My Word of the Year for 2019

In This Post: Sharing how I picked my word of the year and my favorite CALIA by Carrie Underwood pieces that you’ll live in for fitness classes and everyday outfits. 

**This post may contain affiliate links (which means I make a small commission when you shop from them) and sponsored items (gifted items are indicated with a [c/o] and sponsored links with an [sp]) because we all have to pay our bills, and I’d rather keep creating awesome content for you than get a real job. All opinions are my own.**

The Look: CALIA Cold Shoulder Hoodie

This post didn’t start out to be something inspirational. I was actually thinking of how to creatively tell you about how much I love CALIA, Carrie Underwood’s clothing line, but I had some other thoughts in the process – including telling you about my word of the year for 2019!

I am Carrie Underwood obsessed

Carrie Underwood has always been one of my favorite human beings ever since her days on American Idol – I’ve been keeping up with her journey ever since! So, when she started an activewear clothing line a few years back, I was OVER THE MOON. When I got an email that I was invited to the CALIA by Carrie Underwood New York Fashion Week presentation back in September of 2015, I literally cried the happiest tears ever. When I realized that the thoughtfulness, detail, and quality of the pieces far exceeded my expectations, I was even more excited. I still have and wear a pair of yoga pants that I took home from that event 3 and a half years ago!

But, it’s not the fact that the brand has Carrie Underwood’s name on it that keeps me coming back. It’s how I feel when I wear the clothes – confident. And also the fact that I can stand tall in my comfy, activewear lifestyle without feeling like I’m sacrificing on fashion when I wear this stuff! The extra feminine details make me feel glam and strong all in one like these flirty ruffles (like come on, who doesn’t want to workout in a tank with ruffle sleeves?!), this standout shiny pink fabric on this moto jacket, and the flattering shape of this zip-up jacket. I also love that not only does the brand carry plus size options, but their ads and marketing materials are filled with women of all different shapes, sizes, and skin tones!

My word of the year is…

I wasn’t going to pick a word for this year because with so much of my life up in the air right now, I couldn’t decide on what kind of filter I needed to put a focus on. But one day in a yoga class, that’s where I tend to find most of my clarity, it came to me – “stand tall”. That’s my word. Or words suppose.

It’s different from confidence. I’m not an unconfident person. I can easily find and muster up confidence. However, that confidence is often fleeting. It comes and then is quickly washed away by a storm of anxiety, uncertainty, and second-guessing.

If you picked a word of the year, make sure to share it with us in the comments section! 

What it means to “stand tall”

This year, what I want to remind myself of most is to stand tall. To stay firm in my confidence and to do whatever I can to make it linger longer. To trust my ideas and to stop letting self-doubt consume so much of my energy. And also to stand tall physically, remembering to counter the rounded forward shoulders my muscles have settled themselves into from spending a little too much time on my computer. When I make decisions, I want to remind myself to stand tall first. When I’m feeling defeated, I want to remind myself that this is the year of standing tall. When I need guidance, I want to ask myself which direction will I be able to stay proud of along the way. I’ll say “no” to things that make me feel slouchy, “no” to projects that ask for requirements that I can’t proudly deliver upon, and  “no” to spending time with people that make me feel inferior.

And I’ll most likely do all of that in pieces from the CALIA collection, but these clothes are exactly what I need to get through everyday life and feel beautiful while doing it! Here are some of my CALIA favorites!