Switching gears for 2019

I really didn’t want to title this post Goals for 2019 because thats not really what they are. Although I do use Lara Casey’s Powersheets to keep me on track with things I want to accomplish, they aren’t really goals for me. They’re more like changes for the upcoming month and year. These aren’t numerical things to achieve, like number of bookings or numbers on a scale – they’re lifestyle changes – or at least that’s the hope for them.

Some of these things are personal, some are business related, but they’re all something I hope to change or love on for this year.

• Embracing our community. I love where I live. I love my family history and I love that Brandon & I want to put down our own roots here- to make sure our children get to live here, too. One thing that i’ve been saying for years is that I want to get more involved with our community, meet new neighbors and hopefully create new friendships. Our community has a local “community association” that has monthly meetings, a book club, as well as covered dish dinners that the neighbors take turns hosting (how cute!). We’ve already joined and will be attending the first meeting in February! Hopefully we will love it and i’ll be getting involved with some volunteering.
• Marriage Strengthening. Not just my own, but my friends & bride’s as well. Talking about relationships and marriage really gets me going. I’d love to share some of that this year. I’m no expert by any means, but there needs to be a place where people can talk about their struggles and be encouraged by others. You can expect some of that, as well as pretty portraits.
• Investing in my parents business. My parents own a local small business and i’m planning to be even more involved than I ever have been before. I’ll be working on their website, taking over their marketing, and sharing more about what it’s like to be apart of a family business!
• The most important thing i’m doing this year is tackling our financial health. If you follow along on instagram, then you know Brandon and I are doing the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University course and plan. When we had Abe, things really changed for us – lets just say it was a huge eye opener. The cost of a family health insurance plan, the expenses a baby comes with, and not to mention the medical bills that piled up rather quickly, all seemed to drown us. But they shouldn’t have. The problem wasn’t that the income wasn’t there, its that the spending was unpredictable and unreasonable. So unfortunately, our financial health includes skipping the monthly target trip (goodbye, sweet friend), ending the takeout habit, and counting those pennies. I listen to Dave Ramsey’s podcast at least once a day, usually while i’m scrubbing away at those dirty bottles during nap time. It’s really helped to fire us up, Brandon’s even listening in at work!
• More time in the dirt. With the pregnancy last year, gardening was the one thing I really had to say no to. It was sad to be outside and see those weed-filled garden beds just yearning for some lovin’. That wont be the case this season!
• Learning how to be mom. This new adventure is trying and feels harder than anything i’ve ever done. But it really fills me up with purpose every day. I’m looking forward to more quality time with Abe, doing lots of porch sitting with him and learning what kind of mom I want to be.
• Nourishing friendships. I’ve spent a lot of time nourishing the wrong friendships and not putting enough time into the ones that count. I’m figuring that out now. The same thing can be said for my clients, I need to cultivate those connections. Help where I can. Love where I want.

None of these things have anything unrealistic attached to them. I have a bad relationship with “goals”. I get discouraged easily. No X amount of pounds that obviously need to get lost or number of bookings that I really need to get to this year… none of that nonsense. Just heartfelt things to say yes to.

For 2019 I’m saying NO to:

scale numbers. unhealthy friendships. business numbers. time in target. wasted time online. overthinking my business. being alone. doubting myself. clutter. wasted brain space.

For 2019 I’m saying YES to :

systems. dirt filled fingers and toes. drooly babies. quality time with friends. nourishing client relationships. embracing my community. volunteering. family dinners. budgets. photographing abe.

I hope this encourages some of you! Make a list of the things you need to say no to.

Share it with me, I want to cheer you on friend!