Honestly freaking out right now. Talk about blessing in disguise.. how about right in front of my eyes! I never knew Year 2021 was going to be My Year of GROWTH. This entire year has had me upside down on my head. I never thought a year with no plans (thanks pandemic) would let the world take me by storm, and test my limits so much. This has been one of the most emotional years of my life.
January: I rang in the new year with COVID, after visiting my family for the holidays. I was out of work for two weeks without pay. Which led me to make money in absolutely any way that I could.
February: The next month my cat was ill and in the hospital with a $2,000 medical bill. Don’t know how I made that one work either, but thank god for tax returns am I right?
March: I had an STD scare… but all was good. I also made some of my favorite content during that month, I loved how my feed was looking at that point and I started to notice a shift (increase) in my follower count which was exciting. During the next couple of months I started growing stronger relationships with my friends online— and in
April: I started the Pen Pal Club! It’s also when I got my Strawberry nails, which were ICONIC. Soon into April I was promoted at my job to a dream position that I’ve wanted since I started at Madewell, four years ago. I was exploring more hair colors, I tried purple, then went back to blonde, and then green AGAIN. I started getting more brand deals which was exciting! By the end of April I was also VACCINATED, and yes I fainted after my first dose in typical Madison fashion.
May: Starting off May, I had my first in-store event as the new Events & Marketing Manager and it was perfect! A great turn-out, with a friend, and it was a Mother’s Day event! My moms even came in to support! TMI, but I also reached new heights in my AFTER HOURS time, fun & exhilarating! Got Cow Print Nails, also ICONIC. Took my mom out to a fancy brunch for her birthday. And added tons of new babies to my Clown Collection. By the end of May, I began to invest more time into people who really cared about me, supported me, and brought out the best in me— so effortlessly. It’s also when I started my gratitude journal.
June: AND THEN BOOM, PRIDE MONTH! I was gay-ing it up, all outfits on fleek. Rainbow nails. And of course, my next event at work was for PRIDE! We made hundreds of dollars to donate to our local LGBT charity and I was so proud & honored to be able to do that for them! This is when I started feeling overwhelmed by instagram and working with brands. I started working with too many at a time and with no pay. I had so much pressure on me to get things done 24/7 but I still never felt adequate enough. Got to revisit some local spots in the community that I hadn’t gone to in FOREVER. The last day of June, I made the craziest last minute decision to visit LA for a day and literally was back in Florida just 24 hrs later.
July: Emotionally, June & July have been some of the hardest moments of the year for me. I was so stressed out, avoiding my house at all costs. Roommate issues were at an all-time high and it felt like everything was hitting its peak. I let myself be manipulated, I was having panic / anxiety attacks, barely writing in my gratitude journal, and from stress came a huge cold sore outbreak. It was time for me to make a decision, and I decided to move out of my apartment. I also got a raise!
August: Been living with my parents a month & a half already and it’s been better than I could’ve imagined. Bonding time. Time to save money. Working a lot, but trying to spend time with people who reciprocate my love, attention, & support.
September: I CUT MY HAIR! It was a tough month for me, and I felt like my hair was holding me back. It represented the old me, but I’ve grown and wanted to show off the new, grown Madison. So chopping off my hair would give me a fresh start into the new me.
October: Went to Orlando for the hair show with my mom and had a blast. Learned so much and had a great time buying new products and hanging out with her friends.
November: I had pet sitting gigs, left and right, tried making as much money as I could. Lots of brand deals and fighting for my worth as a online content creator.
December: The holiday season in retail really got to me. I came home every day to cry in my room from the stress. But I started receiving more paid gigs and becoming part of exclusive brand partnerships with contracts and paid opportunities. Things were looking up, even if I didn’t make it to my goal of hitting 3k. I got to 2.3k which was a lot more than I started with this year. Finally to end the year off, I reunited with the boricua side of my family for Noche Buena & Christmas. Such a monumental moment for my brother & I.
Currently trying to dodge COVID, but feeling so good about the future and manifesting for the best yet to come in 2022!
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