WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM FATL IN 2019
It's official - the holiday decorations have been put away and all that's left is me, a glass of red wine, praying for sunshine, and ready for Spring!
Each year around this time, I like to set expectations not only for myself, but for you. Being the non-stop-planner I am, I always appreciate a little heads up of what's to come and what I can look forward to. I've already touched on (that's probably an understatement) 'the good, the bad, and the in-between of 2018' in a very long, but raw blog post, but I want to go a little deeper in hopes to set the expectation for 2019.
As I started to write this post, a sequel if you will to the one I referenced above, a couple of weeks ago, I kept writing a little, leaving it in 'draft' mode, coming back to it a few days later, and deleting it all. Repeat that two or three times and you're left with a blank slate ready to be filled with promises that felt like pressure and a scheduled blog post that would be less than interesting. For some reason, I couldn't quite figure out exactly what I wanted to say or how I wanted to say it. The truth is, most of 2018 felt like I was on top of the world personally, but failing miserably professionally. Until now, I haven't truly known how to put that into words.
2018 was the first year of my adult life where I felt like things really started falling into place and I felt such security in that. I never felt more sure of myself as a person. I was reminded every single day of why I love John Runion so much and appreciated him more than ever. I was taking care of my body again. I was so grateful for our new home that I would literally wake up in the morning with {happy} tears welling up in my eyes. I finally got to the place where I was starting to overcome personal issues I've been working through for years. I was officially declared cancer free and released from any further treatment after 10 years post surgery. I learned how to be a better friend + love more than I ever have before and in turn, I felt so loved. I learned how to put pride aside and make a mends when needed. At 29 years old, it's like something changed inside me and I got to the place where I could say without a doubt - I know who I am, what I stand for, and what I want. Like I said, on top of the world, right?
However, when it came to work, I questioned myself more than ever before. Even though everything else felt so right, I still felt stuck and held back. I felt zero creativity. What was once growing rapidly was decreasing in front of my eyes and it became harder and harder to be motivated. I was living out my 'dream job', but was I? Are people even reading my blog and am I bringing value to the ones that do? If not, why all the effort? Why am I spending so much time trying to get the perfect photo just to be unhappy with the results? Am I letting numbers and comments and likes define me? Where do I go from here seven years later, what does that even look like?
I somehow managed to let perfection be the standard and wondered why I wasn't living up to it.
This is probably the point in the post where you're waiting on the big ah-ha moment or happy ending, but the truth is, the reality hasn't changed - but my prescriptive had to. I shot for perfection and was left so unmotivated when I didn't meet it. Why do we put that kind of pressure on ourselves?
I went from putting in all the effort to no effort at all, but didn't focus on what really matters - the effortless. The in-between of all or nothing, or what happens between the make it or break it. I forgot that people are more inspired by the perfectly imperfect me. The messy. The unsure. I was fully embracing who I was personally, but forgot to embrace it in front of everyone on a platform where I share my life. I knew my insecurities were showing through my lack of effort or barely there blog posts and that's why I wasn't succeeding. I wasn't in it for a minute - I took a break from remembering why I started.
Somewhere around October, I started pouring little pieces of my heart and soul into this space again until I fell back in love with it. I stopped focusing so much on growth + and remembered to be appreciative for the community I've already cultivated and love so much. I realized that all of those things I feel so secure in - my relationship, my health, getting through my highs and my lows, our home, my love for the people around me - those are the things that should be the foundation of my blog. Those are the things that make me who I am and give me a story to tell.
So here's what you can expect in 2019 - I'm all in. I'm passionate about what I've created and won't allow numbers or people to define or defeat me. I'm determined to be strict about my schedule, my routine, and my priorities. I'm going to be right here, three times a week (at least) with content we all actually want to see. It will be applicable, exciting, fresh, and geuninely reflect my heart. What it won't be: perfect - and at this point, that's the goal.
We have big things on the horizon for both For All Things Lovely and The Lovely Cottage and I can't even wait to share them with you! Here are a few things you can look forward to:
The Marriage Series is comin' back - this time on camera!
A full, video Home Tour is happening late January or early February - Subscribe HERE!
A Step by Step Guide to Creating a Capsule Closet
More on our renovation and mindset behind creating The Lovely Cottage
Big Projects in the works + Before + Afters
The Chicken Coop REVEAL
The Cottage Kitchen (Recipes you've been asking for!)
Opening up about blogging FAQ's, relationships with brands, and editing
All Things Gardening + Outdoor
Video Q + A
Home Decor, Home Decor, + Home Decor
Greenville Guide
And more! Again, W E L C O M E - it's going to be a fun, new year!
As always, thanks so much for stopping by!
Meg