How the Pantone Color of the Year is Inspiring My 2019

Ya’ll, it’s been a rough 2018. Not just for me, but for everybody.

I think we’ve all reached a point of frustration with life, work, and finding meaning within the things we do and what matters most. I want to find meaning in the things I do, the way I live, and who I spend time with. And part of the past year has been the frustration of losing my way.

I want to write. The thing I want to do that fills me up, gives me fulfillment, provides me with joy, and also pays my bills, is writing. But of course, that’s a lot of pressure for words on pages, most writers don’t end up in this boat, and adding all of this pressure to a thing I enjoy that is at best a hobby and at worst a piddling side hustle.

This year just hasn’t been one where I have taken care of myself in any way. I got better toward the end of the year, but I need to work on taking care of me, in order to take care of other people and do all of the things I need to and want to do.

The light at the end of the tunnel for me, every year, is the Pantone color of the year. Pantone releases a color for the coming year, and this often influences fashion and make up trends and is also just a fun thing to pay attention to. Every year, there is a justification for the color, and usually follows current trends, and what is going on in the world.

This year’s color of the year is called “Living Coral,” Pantone color 16-1546. It is meant to represent activity and vibrancy, and joyful optimism.

This is my vibe for the new year. I want my life to be filled with vibrancy and optimism, and not carry the drudgery of 2018 in to the new year.

I have a list of what I want to accomplish in the new year, a new bullet journal (I know I said I was giving up on bullet journaling, but with the new year, I want to try again), and I feel a zest for life that I haven’t felt since 2014.

I am also looking for ways to incorporate Living Coral in to my life in tangible ways. Here are a couple of ideas I found online that I am looking forward to incorporating.

This amazing mug to start your morning with Living Coral: