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Ambitiously Cierra

Ambitiously Cierra

A lifestyle blog about finding balance within an ambitious life

  • Lifestyle
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January Bucket List

January 10, 2018 · In: Bucket Lists

Happy New Year, friends! I hope everyone is having a great start to 2018! I’m done reflecting on my past year (here in case you missed it) and I am all about starting the year out on the right foot. Is anyone else weirdly superstitious about New Years? It was imperative that I completed my long list of to-dos in hopes that it would foreshadow a good year (for example, my bed needed to be made haha).

January’s Bucket list is definitely a reflection of my neurosis. I wanted to try new things that would hopefully incite good habits for the remainder of the year. January will be all about organization, planning, and reflection.

I wouldn’t call these resolutions because my bucket lists are not unique to this time of year. In lieu of resolutions, I prefer to develop annual mottos. In 2017, my word was focus. In 2018, I was inspired by the quote “don’t let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” (Name that movie!) Therefore, I choose fearless as my mantra for 2018. While I feel as though I have come a long way in the last few months, I still let my fear of how I am perceived hold me back from potential opportunities. 2018 will be the year that I consciously make the effort to combat that tendency.

 

Here is what is on my bucket list for the month of January:

Host a Family Game Night

My family and I decided to do a game night for Christmas Eve this year and it was SO. MUCH. FUN! This month, I wanted to take the opportunity to recreate that bonding experience at my place instead!

Try Meditation

I have been considering practicing meditation in my daily life for a while, but never made the effort to fit it into my routine. There are so many health benefits to meditation that I hope to reap. In addition, I think that it would be a great practice to initiate as I come off my semester break and head back into my hectic lifestyle.

Create an Editorial Calendar

This year, I really want to get better at pre-planning content and sticking to posting deadlines. An editorial calendar is just one of the ways that I plan to tackle that goal. Currently, I do have a loose planning system, but I’m looking forward to having a better strategy for content production. 

2018 Vision Board 

A reader reached out to me about my thoughts on a vision board and I thought that it was a great idea! Ever since, I have been brainstorming and thinking about what I want to accomplish this year. I’ll share my vision board this month along with tips on how you can create your own!

Home Organization   

At the end of 2017, I kind of went into a cleaning frenzy and I have been working on projects around my apartment. For Christmas, I was pretty excited to get a new storage ottoman and a set of suitcases. Now, I am tasked with reorganizing a few areas and getting rid of some of the junk that is taking up space. A large task, but I am excited about the result!

(Slowly) Get back into Exercise 

Many of you know that I experienced something that kind of halted my physical activity (I was doing so well too L). This month I want to get back into exercise so that I can build up to the level of activity that I was getting in October (weights 2x a week, spin 2x a week). I honestly can’t wait to get back into my routine!

Establish a Proactive School Schedule

Online grad school is weird. There is no set class time which is great for flexibility, but terrible if you are a procrastinator. As the new semester (and year) starts, I want to try to create a school schedule that is more proactive. In other words, I want to try to prevent staying up super late completing assignments that have to be turned in by 1 am. This semester looks pretty tough, but hopefully this will help!

Whole 30 Challenge 

My aunt has been trying to get me to do the Whole 30 challenge for most of 2017 and I refused (especially when she suggested it around the holiday season! The audacity!). However, I read up on it a little more and decided to give it a try! I have been sharing my journey and meals to my instastories (@ambitiouslycierra), but I will also be writing a progress update and completion post on here!

 

How will you find your balance this January? Join me in one of these challenges or tell me about your own challenge!

♥ Cierra

By: AmbitiouslyCierra · In: Bucket Lists · Tagged: 2018, Bucket Lists, January

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Christal E says

    January 11, 2018 at 10:10 am

    Family Game Night!!! ??? Great Idea!

    Reply
    • AmbitiouslyCierra says

      January 14, 2018 at 12:14 pm

      Someone may have helped me think of that one 🙂

      Reply

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If only everyday could start this sweet 😌☕️ If only everyday could start this sweet 😌☕️

#carette #parisdiaries #carettehotchocolate #chocolatchaud #ambitioustravels #travelvlogger #morningvibes #chocolate #frenchhotchocolate
🇫🇷 PARIS ITINERARY DAY 3 🇫🇷 🤤 BRUN 🇫🇷 PARIS ITINERARY DAY 3 🇫🇷

🤤 BRUNCH AT CARETTE—the famous Carette hot chocolate was on my must try list and it did not disappoint. Such a decadent experience! 

🛍️ SHOPPING AROUND MARAIS—We thrifted and shopped around for souvenirs. My favorite stop was Officine Universelle Buly 1803; a shop with apothecary vibes that had gorgeous combs and perfumes that I couldn’t leave behind. 

📸 VISIT THE COLONNES DE BUREN—a popular photo spot, the art installation was created in 1985 to enhance the courtyard of the Palais Royal. 

☕️ COFFEE BREAK AT CAFÉ KITSUNÉ—while I wasn’t a fan of their matcha, this cafe is nestled in beautiful outdoor space and is great for an afternoon pick me up.

🖼️ VISIT THE LOUVE—more on this in my next post! 

😍 CATCH A CLOSER LOOK AT THE EIFFEL TOWER—snapped this picture on our way to dinner. 

🍽️ DINNER AT LINETTE—delicious bistro with classic French cuisine. I had the duck confit which was perfection. Bonus: Linette puts you in the perfect location to see…

✨ THE EIFFLE TOWER AT NIGHT—y’all, the tower SPARKLES for 5 minutes at the top of every hour at night (until around midnight) and it is MAGICAL. It’s hard to describe the feeling but I tried to share it with my loved ones at home via FaceTime 🥹

Stay tuned for more on the Louve! 

#parisitinerary #paristrip #travelblogger #bucketlistadventures #ambitioustravel #monalisa #colonnesdeburen #carette #eiffeltoweratnight
With your friend in a foreign country, laughing ov With your friend in a foreign country, laughing over bread and cheese, as it starts to rain on the Grand Canal at the Versailles estate: la vie en rose 😌

Planning a visit to Versailles? Check out my feed posts for some tips ✨

#gardensofversailles #grandcanalversailles #lavieenrose #pov #magicmoments #france #bucketlistadventures #smallmomentsofcalm #laughterisgoodforthesoul #ambitioustravels #travelvlogger #parisdiaries #realistictravel #versaillestips
🌳 THE GARDENS OF VERSAILLES ⛲️ The Versail 🌳 THE GARDENS OF VERSAILLES ⛲️

The Versailles estate is MASSIVE and though we were there for hours, there was still so much more to explore that we didn’t make it to. Versailles was the only “big” thing that we had on the agenda for the day so we didn’t feel the pressure to rush off to another reservation. The garden is a beautiful experience that I recommend grabbing a map and visiting while you are there! 

Tips for when you visit the gardens: 

👟 WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES—there is so much walking involved with a trip to Versailles, and once you hit the gardens you’re walking on gravelly paths. Resist the urge to wear impractical shoes and go with sneakers instead. 

🧺 BRING SNACKS—While there is an area where you can purchase food, you are allowed to bring food in to eat at some of the garden’s designated picnic areas. We chose to picnic by the Grand Canal which gave us a great view of people on row boats (which you can rent if that’s your thing!) 

🎟️ CARTS AND “TRAINS”— In my last feed post, I mentioned that you should buy the passport to ensure that you have access to the whole estate. Before our visit, I didn’t realize that there was an option for a “Passport + Return by little train (34,50 €).” This gives you access to ride the “little train” (more like connected carts) back up to the estate after your wandering. When I say that it was a sight for sore eyes after all the walking we did 🙌🏾😭…I was willing to pay what ever it took to take us back (luckily, the train was only about 9€ a la carte). The train makes 3 stops at various locations on the grounds (including the estate of Trianon which we deemed was too far to get to by foot but heard it was worth while). Another good option if you are visiting with a group is to just rent a “small electric vehicle” (basically a golf cart—seats 6) so that you can explore the different areas of the estate with less fatigue. 

There are things hidden around every nook and cranny of Versailles. One last bonus tip is that if you’re visiting for the first time, spend some time on the website so that you have an idea of the absolutely want to see (there is just so much!).

I would love to visit again!
✨ INSIDE VERSAILLES ✨ Versailles was the acti ✨ INSIDE VERSAILLES ✨

Versailles was the activity day that I was looking forward to the most and it did not disappoint. I don’t think that I’ve seen anything more magnificent in my life. Every ornate detail left me in awe—it’s definitely worth seeing in person if you are planning a trip to Paris!

Here are a few tips for your trip inside the palace: 

✨ VISIT ON A WEEKDAY—it gets pretty crowded inside the palace. We went on a Thursday and there were plenty of time where I felt like I was just moving with the flow of the crowd. However, if you’re patient, you can find breaks in between the waves. I’ve been told that it’s much worse on the weekends/summer months so keep that in mind. 

✨ TO AUDIO GUIDE OR NOT TO AUDIO GUIDE—While you can visually consume the splendor of the palace, I kind of regret skipping out on the audio guide. There were some signs available, mostly in French and often hard to get to because of the crowds. If I were to visit again, I would pay 5€ for an audio guide which can be reserved after you purchase your ticket. I’m that person that likes to take my time in museums/historic places to learn. If that’s not your vibe, then skipping it might not be an issue. 

✨ PURCHASE THE PASSPORT TICKET—As much as I loved seeing all there was to see in the palace, pay the extra money for the passport ticket. For just 9€ more, you get access to the entire estate of Versailles (this includes the gardens which I will discuss in my next post)! 

There is sooo much to take and I would love to go back. Have you been to Versailles? Share your tips in the comments! 

#versaillespalace #versaillestips #visitversailles #chateauversailles #paristrip #france #lifestyleblogger #travelblogger
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