15 LESSONS LEARNED IN 2017.

Another year has gone by and I’m so looking forward to an unforgettable 2018. This time I don’t wanna bother you (and me) with cheesy New Years Resolutions but focus on the things I’ve learned in the past 12 months instead. Good things and bad things. All these things that helped me grow and made me stronger for the new year. Here are my lessons I’ve learned in 2017:

1. Take good care of yourself.
I had to learn it the hard way: we are no robots. As much as I love love love my job it also caused a lot of physical trouble last year. Just because I didn’t listen to my body and kept working 7 days a week. And suddenly, back in summer, my body started to shut down. I got incredible stomach pains, was prescribed to buy Kratom to relieve aches, was diagnosed stress-related lactose & fructose intolerance, got deficiency symptoms, anxiety attacks and almost a sudden hearing loss. I had to take a time-out and listen to my body. Now, more than ever, I’m trying to master my work/life balance. Take regular breaks. Embrace my home spa rituals. Be lazy. Do nothing. Our body is the most precious gift we own.

2. Hard work pays off. Big time.
I still can’t believe what a crazy year this 2017 has been. I’ve shot with Vogue Germany, got invited to my first ever Chanel Haute Couture & Metiers d’Art Show, worked with amazing brands and, as cherry on top, got my first Magazine Cover!!!! I still have no words for all this amazingness happening and it’s wonderful to see that hard work really pays off. I put so much effort, passion and dedication in VIENNA WEDEKIND and it’s the most wonderful thing to see, that others appreciate your work. Thank you so much!!

3. Money doesn‘t make you happy.
If you ever thought you’d be much happier if you win in the lottery (sorry, babe!) let me tell you: It’s a lie. Yes, money makes things easier (I mean we all need money to pay our rent, food, sneakers and gadgets) but it doesn’t buy you happiness. Happiness lies in you and you alone can find it to give your life a meaning. May it be through your family, hobbies, pets, looking at art, travels, encounters with strangers or endless talks with friends.

4. Sweet Potatoes are a gift from heaven.
I don’t know how often exactly I had roasted Sweet Potatoes (with olive oil & sea salt seasoning) in the past months, but you can call it an addiction. Such a yummy and healthy dish!

5. Never take something for granted!
Health can change within seconds and so can wealth, success and life in general. I’m beyond thankful for the wonderful life I have and for all the amazing things I get to experience through my job. I definitely don’t take anything for granted and I try to make the most out of every moment/day/year of my life. Because life is pretty fragile…

6. The biggest treasures in life are memories
No matter what turns our life might take, what darkness might surround us or what challenges we have to face: We’ll always have those wonderful memories in our heart, that nobody could ever take us. Unforgettable travels, precious moments with friends, hard laughs with your loved ones. These are the true treasures of life that no designer bag could ever replace.

7. It’s hard work to work out
Ok that’s definitely no big secret but sometimes it seems soooo easy, especially when you scroll through all those fitness accounts. It seems like the simplest thing to do a „quick“ workout every day – but it’s not.

I try to work out quite regularly (read more about my personal training) but I failed a lot this year due to my time management. All the travels and appointments turned my training schedule upside down and I had absolutely no time for sports. And sometimes I was just too exhausted to work out. Which caused a lot of discomfort but the most important thing is to never quit. So keep on going!

8. Thé Noir is my signature scent.
I have about 3 perfumes on high rotation but Thé Noir by Le Labo is definitely the scent I got the most compliments on. It reflects my personality, makes me happy and confident – that’s what a great perfume should do. What is your signature scent?

9. Haters gonna hate
In 2017 I received a lot of hate via Social Media – which is something I couldn’t cope with at first. Because why would you spread so much negativity to a person you don’t even know?? It touched me and made me question my work. But then I discovered that those people just needed an anonymous punchbag, which made me feel sorry for them. Not for me. I had a lot of deep conversations with my boyfriend, my family and lovely colleagues and in the end these hate comments even made me stronger. Now I know better than ever what I stand for, what my goals are and what inspires me. And for those people who don’t like me I won’t ever waste an inch of energy again.

10. Read more books & make reading great again
I used to be a hardcore bookworm, reading a couple of books per week until… I started fulltime blogging. After working the whole day in front of the computer, reading online mags & blogs, scrolling through Instagram I find it shockingly hard to concentrate on a normal Novel. My concentration span decreased because my brain got used to this quick content consumption (aka Instagram et al) BUT this definitely needs to be changed in 2018!

11. Trust your guts. Always.

12. Less sugar = more fun
I’m quite a sweet tooth to be honest but when I started to work out & changed my diet, I had to cut down on sugar. And surprisingly I felt much better without chocolate than with. I mean the moment you eat something sweet is heaven, but afterwards I mostly felt like crap. So I’ve reduced eating sugary stuff, quit drinking lemonades (I only drink water, fennel and green tea) and only eat sweets once a week. Honestly, I’ve never felt more energetic and postive before!

13. Do everything with passion and dedication.

14. Honesty is a rare good
I’ve discovered that honesty is one of the greatest (and rare) goods in modern times. It should be a normal thing to be straight and honest about your feelings & thoughts, but with social media and the pursuit of living the „perfect life“ lots of people chose fakeness (or at least silence) over honesty. I’ve discovered so much bullsh** this year, so much fakeness (especially in my business) that brought those people a lot of success. But I chose NOT to go this direction, even if I had to go a long and winding road, but for me honesty means appreciation and humanity. Plus you’ll sleep so much better if you’re living an honest life and you’ll meet a lot of amazing people that think alike.

15. If you can laugh with others and cheer for others, they will do the same
Surround yourself with good people that spread positive energy. Don’t waste your time on envious people that can’t be happy for others. Your colleague got the job you also wanted to get? Fine, be happy for her! Maybe the next job you’ll get is even more meant to be… A positive attitude will attract so much more positivity and this is all we need in 2018.