at Axel and Ash sent me a gift pack with the My Bucket List journal and a Swept Away By Wanderlust travel journal. The My Bucket List journal allows you to write out 101 things you’d love to do in this lifetime. The idea was inspired by a guy who lost a close friend of his and realized that life is too short to waste while not living true to his values. He thought about the things he kept saying he wanted to do and realized, “Why are they always in the future, why not do them now?’ So he wrote down 101 things he wanted to do and over the last 6 years, he completed 67 items on his list (including visiting an inmate on death row, learning French, he grew a beard, and he got marred to a stranger — LOL!) YOLO (you only live once).
I love this journal because it really made me think about everything I want to experience in this lifetime. My parents both died at ages 41 and 42, so I learned very early on that life is short and we have to live every single day to the fullest. I want to take full advantage of this time I have here on this earth. So here is some of the things that would are on my bucketlist:
- Write a book –i.e. Memoir (I’ll explain later why this hasn’t happened yet)
- Sky dive (I tried to go in Dubai and let’s just say I should have booked earlier)
- Visit Greece — Santorini and Mykonos
- Scuba Diving
- A commencement speech at my former high school
- A women’s empowerment tour
- Expand my business
- Redesign and relaunch my personal site (I’m working on that right now!!)
- Live abroad (if only for a few months)
- Learn a new language (French perhaps?)
- Become a mother (But not before becoming a wife 🙂 )
I had “Talk to Oprah”, ride a camel, visit Dubai, The Grand Canyon, fall in love and The White House (not listed) on my bucket list in 2015.
and BOOM!
Grand Canyon – March 2015
My March 2015 Visit to Antelope Canyon
My March 2015 visit to Antelope Canyon
My sister and I riding a camel in Dubai
Riding ATVs through the Desert in Dubai
A visit to the White House with Terrence J
I met Oprah October 2015
Look at God!
I would have never in a million years thought I’d meet Oprah or visit The White House so soon, but it’s all proof that you can manifest the things you want into your life by keeping a running tab of your goals, visualize you actually having those things, and most of all believing it will happen.
And if I add my career transition to the mix, I’d have to say that 2015 was a monumental year!
**Sidebar: Gosh, now that I look back, through all the tears, I really didn’t give myself enough credit last year. Can we take this moment to appreciate all the things in life that we have been able to accomplish despite adversity! Perspective is everything!**
_____
I’m so excited to knock a good amount of these items off of my list over the next year or two.
Although I put it at the end of my list, one thing I’m really focused on as I continue to evolve as a woman is to have work/life balance. A lot of entrepreneur women I’ve talked to don’t believe they can have a career, and juggle that with marriage and kids…and for a long time, I didn’t believe it either. I felt as though I’d have to give up one, to get the other but now I am determined to prove to myself I can do it.
Will it be perfect? No.
Will something be sacrificed? Yes.
But that’s my ultimate goal item. The ultimate bucket list item. Being able to love, be love, and pour that love into my husband, my kids, my family, my friends and everyone I come in contact with daily.
And to make time.
Since rebranding, I’ve found more time to celebrate friends’ birthdays, attend bachelorette parties, go to wine tastings, take road trips, and pick up the phone and have lengthy conversations with friends and family and it really has improved the overall quality of my life.
P.S. I need a new My Bucketlist Journal. Before I had the chance to write in it, I gave it away as a gift to someone who means a lot to me and just to show you how cheesy I am, I wrote this on Page 50 🙂
I’m old school and like to create things that people can look back on so this journal works for me, but if you are more of a new-age, I-like-to-do-everything-on-line type of person, there is a site called bucketlist.org (I don’t believe it’s ran by the same authors) that has everything imaginable on there. I haven’t looked too much into it but it looks like a social community for bucket lists. You can even create a bucklist of your own and keep up with it on there. (I just came across it today while writing this post ironically!)
In the meantime, I’d love to know what’s on your list? What are a few things you hope to do this year? And in this lifetime?
Feel free to share in the comments!
Until next time 🙂
Such a great idea, I’ve been working on mine as well
I want to write a book, see Oprah, skydive, visit Italy and Greece
You’re my spirit animal!!!
Thanks Necole! I wrote down all of my affirmations for this year and what they all meant. I now need to clearly define objectives behind those affirmations.
I want to publish a book, push my blog, travel to South Africa and Israel, fall in love with the right person, create more than one stream of income, and generate a platform for myself for years to come!
I want to go on a girl getway with you and your crew! The positivity is contagious. You rock Sista~
Excellent.
Such happy tears…I’m so proud of you
Truly enjoyed this article….Keep living & dreaming #Goals
How did you meet Oprah? Or is it in the article? Lol…. My bad
I love this
Fall in love??
Starting… Now.
Great article. You are so humble and sweet you can feel your spirit through your writing.
YOU ROCK! This article was amazing i’ve always had a bucket list but never thought yo put anything in writing. Thank you for posting about the Bucket List journal. im going to look into getting my boyfriend and I a copy .
Also congratulations on falling in love ❤!!!!
This is what i like to do create a bucket list. Write it down in a book.
I took some of your ideas from your bucket list, Necole. All the while writing some of my own short term goals and long term. I’ll also be back later to share my vision board!
Oprah is on mine as well (I currently work where she used to and I walk past her photo everyday) praying that life lets me meet her one day.
I met her last month at Tribeca Film Festival one of the best moments of my life
I’ve always kept a bucket list. There’s a app called buckiTDream I keep them all on now.
Wow . It’s literally a app for everything lol
Yes! Literally! Lol
So inspirational! Thank you!!
Love this idea of the bucket list. I do one my self for each summer. But for my ultimate bucket list, I would love to backpack through South Africa, learn a new language & ride on a roller coaster ( afraid of heights). Love your list too btw.
My bucket list entails: attending NY fashion week, writing a book, visiting Paris, London and Japan, buying a vacation home on the beach- actually working on finishing my list this weekend! ❤️
Here are a few of mine: visit 40 countries by my 40th birthday (I’m 35 and up to 31). be a wife & mom. become fluent in Spanish. feed 1,000 homeless/hungry people in 1 year. gift all my littles $1800 on their 18th birthday (I buy $50 of the same investment for them every bday and Christmas), visit 6 of the 7 continents (no interest in Antarctica) with my nephew (we already have 2 down, he’s 5). work in Philanthropy. teach people how to love. visit Africa (my last continent to visit) I have a long list of countries I want to see. tithe on my gross salary. donate/gift an entire paycheck to a worthy cause.
Thank you so much for posting this! I created my 100+ dreams list years ago and I’m going to do a remix of it in blog form like this and keep republishing it over the years to have something to look back at like this amazing post! Thank you a million and keep living your dreams!
Beautiful
I want to visit all 50 states! And I don’t mean drive through it. I mean visit a monument and/or try something that is pivotal to the culture of that state. I’ve done 19 thus far.
Necole, I cried as I sat the airport reading your article. I’ve been following you since 2006. And I must say, I definitely love the person you’ve become or always have been. This was truly inspirational. Keep up the amazing work.
So true . I did a 30 before 30 list a couple of years ago and slowly but surely things are dropping off. Made In America, Vegas,LA Zumba class (a bad dancers nightmare) and etc. Always belived in The Law of Atrraction ans watching it manifest is dope. Still waiting to meet you & Bey
Moment of silence for all of the “self love” moments you had! I’m proud of you my love and as always you’re my biggest inspiration
yasss big sis but how was meeting oprah? and um who is the mystery guy rotimi? i needs to know lmbo love ya
One thing that is on my bucketlist for this year is: create a series of podcasts and get an X amount of streams.
And fall in love #simplethings
“I’ve noticed that it’s harder for me to write things when I’m going through them, versus when I’m on the other side and I am able to write about it from a more reflective standpoint.” … This is so true. Sometimes I have to remind myself that the biggest blessings come with some tough lessons, and trust that God is working it all out for my good. And most of the time it’s not until you’ve pushed through that you can look back and say, “I get it. Necessary growth that I wouldn’t have got without pain.”
Thanks Necole! You never seize to inspire me.
I love love love you. Your new journey inspirational! I recently started a new blog after an abusive relationship. My goal is to speak more and help others now. Thank you for being you!
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