My Hopes For My Next Year in New York

February 3, 2020

Leather trimmed coat on Meghan Donovan of wit & whimsy

February 2nd always marks my anniversary with one of my great loves: New York City. I remember vividly still the hope and fear I felt in deciding to move here nine years ago as a young 25 year old living in San Francisco. But it was also the most I’ve ever trusted and leaned into my intuition. As I spend the next 365 days approaching my ten year milestone anniversary, I thought I’d share a few hopes I have for this ninth year.

Fall Neutrals I wit & whimsy

All White Fall Outfit I wit & whimsy

Continue to give New York my grace and patience. This is a tough city to live in and several moments have chewed me up but I’ve always recovered. Having patience with a place like New York and learning to expect the unexpected it a wonderful way to get along better with the city. As I begin the hunt for yet another apartment, I am trying to remind myself to give the process grace and patience. Easier said than done.

Fall Dresses I wit & whimsy

Reasons to love NYC I wit & whimsy

Continue to reach out. There are so many relationships and friendships to be made in the city if you put in the effort. Some of my more meaningful ones have only been developed in the past couple of years. I want to continue to nurture and cherish them in the coming year.

Meghan Donovan I wit & whimsy I Central Park

How to Be Your Own Best Date I wit & whimsy

Continue to share positivity with everyone. In reading this book last year I was reminded of the power of putting out joy and positivity to others – and particularly strangers. When you do – particularly in a city like New York – the favor will be returned with a lot of beautiful moments of joy and positivity given back to you. I am trying to be in the practice of – even on hard days – be a beacon of spreading good vibes to all those I come in contact with. We all know that everyone has a cross to bear and sometimes kindness in an unexpected form can make someone’s day when they need it most.

Little Black Dress at Grand Central Station I wit & whimsy

How to handle a career tipping point I wit & whimsy

Continue to get out and explore. One of the main reasons I wanted to move to New York was because there’s so much to see and do and nine years later I still have a growing list of places to check out. I can truly say that no two days in my nine years of living here have been the same. I love that about New York City.

Popcorn Sweater + Plaid Coat

Club Monaco Heleni Coat I wit & whimsy

Continue to work hard and focus on personal growth. As I enter year nine of living in New York City, I will also shortly mark four years of self employment (May). I love what I do for a living so much but it is also very hard. And living in New York City is so expensive. As we started this year, I had time to think about what I want out of the year and have really focused on working smarter not harder and how I can best be using my time that adds value to myself and to others. It has helped me to re-prioritize things. I also want to continue to push myself when it comes to the content I create for wit & whimsy. New shoot locations, additional personal essay type posts and more ways to continue to connect with my readers and followers are all priorities for me this year.

Meghan Donovan of wit & whimsy wears a glam jumpsuit by Black Halo

Meghan Donovan's sale picks

New York, I love you. 

p.s. lessons I learned from eight years in NYC and a brief history of my time in New York City.

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