birthday – Angelina Singer Author Updates

Don’t get me wrong, I love my life and all the amazing experiences I’ve had that brought me here.

But there are moments where I’m like “woah, I’m closer to 30 than I am to 18” and that’s seriously terrifying. In many ways, I’m happy with where I’m at. And in other ways, I feel like I’m way behind. That might just be the way things are, perhaps a bigger commentary on the human condition as a whole. Whatever it is, I feel it big-time whenever another birthday rolls around.

But this year, instead of feeling sad, I plan to fully emerge myself in all the blessings I’ve experienced recently. Having an attitude of gratitude is the way to go, right?

Right. Okay cool.

That’s why I decided to spend my birthday blog post this year with thankfulness. Thankful for the blessings I’ve been given and all the blessings yet to come.

There are too many to post, but alas, here are my top 5:

#1: New publishing opportunity

A recent book I read to help me develop my story!

This one I can’t talk about a whole lot yet, but it’s going to be the secret sauce that makes Breakup Queen the epic saga that I know it will be. If you’re newer to my blog, you might not know that I’ve been publishing books since I was in college (and my debut novel was published when I was 19). So this is going to be an amazing milestone for me and my creative work, and it’s going to happen this year when I’m 26.

#2: More freelancing work

I also am self-employed, and recently I’ve gotten more gigs that are getting me closer and closer to hitting my personal financial goals — and that’s a really exciting thing. If you also graduated from college semi-recently like me (class of 2019, what’s up), then you probably know the job struggle all too well. But things are looking up, and networking like crazy actually paid off. I’m so happy with where things are at and all signs point to more work and opportunities on the way. My professional life is blooming, and I’m so grateful for it because I know it was a steep climb to get here, and there’s still so much more I want to do.

#3: Boyfriend ❤️

This one appeared out of nowhere (jk, we met online but it still felt super sudden). But Andrew, is very possibly, the best thing that ever happened to me. He’s the most kind-hearted, mature, and sweet family-oriented guy I’ve ever met, and can’t wait to see what’s in the future for us. Oh, and did I mention he’s in the national guard? It’s impressive, for sure. I wouldn’t be brave enough for something like that, but I’m so grateful God makes people who are ❤️

#4: Friends both near and far

While I sadly don’t have many local friends, I am so grateful for the friends I do have that are only a text or call away. I know it takes a village, and I count myself so blessed to have people all over the country that care about me. Even one or two in other countries, isn’t that wild? Distance is no problem with technology, and I’m so glad to have met these kind souls any way I could.

#5: Never Growing Up

Back when I had pink hair, pictured with one of my crocheted unicorns and very apropos Yarn Punk leggings.

I’ve been so surprised at the value and joy I get out of re-connecting with my inner child. Sticker books have been one way I love relaxing when I’m stressed, or watching shows that take me back to a simpler time (Gilmore Girls, I’m lookin at you). And I think anytime a birthday rolls around, it’s so important to connect with the younger version(s) of you too. Before you were twenty-something, you were 18. And 16. And 12. And so on, and so forth. A birthday is a wonderful time to give yourself a hug from every era, in preparation for your next eras and adventures to come.

I know, not the most scintillating headline ever. Similarly to the way people say Taylor Swift’s newer music isn’t as great as her older stuff because her whole marketing scheme is built on heartache, this newest era of my life is looking really promising even if it’s lacking in the tabloid department.

Drama is so overrated, and I’m so thrilled that I’ve finally started to manage the complications in my life in stride. For my birthday yesterday, I got to spend the day at my cousins’ house, and amidst a lot of yummy food, bakery cookies, and a delicious homemade strawberry mascarpone cake – I felt so loved.

Life is what you make it.

Aside from the cheesy Hannah Montana reference, this sentiment is still really true. For my 24th year, I’m dedicating myself to trusting God over anything else. So much of my life (scratch that – most of my life is pretty unknown at this point, but that’s okay because I know He has a plan for me). And in the meantime, I’m gonna take it easy. Let life happen as it comes, stop overthinking, and let energy in any kind of relationship expand and develop as it should. Anxiety no longer has a hold on me, because I’ve become very mindful of my bad patterns and I do my best to re-route whenever I feel myself slipping again. Not that it’s easy – but it’s an important skill to develop. I literally can’t say enough about how mindfulness is such a game changer.

No – that’s not my motorcycle. I just took a picture on my uncle’s just for fun!

Family is the most important thing.

Not necessarily people you share genetics with (although it often can be). Family refers to anyone who unconditionally cares about you and supports you no matter what. As for me, I have both actual family and “found family” that add so much to my life.

Me and my cousins who made my day so special yesterday 🙂

But on the flip side of my life, I’ve also given myself permission to cut ties with people that don’t contribute to my life or my peace any more. No bad blood here though – but in my 24th year and beyond, I’ve decided that I simply no longer can afford to expel energy where it’s not returned. Something else I’ve learned with this, is that sometimes you miss that person even after making the right decision – but that doesn’t mean you were wrong. Your gut is king here, and honing that skill will only serve you as well as you let it.

Self-Care Matters.

This isn’t a revelation by any means, but I’m including it here anyway. If you’re anything like me – a chronic workaholic – then you know this is something that’s all-too-easy to avoid. But this is me starting my 24th year better. I’m committed to listening to my body and mind, letting my energy and mindset dictate how hard I push myself in my freelance work, as well as my author work.

Yes, the cake was exactly as good as it looks!

And yes, I know you’re probably wondering when you can expect to read the sequel to Forgetting What I Couldn’t Remember (Forgiving What I Couldn’t Change) – but I swear it’s coming! I’ve hit the 90k mark, and I fully intend to have it ready for a summer release. If you’ve read the first book, you’ll probably get why that’s a hilarious marketing opportunity. Or, if you haven’t yet, you can take a peek at it on Amazon HERE. This book, and its sequel, are a major part of the reason I’ve been able to kick my more unhealthy mindsets and set my past to rest.

As you may know, I was bullied and ignored by my peers a lot as a kid, and that’s something I had to come to terms with the only way I knew how: through my writing. So that’s why I wrote a whole time-travel concept about my current self going back in time to revisit old bullies (while navigating the pitfalls of twenty-something romance). It’s been a tricky challenge but the more I publish about it, I feel lighter and clearer. There’s no better therapy then writing how you feel and launching it out into the world (or maybe I’m just weird that way, LOL).

Anyway, thank you so much for following my author blog! There’s so much I’m looking forward to sharing with you soon. Up next is Forgiving What I Couldn’t Change, and after that… will be a rockstar romance I have brewing. And I can promise you, it’s nothing like you might expect.

At 22, I dyed my hair pink. At 23, I got my nose pierced. So there’s no telling what 24 will bring. But I’m so ready – bring it on.

Tag: birthday

Hello 26, Let’s Do This.