2017 was my year. My year of firsts, triumphs, overcoming disappointments and experiencing unimagined success. I spent the first day of 2017 in a psychiatric facility with my mother. At that point, I didn’t expect much of 2017 but knew I was at my lowest. Although, I couldn’t directly change my mother’s mental illness, I knew I needed to start living for me.
When I purchased Myleik’s This Is My Year journal in December 2016, I didn’t anticipate my life shifting in all aspects: career, love, friendship and family. I started to see the major changes and I’m thankful that I decided to strengthen my relationship with God to co-create the life I have now. In true Myleik fashion, I decided to take inventory of my year. My theme for 2018 is elevation through limitless living. See my 2017 highlights below!
2017 Highlights
I bet on myself. I pushed through my comfort zone and fear. I pitched my brand and talents, which brought forth unexpected opportunities for 2018.
Apartment:
- I moved into my first studio apartment! All the candles, roses and wine!
Family:
- Through a lot of sacrifice and time management, I was able to be there for my mom to manage her mental illness. From doctor appointments, therapy sessions, hospital stays and bills, I’ve been by her side.
- I was able to strengthen family ties throughout the whole year.
Werque by Dominique Brielle:
- Blog stats:
- 3,306 unique visitors, 5,028 visits and 10,700 page views and 542 new Instagram followers.
- Since launching Werque By Dominique Brielle in 2016, I started writing for my blog more consistently. I began to also write for additional publications like: So She Slays, 7am Life, Brown Girl Bloggers and the Strength of She.
- I gained my first feature and sponsored partnership from The Life Currency and Civion Jewelry.
- I hosted my first event, a vision board party for the new year.
Home ownership:
- At 25, I’m in the final process of owning my own home. It has been quite a journey to get here but proud to say I’m hanging in there and moving forward. The probate process is no joke!
Self-care:
- I received a better understanding of what it means to making me happy before I make anyone else happy. I started to eat healthier, attended dance class regularly, went to therapy consistently, said NO often and came up with a skin care regimen that I love.
Career advancement:
- Being sponsored by my previous company to take a Social Media Marketing course at UC Berkeley
- I was able to exhilarate my career while handling personal matters simultaneously. In November 2017, I took my career to the next level as the Social Media Manager for San Francisco and Los Angeles at WeWork.
- During my first month at WeWork, I was asked to be on the San Francisco HQ Culture board and the CEO acknowledged my previous work on the TIDAL account in front of key stakeholders.
- Created my work portfolio on my website: Werque by Dominique Brielle
ColorComm:
- Being sponsored by my previous company to attend the C2 ColorComm Conference in Miami, Florida.
- Gaining a notable “Fairy God Mother” within the Digital and Communications industry, Kathy Baird.
- Presenting to key executives within my previous company on my ColorComm Conference experience.
- Becoming Membership Director for the ColorCommSF chapter.
Continued Leadership Within Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated:
- Asked to be a delegate for Xi Gamma Omega Chapter for the 88th Western Regional Conference
Travel: In 2017, I had the opportunity to go on several spontaneous trips to the following places:
- New Orleans, LA: Essence Festival
- Miami, FL: ColorComm Conference
- Los Angeles, CA: Women’s Empowerment Brunch
- Austin, Texas: Fourth of July celebrations with Linesister
- Sedona, Arizona: Much needed solo trip
- New York City: Work trip and training
Financial:
- Received a private financial advisor to start investing and growing my 401K
5 Things That I Will Bring into 2018:
- Confidence
- Grace
- Taking the ample amount of time needed for myself (self-care)
- Increased understanding of my self-worth
- An exhilarated work ethic