2017 Year In Review

Wow, I feel like I just wrote this post and yet here I sit again reflecting on another year. I take great satisfaction looking back and meditating on the year. I can certainly say there were some major hits and some clear misses. I’m not much on making New Year’s Resolutions but I absolutely like to see what went right and what can be improved.

The Hits:

Business Growth: This year has once again been a year of growth, certainly my busiest year yet. I met more families, photographed more newborns, spread my business into the Austin, Texas community, and added weddings to my craft. In early fall my husband, Dan, joined my team and together we are pursuing our wedding photography journey. I’m excited to see where this takes us in the new year. And, my work was published in two magazines which makes me proud that my effort is getting there.

Ethan: Our oldest son, Ethan, graduated with his Master’s Degree in Molecular Pathology and landed his dream job in Salt Lake City, Utah. This hit is bittersweet for sure. I am beginning to get a taste of empty nest and we are noticing his absence, especially now during the holidays. However, I could not be more proud of his hard work and dedication.

Self Care:  I made some changes to my morning routine to help me focus and take some control of my stress. Specifically, I’ve started a daily Morning Pages routine. The first thing I do every morning is write three pages in my journal and churn out whatever is on my mind. It’s become a habit that I miss if I don’t get it done.

Personal Growth: I joined a community of like minded creatives and made some awesome friends who are wildly talented, business savvy, kind-hearted, and giving. For me, the introvert, joining a community of strangers turned friends was one of the best steps I took this year.

Planning: This was they key to my business growth. I had to map out a plan and stay super organized. I like to plan my busiess activities 6 months in advance so I know where I’m headed and what I need to work on. I love my Simplified Planner created by Emily Ley. Another hit was investing in an online client management system. The time came when I could no longer keep up with my old ways a serve my clients well. This kept all my client sessions, communication, contracts etc. organized and easier to manage. Bonus! I heard from a lot of you that you liked it too!

The Misses:

Pandora: This is the biggest hit of the year. We lost our beloved Boston Terrier. It was a hard year of worrying and watching her battle cancer. She put up a long hard fight but the day came when we had to love her more than we ever knew we could and end her suffering. Our house is empty without her and her presence is unquestionably missed. I shared her story here.

Self Care: I also had some major misses in this department. The hustle and long days of nurturing a growing photography business and working nearly full time as a nurse took it’s toll on my diet and exercise routine. My careless lack of focus in this area of my life has left me with 10 extra unwanted pounds. I’ve made some big decisions this year to hang up my nursing hat to focus on my business and my health. Burning a candle at both ends caught up with me, without question.

My Home: My sanctuary, my favorite place to be, the space where I feel most comfortable has become a space of overwhelm. To be fair, this isn’t something that just happened. It’s happened over the course of 10 years of living here. We’ve spent years, like many families, bringing things into the house but nothing ever leaves. This has resulted in a space filled with too much stuff! I recently read The Simplified Life, by Emily Ley and it has motivated me to make some major changes to simplifying so much of my life. This includes my home. I’m ready to get back to a simpler life with less things and more life…more experiences. Somehow, this feels like more.

How did your 2017 shape up? What were some of your hits and misses. Comment below and let’s connect.