The Best of 2018 & What I Learned
2018 was both the longest and shortest year of my life. When I think about how much I managed to pack into 365 days it feels like the longest rotation around the sun, but on the other hand, that also makes it feel like I blinked and boom, it's December. Did I finish my first internship four months ago? I swear it felt like two weeks!
I did a lot this year and not a single ounce of it I regret. This year brought opportunity, growth, joy, sadness, struggle, confusion, stress (lots of it), and now reflection. Rarely do I sit down and look back upon my year. I feel like I'm always running around focusing on what I need to accomplish tomorrow or next week to appreciate all I've accomplished in the rear-view mirror. Today I want to share each month and the joys and stress it brought me and each lesson I learned along the way.
January started me off in my major. After a semester "application courses" at JMU in 2017, I was finally accepted as an official communication major. I had no time to mess up, no time to back track, and no time to change my mind if I wanted to graduate on time. I took any class that sounded slightly interesting and even declared a minor in writing, rhetoric and technical communication. This semester was busy as ever but I ended up making Dean's List for the first time and loved studying. Going to class each day was pure joy for me. I so enjoyed writing papers, working on projects and even taking notes in lectures.
January's Lesson: January taught me to fully dive into the things you love. I knew I loved learning about communication and writing papers. Seriously, I learned in my public relations intro class than I think I have in my decade of learning French. No matter what you do in life, if you love it, take the time to learn everything you can. It's okay to be a nerd about a subject or be the smartest in the class.
It was in February where I crossed off something on my bucket list. I attended my first New York Fashion Week. I remember sitting on the JMU architecture building waiting to pick my car up from my sister in between classes when I received the email with invitations to see several designers. It was an absolute dream come true. The next thing I knew I had a train ticket to NYC and a hotel room booked. The weekend I spent in New York was full of magic. From wandering aimlessly up 5th Avenue to spending an astronomical amount of money on a half dozen of Ladurée macarons, I wouldn't have changed anything about that weekend. Even though it rained for 72 straight hours and I swear I almost got mugged walking to Penn Station, it is hands down the highlight of February.
February's Lesson: At first life's hard work might not seem to be paying off. Nonetheless, keep going. Work hard. Don't stop. If you carry on, try to best yourself, and continue to be creative in whatever you do. When the timing's right, you will be rewarded. Being invited to New York Fashion Week was a total pinch-me-moment in 2018 and I hope I get to go back soon.
March is when I met my best friends. We always were friends but it's the month where we started to hang out more, we all had a class together and soon we became inseparable. It's funny to me. The three of us had known each other for almost two years before becoming close. It's strange that it took us so long to create a meaningful and close friendship. Now, I don't know what I would do without Sarah and Sabrina.
March's Lesson: Friendships come and go, but there are a few relationships in life where you know it's something special. I always thought of myself as someone who never had too many close friends, but these girls are people I will always be friends with. We can't go a day without talking to each other. March taught me to be open to all kinds of people and appreciate their presence in your life. There's a reason God put them there in the first place!
April was a busy month and was when my sophomore year of college ended. I've said that my sophomore year of college was just the best and it was because it was the time when I decided on a career path but also made some personal decisions in my life regarding how I hold myself, where I put my time and efforts and how I treat others. One big memory from April was Greek Sing. It's a Greek-wide talent show and although it's meaningless to just about everyone, it was so meaningful to me. The three months I worked with my friends, had fun, made memories and met new people was wonderful. I learned how to lead, how to listen, how to think quick on my feet, and so much more from this experience.
April's Lesson: April taught me how to become involved in something that's hard work, but fun. Even though Greek Sing was a pain in the butt some days, I always enjoyed going to practices, choreographing motions and meeting with my ADPi sisters because we had fun together. I didn't get paid, it doesn't go on a resume, it was just something fun to do but was still so worth it.
In May, I started my first internship. I worked at Rhoback in Charlottesville, Virginia for 10 weeks and learned a lot in the process. This was the first job I had that benefitted my post-graduate career in any shape or form. This job taught me a lot, tested my ability, and inspired me every single day. It was incredible working on such a small team because it meant I was learning from CEO's and the founders of the company. I failed in this job but also had success in the job.
May's Lesson: The month of May taught me how hard it is to adapt. I loved working at Rhoback but it taught me that I don't know everything. Even though I've taught myself a lot through Daily Dose of Prep, there's miles and miles to go in terms of knowledge on content creating, building a brand and sustaining a company. I wasn't working for myself in this job and I needed to learn how to adapt to a different company’s story, message and brand. It was tough to say the least but I enjoyed the challenge throughout the summer.
In June, I started my company with my dad. Markley Prescott is still in the beginning stages but soon I'll be able to share every detail with you! I never thought I would be doing what I am right now, let alone at such a young age. The team at Rhoback inspired me to thinking it was possible and my dad has total faith in me, which is humbling if you knew him. Markley Prescott is my baby and I'm so nervous to release it to the public soon. Make sure to follow along here for updates and look out for pre-orders in the coming several weeks!
June's Lesson: Age is just a number. Nineteen is young, but not too young. It's not too young to have a brand, to use your voice, to start a company, to have an idea or to take risks. If I said "I'm too young" or "I'm only nineteen" as an excuse to do something, I'm sure I wouldn't be publishing blog posts. Don't let age define you or your capabilities, if so nothing will ever be accomplished.
In July, I left my teenage years behind me. It's weird saying I'm twenty. I don't know if I hate it or if I absolutely love it. I feel like my youth is fleeting but in the same coin, I feel like the best years of my life have arrived. It's the time to spontaneous, take risks, embrace adventure, love life, and work hard.
July's Lesson: I can't lie, leaving nineteen behind was tough. It was the absolute best year of my life and I was scared growing older would stop the magic. That's the thing though, July taught me that we create our own magic. Just as people say "oh thank God 2018 is over" I was saying "Oh no, twenty don't come!". Just as the Tuesday I was nineteen was no different than the Wednesday I was 20, it felt worlds different. It wasn't. Nothing changed. The Monday of 2018 will be no different than the Tuesday of 2019. Make your own magic. Work hard, be kind, treat others with respect, say your prayers and keep going and the magic will continue no matter the year or your age.
August had junior year written all over it. I counted down every single day of August until I moved into my apartment at JMU for my junior year. It felt like finally everything was as it should be starting off this the school year. As a sophomore in 2017, I didn't want to return to JMU, I didn't feel like I had many friends and I was still uncertain about my major. August of 2018 though had an entirely different feel. I was thrilled to see my friends that I now consider family, move into a new apartment and start the year on a great foot. I slept in my apartment for four days without water just because I wanted to go back so early.
August's Lesson: August taught me that the littlest things can give incredible joy. Seeing my friends, moving apartments, starting new classes, and going back to school. I was so excited to get back to a schedule and get back to the familiar of my JMU life. Even though life was carrying on as it should when it comes to school starting again, it was so nice to have the normalcy make me so excited.
Recruitment consumed September. The semester was still in it's young stages to nothing too serious was on my academic calendar quite yet so everything that month was about Alpha Delta Pi. Recruitment in 2017 was my personal version of hell. I hated every second of it. Maybe it was because I was so out of my comfort zone or because I was just overwhelmed, but this year I was relaxed. I enjoyed spending time with my friends, dressing up for rounds, and running the behind the scenes of rush. The days were long and the nights of sleep were short, but I had a blast.
September's Lesson: I didn't recruit girls this year, I helped work the behind the scenes of formal recruitment. September taught me that you don't have to be front and center to be helpful or make a difference. I worked on a small committee in ADPi this year that helped organized PNM's and sisters each round of recruitment. It was a quiet job but fun. Even though the committee wasn't front and center, we still did great work and performed well for the chapter.
October was the most stressful month of 2018. It became abundantly clear in October that the semester would be full of paper writing and there wouldn't be much time for anything else. I wrote over two dozen papers this semester and only took six tests. I stayed up to 3a.m. more times than I care to count and because of this, everything else in my life suffered. The biggest hit of all was the blog. I skipped posts all the time.
October's Lesson: Sometimes you can't do it all. I couldn't do it all in October. I refused to admit it and solve my problem and instead I just ignored my schedule or tried to compromise (big mistake!). I couldn't work my part time job, have a social life, write blog posts, and do my schoolwork all in one day. It just wouldn't happen. For me admitting I can't do it all is the hardest thing, but looking back I 100% admit in October I couldn't do it all.
November was the quietest month for me this past year. I was rarely on social media, didn't post too many blog posts and kept a low profile on all platforms both personal and blog related. I was still under that insane amount of stress from October and everything just ended up being put on the back burner except for schoolwork.
November's Lesson: November taught me about self-care. Several examples of self-care happened in November. I learned when to have self-respect, when to give up on relationships, when to appreciate relationships, when to say no, when to put yourself first, and when to sacrifice personal goals for another's goals. It was a quiet month of growth, one not reflected through blog posts or Instagram photos. It is probably unnoticeable to the common eye, but I changed a lot in November through my appreciation for self-care.
December was a weird month and probably my least favorite of the year. This is uncommon for me seeing as it's the holidays and it's supposed to be the happiest season of all! It started with stress on stress in one of my classes. I camped out in Barnes and Noble for two weeks straight writing papers and speeches for finals. Then finals rolled around and a few snow storms and I ended up in a pile of assignments. I wasn't feeling cheerful or jolly about the holidays, hence the lack of Christmas posts this year. When I came home for break it seemed like all I did was work and Christmas went by so quickly, if I blinked I would have missed it. Now, I'm packing my bags and heading back to school for another semester. It wasn't that I didn't have a good December, it just shy's in comparison with the other months.
December's Lesson: December taught me about my level of independence. Looking back, I spent a lot of December alone. Whether it be studying, writing papers, eating dinner or running errands a lot of my time was spent alone. I don't mind being alone, which is where the independence comes in. Without everything from the previous months though, my independence wouldn't be as strong as it is.
adventure, success and growth. Cheers to 2018 and here's to 2019! 2018 was life changing. I started a company, fell in love with a career path, made friends for life, took on leadership roles I never thought I would be capable to hold, and mede fantastic memories along the way. I crossed things off my bucket list, traveled to Texas and New York and even took a few vacations at the beach with my family. I hope 2019 tops it in
What is your favorite memory from 2018?