Who doesn’t love hitting the reset button? Every year we’re granted the opportunity to completely change our bad habits with a fresh start. We’re rejuvenated and inspired to be a better version of our previous year’s self. I personally love that sentiment and the opportunity to do so.
January is always one of my best months each year! I walk on the treadmill everyday, I am mindful of my budget, I meal plan, meal prep, and then somewhere in mid-March I do what most of us tend to do and let the rush of work get the best of me by falling back into old habits. Believing that chocolate is a fundamental food group rather than a treat being one of those bad habits.
So this year, my personal resolution will simply be to not fizzle out. There, I’ve put it out into the world so now I’ll be held accountable for my actions. Check back with me in the midst of wedding season to see if I’m still going strong!
2018 was a big year for my business. I celebrated my 10th anniversary in the wedding industry. Prior to this past year, I always rushed around, eager for the next booking, workshop, or gig of any sort. This past year, I felt confident in my skill set and what I brought to the table and to each wedding shoot. I will always put education at the top of my list for self improvement, but I didn’t spend sleepless nights needing to learn new techniques like in the past. Instead, I attended workshops where the idea that community over competition helps everyone involved better themselves on several levels. I limited my bookings and became intentional about how I spent my time working. I gave myself a bit of forgiveness and grace on the work at home mom front. It doesn’t mean I’m choosing to work less, I’m just choosing to spend and manage my time more wisely.
For instance, this post was intentionally posted today and not yesterday. I chose to spend yesterday, the start of the New Year with family and dreaming up my goals for the year to come. This came in the form of list making, laundry, lego castles, and lunch prep.
Instead of constantly feeling a heavy guilt for splitting my time, I decided to be more intentional with my time; gracefully declining in moments that I knew I wanted to spend with my family, or on the opposite end, pursuing goals and projects that I knew would better myself, my business, and my family in the long run. I became more selective, which led me to really wonderful opportunities like the Callie Lindsey Workshop and beautiful friendships along the way. It really was a year of quality over quantity. I intend to continue living in that mindset. I added streamlined workflows that allowed me to work smarter not harder, so in addition to going strong on that front, I will be adding exciting new happenings in 2019 that I’ll be able to announce in the coming months. Stay tuned for those goodies!
This mindset has made me a better businesswoman/photographer/cinematographer. I see it in all that I do: my client relations, capturing intentional and timeless photographs, incorporating seamless post-production methods, and creating more personalized deliverables.
So for 2019, my goal is to continue to be intentional. Choose wisely. Make the best choices for my family, my business, and myself. Life is short and I want to be sure to live it with a sense of purpose and dedication to quality.
I also want to stop wishing away time waiting for the next big event when we all know deep down that the small moments matter most, and living more presently is what’s truly important.
If you know me well, you know I’m a life long 4-H’er, which not only means I know quite a few campfire songs, but while sitting around a campfire I heard many stories and learned many lessons. A story that has always stuck with me was one about living in the moment and not wishing life away. In a nutshell, it was about a person waiting for the next moment in life. When that moment came, such as a graduation, a wedding, a birth, or any milestone in their life… they simply just kept wishing for the next big step without ever fully living in the moment and embracing what was right there in front of them. They reached a point where they were simply just waiting for the end.
Sad right? That’s the point.
Live in the moment, be in the moment, and be intentional. Oh and eat more salad.
And because I’m a visual person, I love to reflect on the past, present, and future with visual aids. So here you have it. My favorite photographs from 2018, special family moments over the past year, and my vision board for 2019 because I believe if you visualize your goals they will become reality.
Cheers to 2019!
