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Forget resolutions. Forget goals. Forget focus words.

This year, it’s all about my personal manifesto.

2014 taught me a lot about blogging, but more importantly, a lot about myself. My passions. My fears. My creativity. My shortcomings. My dreams. And that’s why this year, I’m realigning myself a bit. I soaked up a lot of lessons in 2014, but I believe the most important lesson I learned is that I just need to follow my heart.

Please excuse me if this sounds selfish—that’s not my intent—but it’s what I know is best for me. My Personal Manifesto for 2015 is to do things my way.

This doesn’t mean being stubborn or bull-headed, or throwing a tantrum when I don’t get what I want. It’s about implementing tips and lessons in ways that feel right for me, my lifestyle and my personal goals. I think it’s so easy to get overwhelmed by the shoulds. You analyze what others are doing and feel you should be doing the same. You fling your gut feelings to the sidelines and instead do what it seems the masses are doing. And while some of this advice is great and worthy, it also leads to a big ole case of Keeping Up with the Blogging Joneses. Which, quite frankly, is E-X-H-A-U-S-T-I-N-G.

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2014 was a hard year for me. Harder that I ever imagined. It was mentally and emotionally draining. I fought so many battles of brain versus heart. I bottled up all of my doubts and dreams and had a mini health meltdown one night in February. And it was then that I knew.

I couldn’t keep on the way I was.

I had to make a change. I had to follow my heart.

Even though it was THE most terrifying decision I’ve ever made. The weeks and months that followed brought tons of changes, adjusting to new normals and trying to sort out if this decision was the right one.

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In June, I turned 30. No big deal, right? That’s what I thought! But I found myself being consumed by more doubting voices and nagging questions. Had I done the right thing? Was this where I expected my life to be at 30? I don’t think the mid-life crisis hits at 50, or even at 40. I firmly believe it hits at 30!

In many ways, I feel like I’m back at Square One, navigating a new career as a blogger, while still navigating my other career in branding. It’s strange. It’s stressful. It’s exhilarating. And it’s definitely not where I expected to be at 30.

But here I am! And this year, I am going to relish every real, strange, uncomfortable, amazing moment. And I vow to go where my heart and passions lead me. This may look one way tomorrow and a completely different way in six months, but as long as it feels right in my soul, I’ll know I’m on the right path!