River Island Dress / River Island Bikini Top / River Island Bikini Bottom / Bag (Similar Option) / Sandals (Similar Option)

Hi everyone and happy Monday! Here in the US we are officially back to work after taking a few days off to celebrate 4th of July. If you watched my IG stories, you will know we went out to the Hamptons to celebrate and had such a lovely weekend. It was definitely the perfect way to end the first half of the year and today coming back into the office, I feel recharged & ready to tackle the next 6 months. The fact that we are half way through the year also means it’s time for my annual mid year check-in.

Some of you regular readers will know that each year I do a Dream 2019 post where I share my hopes/goals for the year ahead and then halfway through the year, I like to take 10-15 mins, look back on the post and see how I’ve been getting on so far. It’s honestly the best wake up call (if you need one) & is a great way to reinforce that motivation you had in January and get back on track. I did this this morning and although I’ll keep the review to myself as it’s a little personal, I do want to share some lessons I’ve learned this year along the way to chasing these dreams/goals.

But just before I get into that I want to quickly share my outfit details with you from this post. As I mentioned, we spent the weekend in the Hamptons which meant lots of beach time so this look was my go-to out there. This white coverup dress was so versatile to wear as it doubled as a full outfit going to breakfast and then the perfect cover up at the beach – definitely one of my best finds so far this Summer. As well as this beige bikini top & bottom. You know I love my neutral tones and this felt really comfortable & flattering to wear which is always a must for me when it comes to bikinis. If you have some trips coming up – definitely check out these two!

Now back to the lessons learned. I truly do believe that with each year (or half year) comes many new lessons and so far, these are my 2019 ones:

1. Start before you’re ready. 
I learned this one in relation to my move this year. I really don’t know how many times I asked myself WHY I didn’t do it earlier!? I was always waiting for the right time, right apartment, etc. etc. I’ve learned that you have to move past that fear of change & out of your comfort zone or else you’ll never know just how happy you can be. Change is scary but regret is even scarier. Without change, there’s no progress and I don’t know about you but I definitely want to keep progressing and striving forward. So lesson learned? Keep pushing forward & never settle no matter how easy/tempting it is to.

2. Nothing worth having comes easy.
The motto of living in New York, in my opinion. You’ve probably seen me mention on my socials that we’re currently applying for a new visa and boy, has it tested us this time. But no matter how hard/frustrating it gets, the main thing I’ve kept reminding myself is that nothing worth having comes easy. Good things take time and when you know you’ve given something your all, you’ll enjoy & appreciate it 10 times more. So if you’re currently putting blood, sweat & tears into something….keep on going. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.

3. Ireland brings me sanity.
Lol. This is a random one but something I’ve learned this year is that my mind (& sanity haha) needs a trip home to Kerry as often as possible. I haven’t been back in Kerry since Christmas which I 100% know isn’t even that long of a time, but it’s weird how I’ve noticed the effect it’s had on me. With work, I usually get home 3-4 times a year (very lucky & grateful that I can work from anywhere in the world) but the way things fell this year, I haven’t had time to make a trip since Christmas. I’m a city girl true & true but as I’m getting older, I’m learning that I love my time in Kerry too. Being around family, away from the hustle & bustle, even just for a few days, gives me such a burst of energy. So I’ve definitely learned a lesson for the future – one that will hopefully help me to sustain my love for NYC. We’re heading home in August for a few weeks and I’m already so excited.

4. Productivity before 9am is a game-changer.
Since I moved to the new apartment back in March, I’ve gradually turned into an early riser. For me, personally, when I’m productive before 9am (when Kaelin arrives and we officially start work) my WHOLE day is more productive. I now get up between 6-6:30am and even if I just get a few things done before my day properly starts, it just puts me in such a better mindset. When you get to do things for YOU before you sit down to requests/emails from other people, you feel so much better. Fact. Definitely want to keep this routine going for the rest of the year.

5. Start enjoying your life NOW.
And finally, I’ve learned to stop waiting for everything to be perfect to enjoy life. Of course, we’re all working towards dreams and I’m in no way saying that we should stop. But I do think that we live in a world where we’re always striving for the next thing and without even realizing it, we forgot to enjoy the previous one because we were so focused on the next one. It’s a vicious circle I’ve been much more conscious of this year. I’m a go-getter and I know lots of you are too, but this is our reminder to slow down and appreciate what we have NOW. Quite often, it’s what we used to dream about having. Always remember that. So next time you catch yourself about to say ‘I can’t wait to have/to be…….’, switch it to ‘How cool is it that I am/I have……’. Watch the difference it makes.

Of course, there are a lot more lessons where they came from but those are the ones that I thought might provide a little inspiration for you too. It’s crazy how fast the year goes by but remember there are still 6 months left. It’s never too late.

Have a great week everyone and be sure to let me know in the comments how you’re finding 2019 so far?

Chat soon,

x Erika

*Huge thank you to River Island for sponsoring this post – I’m so happy to be working with a brand that I’ve worn & loved for years!