me + resolutions // 1.11.16
did you decide on resolutions for 2016? do people even still make them? while it’s great to have goals, often times we forget about them early in the new year. then november rolls around and suddenly we realize that we have all these benchmarks we have or have not reached. while checking the boxes feels satisfying and encouraging, not completing them can be equally discouraging.
when i first began writing down my new year resolutions (aka - in college) i would pick specific, narrow goals in hopes of actually completing them and often times, i would. for example, i would need to take X number of photos, lose X number of pounds, get X grade in a specific class. while those goals were satisfying to achieve, they were limiting instead of encouraging growth. i might have taken the specific number of photos, but were they really any good? and i might have lost those pounds, but was it in a healthy way? and i might have gotten that grade in the class, but did my other classes suffer?
as the years have gone on, i’ve started analyzing the scope of my goals and making them slightly more abstract to allow for unexpected growth. in 2013 i told myself to photograph everything, do 100% in every time and set aside 10 minutes every day for myself. i met those goals. in 2014, i didn’t set any documented resolutions, mostly because i forgot, but it was a good, unintentional experiment. i was able to accomplish a lot, but i also felt bittersweet without the boxes to check for the year. in 2015 my only goal was to rebrand from basically bubbly to free in the lines. this was accomplished midway through the year and is amazingly satisfying, but i didn’t consider any personal goals which i realized, is frustrating.
2016 will be a little different - there are business AND personal resolutions that i am excited to pursue. while my business goals will remain hidden away in the safety of my studio, printed in bold font and pinned on a wall, i have a major personal one - to enjoy the journey.
i’m a perfectionist and extremely focused when i have things to do. i struggle to see more than the end result and will only be truly happy when that result is met. but with this view, it’s easy to pass by the unexpected pleasures of the adventure. it actually becomes less of an adventure and more of a procedure. and no one wants to live a procedural life.
i came to this realization when i was reminiscing about college before visiting my alma mater for a basketball game. during school i spent the whole time so focused on getting the grades, finding the job and making it to graduation that i didn’t enjoy it. i made some amazing friends and had some good times, but otherwise i felt very trapped and unsatisfied. Jas on the other hand, relaxed and enjoyed the ride and now looks back on college with fond memories.
towards the end of last year i looked back again and realized i was treating our wedding the same as i did college. i just needed to get to March 18th; i had a date and knew what i wanted and i was so focused on getting there that i’ve been miserable throughout the planning. while there have been challenges, Jas and i have been so blessed. we aren’t having the original photographer i wanted, but when i met ours for the first time, i knew he would be even better than i imagined. the same with our florist, our invitations and our venue. and i couldn’t be happier. so 2016, look out, because i am going to cherish the moments that make life wonderful and not stress about the end result… well at least not as much. haha
planning to kick ass in 2016? i would love to hear your resolutions - leave them in the comments below or tag me on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #freeinthelines.
// image via Pinterest