You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.
C.S. Lewis
It’s that time of year again when we all sit down, reflect & brainstorm our goals for the upcoming year. There’s something so refreshing about a new year – a new ‘start’. However, I will say that I don’t think we have to have a new year before starting fresh. We can wake up any day and decide to shift our lives in a different direction or dream a new dream. That’s the beauty of God’s grace and faithfulness!
I actually think my resolutions always tend to evolve and refine themselves over the year as the days pass by – for many different reasons. But, I think one of the reasons is because I haven’t been specific enough in the past. So, this year, I really took the time to just sit and think about the year ahead and where / who I want to be at the end of 2017. Some talks with Jesus & a few cups of coffee later, here’s what I came up with for my goals & aspirations of this new year:
1. Travel as much as possible. Teej and I always seem to have the travel bug. Both of us have grown up loving to travel – anywhere. We just like to be on the go somewhere! We actually went smaller on Christmas presents for each other this year because we are planning a nice trip together as a part of our Christmas to each other. We love exploring new places! One thing we have said since we started dating is that we want to have a few years to ourselves before expanding our little family so that we can travel and see the world. Since we won’t be wedding planning this year, I think we will definitely be able to make this goal happen. Stay tuned to see where we will be going on our first trip this year!
2. Go to sleep earlier / wake up earlier. If you know me, you know that this will possibly be the hardest resolution to stick to. I am the world’s best definition of a night owl. I have always wished that I was one of those people who could wake up at 5 or 6am and get my day started. However, that’s basically an impossible task for me when I am up working on things until 2-3:00 in the morning. Yep, true story. With working full-time during the day, I just have so many hours at night to work on this blog to make it what I want it to be (while also striving to be the best wife, daughter, sister, friend I can be as well). And when I do something, I’m not one to just halfway commit. It’s all or nothing. So, it just feels like there’s not enough hours in the day sometimes. Blogging is just like another full-time job for me because I take it seriously and want it to be something more than just an occasional hobby. (See #7.) All in all, I am going to strive to manage my time better this year and get better rest so that I can deliver the best content for you all and feel more energetic throughout the day.
3. Exercise daily. I’ve made a promise to myself that this year, I will strive to engage in some kind of exercise or activity everyday. This one is cliche – especially for the beginning of a new year, ha – but it’s one that I’m going to take seriously for myself. I cheered and was always so active everyday growing up (literally from the time I was 5 years old til December of 2015, I was always in the cheer gym practicing!) … so, I never had to really focus on being super active outside of practices and team workouts. Now that I am not in the gym everyday, I can definitely tell a difference in my daily energy. I will say that in the spring and summer months, I’m always outside running because I loooove that weather. But, I’ll also say that I’ve slacked off a little bit this winter & over the holidays, lol! Anyway, I’ll be coming up with new ways to get active on the daily, so if you all are interested in hearing some of the strategies, let me know & I’ll incorporate some health / fitness posts for 2017.
4. Be bold. AKA, make bold, confident decisions about what I want & follow through with them. I’ve always been the ‘people pleaser’ type and as I’ve gotten older, I have realized that ultimately, it’s great when you can make others happy. But truthfully, you can’t make everyone happy all the time. And THAT IS OKAY. When I finally realized this, it was a huge weight off of my shoulders. It’s okay to agree to disagree and to do what makes you happy. I began working on this one awhile ago, but I still have to remind myself of this resolution almost every single day throughout the year. Sometimes, the only approval I need is my own & the Big Man’s.
5. Be nicer – to me. This kind of relates to #4 in a way. I had always grown up trying to please others so much that I often would forget about myself. And sometimes I still do. Being one of those people that commits to things whole-heartedly means that I’m also very hard on myself sometimes. And it could be anything in life – work, my blog, relationships, lifestyle choices – anything. If I feel like I haven’t done something to the best of my ability in someway, then I tend to be extremely critical and hard on myself. That may be the competitive athlete coming out in me, but I shouldn’t get so upset at myself for some of the nitpicky things that I pick myself apart over. All in all, I will aim to celebrate the small personal victories this year because, hey, that’s what life is all about right?
6. Stay in touch. Keep up with friends who I went through college with and travel to see each other. Call more & meet up often. Cook dinners for our whole family. Send gifts & ‘thinking of yous’! Connect and network in this amazing blogging community. Family, friends and fashion are my most passionate things in life. This year, I’ll strive to continue to grow these relationships and make many new ones along the way!
7. Grow this blog into something more. Something more than just another fashion blog. Something more than just a hobby. Because trust me, it is way more than that for me. love ‘n’ labels has already been such a blessing in my life just in the past few months, and I pray that it has been – in some way – a blessing to yours as well. Whether it’s the perfect little getaway you needed after a long, stressful day or it’s where you go to find some stylish inspo, I hope that it has been a positive impact in many many lives. Throughout 2017, some of my biggest goals are to inspire those of you who stop by for some LNL love, to continue networking with others in the fashion industry & blogging community, to produce relevant & exciting content to share with y’all, to continue growing this blog into a business, to connect with brands & build those relationships, and to continue being my true self by being open & vulnerable with you guys – my LNL family. I cannot thank you all enough for the love and support you have shown toward love ‘n’ labels and toward me since the beginning of this journey. This is only the beginning, and I can’t wait to see where we are at the end of 2017!
I love you ALL and want to personally invite you to join me on this LNL adventure – it’s going to be a funnn (& stylish) year, y’all! 🙂
**I also want to invite all you Bachelor lovers to join my Fantasy League during this season! GO HERE & then search for the group love ‘n’ labels to join in on all the fun. You have until 7:59pm EST tonight to answer the first 9 questions, so hurry hurry hurry! Whoever has the best results at the end of the season will win a prize from me (&&& it’s a good one) – don’t miss out ladies and feel free to invite all your friends. The more, the merrier & the group is open to everyone!**
What are some of your resolutions this year? I would love love love to hear them & to share your journey with you as well. Thank you so much for reading and for sharing!