2022 has been one of the most fulfilling, exhausting, rewarding, seismic, and clarifying years of my life. And before I continue, comment one thing you did in 2022 you’re happy about - let’s make this a congratulatory post! I share this, not to brag (I mean, a little to brag…I worked hard and I’m damn proud), but because I believe that a creative career CAN be done more practically than our doubts would have us believe. It just takes time. After ten years of sometimes frustrating and often unrewarded effort, this year I can say I: 📖 Wrote my first full-length travel book on my beautiful home country: Greece. A big dream of mine for years. 📺 Booked my first major TV show 🎬 Got two additional acting roles I will talk about when I can! ✈️ Started a travel collaboration with the Greek Ministry of Tourism ✍️ Am blessed with 3 ongoing writing jobs Meanwhile for work (mostly) and pleasure (twice), I visited 6 countries & over 40 destinations between them. 🇬🇷 🇮🇹 🇧🇬 🇩🇪 🇨🇾 🇹🇷 I don’t want to present a rose-colored, one-sided view of things. For three months, I wasn’t in any location for more than 5 days, including my own home, sometimes as little as 1-2 days before having to move again. There were times it got incredibly draining and exhausting. I felt real burnout from the workload I took on. I got tired, irritable, and frustrated; my focus and mood suffered. I realized I had to reprioritize the habits I had let slip (exercise, journaling, meaningful rest), because not “finding the time” for them was making things so much worse. I felt too far away from people I loved. Frequently. Too frequently. I missed some events and celebrations I really wanted to be at, because I needed to avoid the C-vid to not risk an acting job. I had relationships crash and relationships bloom, days of despair and days of exhilaration, unexpected disappointment followed by unexpected joy. But my God, I lived. Fully and honestly. And I learned. And I shot my shot, every damn time. And sometimes, it worked. What more can we ask for than that? . . . . #nye #2022 #newyear #traveling #creativelifehappylife #creative #actor #writer #happiness #2023