2018 was one of the most amazing, life-changing years of my story to date. I graduated high school. I started college at TCU. I went to senior prom in my dream dress, moved to a new state, made incredible friends, and met some of my biggest goals. I rushed a sorority and declared a double major. I launched Always, Elle! I tried so many new things. I began painting and reading a lot more. I learned to let go & just have FUN sometimes, even when the to-do lists are ever so present (still workin’ on this, but we are making progress people!). I surrendered so many areas of my life that I tried so hard to control to God & found peace. There were ups, and there were downs, but part of what makes life so fun is that we never really know what direction the roller-coaster is taking us next. What we do know is that the journey is always fun, always filled with laughs, a few cries, some major highs, some major lows, and in the end, all the loops and unexpectedness of this crazy beautifulness we are riding every single day ends with a retrospective view that it all was part of a plan to grow us and challenge us and keep us centered on something bigger than ourselves. And, to me, that is just what makes life so gosh darn good.
Girl, I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to kick some 2019 booty. Let’s get this year. Let’s get moving on our dreams. Let’s grow & learn & push ourselves to new heights we don’t even know are possible yet. Let’s encourage each other & build into one another along the way & make this year i n c r e d i b l e. It isn’t going to perfect, and it may even be far from that, but who said trying to achieve perfection was any fun, anyways?! (This coming from your class-A perfectionist, but hey, I’m workin’ on it.)
Let’s stop trying to achieve perfection & start trying to achieve s o m e t h i n g! Let’s fail & learn & try again.
Let’s spend more time in the Bible. Be with God more. Soak in His truths. Trust in His plan.
Let’s give ourselves some love. Take time to care for ourselves so that we can even better care & serve the people we love. Take moments to soak in all of life’s goodness. Give to ourselves and fill up our buckets as much as we give to others and fill up theirs.
Let’s be attentive to detail. Soak it all in. Observe more. Just simply be more.
Let’s rest. Rest our bodies. Rest in God’s truths. Rest in the knowledge that we are enough + taking time to slow down is not being less than.
Let’s get stronger. Stronger mentally; stronger physically. Stronger in our faith; stronger in our integrity. Stronger in our love for others; stronger in our love for life. Stronger in our passion for living each day with joy and excitement.
Now, I also have lots of goals, big & small, for the next year and for the years to come, that have to do with my blog, my relationships, my career, my future family, my travel, and just about every category known to mankind. I’m a firm believer in writing out goals & dreams & hopes, no matter how crazy big or crazy small they are.
In fact, one of mine is to be president of the United States one day. Another is to write a book. Another is to become a leadership & business & faith development coach that speaks at events and conferences, specifically for women. Another is to be a loving wife & mom. Another is to travel to at least 100 countries and go on as many mission trips as I possibly can. Do I know for certain that each of these dreams & goals will come true? No. But what I do know is that by writing them out, I’m making myself accountable to pursuing them each & every day for the rest of my life.
So 2019, I’m ready for you. I’m excited for you. I’m praying for all the good moments and the hard ones in between. This year is going to be amazing because I am choosing to see it that way; choosing to focus on all the things to be grateful for and all the ways in which I can be excited about life, today and everyday.
Life is so, so good & this year, I believe amazing things are coming your way! Get out your journal, write down your crazy big (& crazy small) dreams & goals & hopes and let’s start accomplishing them! You got this, girl. Anything you set your heart & mind to, no matter how big or small, I believe in you. And God does, too.
xo
Always,
Elle
“I can do all things through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13
