2017 RESOLUTIONS
Hi there, lovelies -
I hope you're enjoying a little down time this week between Christmas and New Years Eve. This week is always one of my favorites to slow down a bit, reflect on an amazing year that's almost completely behind us, and set a few goals + resolutions for the year ahead.
When I think about my 'best of 2016', only one word comes to mind- travel. Starting with our first trip to Chicago in January, John and I hit the ground running knowing that we wanted to travel as much as we possibly could. 26 flights and 17 weekend road trips later, 2016 was definitely a year to remember. So many beautiful places including LA, San Diego, The Hamptons, Nashville, NYC and a couple that I loved so much I traveled to twice, D.C. and Chicago.
2017 is going to be a big year! First up - we're moving out of our first home on January 13th and starting a new adventure. We're moving in with friends for 6 months while renovating and adding on to our new place here in Greenville. I'll be able to share more details soon, but J and I are beyond excited. We love having a project like this to work on together! It will also be a fun, lifestyle outlet of my blog for a few months which will provide a lot of new, exciting content. So once again, we're starting off the new year with a bang and it's time to set a few resolutions for FATL in 2017!
1. Stay Organized. Since my routine of working from home will be off a bit for the next few months, I'm really going to have to work on staying organized and put together. Currently, I have a weekly calendar full of goals, meetings, and deadlines and for the most part, my system works pretty well. However, diving into a new house project while living out of a suitcase (ok, not really, but it will be different) can easily throw that off. For the new year, I'm focusing on creating more structure and making GSD lists.
2. Be Creative. In October of 2016, John and I were so excited to on-board our first member to the FATL team! Instead of going with an assistant or someone of that nature (however, let's be serious- we all know I need a life coach 99% of the time), we decided to hire a 'Creative Director' to join our team. This has been SO fun for me, because I constantly have all of these ideas running through my head that together, Bonnie and I bring to life. I want to continue creating new, exciting content that makes you want to wake up each morning and check www.forallthingslovely.com first thing.
3. Let you in. Opening up about personal things can be daunting in any scenario, but especially when you're putting it on the internet. With the various online forums and websites that are out there, simply to tear people down, it's beyond intimidating sometimes to let people in on personal details. However, after pouring my heart out to you guys earlier this year in a few 'life update' posts, I am SO grateful for the outpouring of love that was shown to me. Although 2016 was an amazing year, I also dealt with some really hard things. Like everyone does. I was trying to go through my normal, day-to-day life without letting anyone in or showing any type of weakness, until I just simply couldn't any longer. Going behind the blog and sharing those genuine, hard moments with you guys was one of the best decisions I made. I promise to continue to be a real person. One with real feelings, emotions, and struggles that you can relate to. Although I always want FATL to be a happy place - full of chic outfits, amazing travel, and daily inspiration, I'm also human enough to know that's not what life is all about. So we might as well embrace it all together.
4. Write. Most people don't realize the work that goes in to one single blog post - and that's that way it should be. Our goal as fashion bloggers is to make outfits and styling look effortless. However, it's typically not always like that. I mean, it's completely normal to stand in the street in 5 inch heels while posing for the perfect shot, right? (If you only knew how many times you've almost lost me to a car...) However, that's all part of the fun of it and as odd as it is, I love each and every one of those moments because I LOVE what I do. All of that to say, by the time the styling of the outfit happens, the photoshoot, the editing, and getting the blog post + outfit links all together, it's quite the process. I've taken the easy way out too many times by simply writing 'thanks for stopping by' at the bottom of my post and calling it a day. I love to write. It's one of the reasons I started this blog in the first place and it's such a creative outlet for me. Whether it be about the outfit I'm styling, or simply about what's happening in life that day, I promise to be more than pretty images in 2017.
Aside from blog goals, here are a few personal resolutions I'm setting for myself:
Give myself grace.
Always seek adventure.
Don't get caught up in the small stuff.
Never let my inbox get over 50 emails. Whew, deep breaths.
Go to three concerts.
Show my friends so much love.
Go to the water at least once a month. It's simply good for my soul.
Wash my hair. Just in general.
Always see the glass half full and encourage others.
Take care of my skin.
Run.
What are some of the resolutions you guys are setting for yourselves? I'd love to hear them!
Thanks so much for stopping by babes, xx.