Sharing a simple post of spring muses & inspo, but before we jump in, I want to highlight one emotional breakthrough. This is the season where we’re letting blind faith lead us. I don’t have any answers but I know my worth and my value, and I finally feel like I can trust myself fully. I’ve finally realized that how other people treat me has nothing to do with my worth and has everything to do with their character - especially as I navigate dating.

So when a guy is cruel and cold to me for no reason and can’t regulate his emotions, I know it’s not a reflection on me. And that breakthru alone is healing decades of shame, self-doubt and shattered confidence. This is the season I learn to stand on my own two feet and prove to myself they I can cultivate a life that feels good all on my own. 

I am practicing being a woman who is emotionally and financially strong and is capable of giving herself everything she wants with or without a life partner. Raising a family, traveling, dressing well, spending time with loved ones, owning a brownstone the list goes on and on, but as soon as I start believing that I can have versions of this all on my own, that’s when I step into my power.

I spent so many years of my life thinking I needed to be saved, just to look around and realize that true freedom starts and ends with me showing up and becoming the woman I know I’m capable of being. 

Now that I’ve officially launched my Substack, I’m exploring what to share on that platform vs my blog. I’ll never get rid of my blog because I own it and I like to look back at past posts. They remind me of how far I’ve come and why I continue to push forward every day. I moved to NYC for a reason. It’s where I want to build a life for myself and my future family. Other than moving to Europe, staying in the tristate area feels like home to me. 

I’m surrounded by so much beauty, creativity and inspiration in this hub, and February is the month of muses. I’m actively choosing to enhance my month with little acts of love and appreciation directed towards myself and my community. This is partly a monthly intentions list and partly an aspirational guide of what February feels like to me. 

One of the best skills I’ve cultivated is using my thoughts and imagination to visualize the energy I want live in and instantly generate it. Even as I sit in bed typing this post, I feel so grateful and inspired and cozy and loved… all without spending a dime or leaving the comfort of my home. 

I believe we’re living under an administration that wants to keep us triggered, traumatized and terrified which is draining. I’m too petty to let that happen, so get comfy and dream with me because our emotional wellbeing must be protected and nurtured in a world that works very hard to dismantle our sanity. 

Now it’s time to sit back, relax and dream of ways to make this month feel ultra sweet. Think of this as your monthly dopamine menu. I hope this inspires you to write one of your own. 

February feels like…

• Fresh flowers
• Playin jazz and curling up with a book instead of a tech screen 
• Treating yourself to a sweet pastry from a chic little bakery 
• Wearing sultry pjs to bed just because 
• Pink and red outfits 
• Wrapping up in faux fur blankets 
• Heart-shaped pizza 
• Candle-lite bubble baths with a glass of wine 
• Long strolls through the museum 
• Dressing up for a jazz club 
• Putting an extra $25 a day into savings and realizing how quickly small steps forward compound into real progress 
• Lots of pasta 
• Game nights with friends 
• Proving to yourself that you can do hard things 

X.O. 

Nia Maria