What I’m Thankful For This Year

I’m personally having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that 2017 is almost over, but what a year this has been. With the ups and downs, I have come so far in the course of 11 months, and I did not get here alone. Here is what I am thankful for this year!

Positive Thinking

This is abstract, I’m aware, but it’s important. I really tried to focus on the positives no matter what and to redirect any negative energy or thoughts that come my way. It’s meant a lot of changes beyond “thinking positively,” mainly making sure that the experiences and individuals I surrounding myself with contribute positively to my life. I am SO incredibly thankful for this shift in my mindset and the life I’ve created for myself with it. It’s really made all the difference in how I feel about myself, how I interact with others and how I approach obstacles.

My New Apartment

I moved into my very own place this summer and it makes me feel peak adult. I’m thankful that I am able to have a space of my own, where I feel safe and happy, and can enjoy lots of “me time.” It’s been a great home base to have friends over, hold meetings and more.

Getting Healthy

I have really tried not to focus on counting calories obsessively as I normally do when I get on a “health kick.” Sure, that limits what bad stuff I put into my body, but it makes my mental health suffer. I’ve gotten good with educating myself on smart food choices and not giving power to a number. I also am learning to ENJOY working out – I’ve always done it as a chore, but I am starting to look forward to it? I’m very thankful for this lifestyle change and I plan on continuing it.

My Blog

This college hobby officially became my career this year. Thankful doesn’t even begin to describe it. I did the numbers and knew it could work, but seeing it actually all fall into place has been the biggest blessing. Even when I have hours upon hours of work to do, I love every single minute of my job, and I am eternally lucky for that. This blog is my creative outlet, my source of joy, and my baby. So much looooove!

My Blogging Community

The blogging world isn’t always the nicest place to be (more on that here) and I feel so grateful to have a group of supportive women that value collaboration over competition. A rising tide lifts all ships, and as our industry grows, we all will succeed together when we help one another. Some quick shout outs: Ashlee, my photographer extraordinare who helps me with poses that aren’t the classic “hand in hair”; Katie, who keeps me grounded, calls me on my ish when I need it and makes for a really good plus one; Olivia, who was my first blogger friend and just gets me; Caitlin, who has made me fall back in love with blogging every time I see her succeed during her first year; Paige, who always helps me pick the best photo to Insta; Kirsten, who I’ve yet to actually meet yet is always there to dive into any industry topic or give me honest feedback; The Dolls, who were the first to tell me I COULD make this dream a reality; Gigi, who’s always down to shoot no matter the weather; Austen; Emma; Megan; STL Bloggers girls; everyone from TBSCon; this list could go ON AND ON. Just so thankful for you all. I feel like this is an award speech and I know I’m forgetting people, but if you are a strong independent woman in the blogosphere, I SALUTE YOU and I THANK YOU!

My Friends

As I kind of eluded to before, this year has been a great indicator of who’s a positive asset to my life, and I firmly believe that those closest to me are some of the best humans on this earth. THANK YOU for always supporting me and my business, understanding that yes, I do have to take photos of our meal before we eat, and I may want to post a boomerang of our happy hour, and I do have to check emails sometimes during our wine nights. I get that the blog may not be your “thing” but you know it’s mine, and you go out of your way to help me succeed. I live for your “congrats!” texts with balloon effects when you see I post an Insta with a big brand or hit a big milestone in growth, because not only are you helping me celebrate, you are taking the time to learn what the successes in this industry foreign to you are. I love you all and I am so thankful to have you in my life.

My Family

I am beyond thankful for my family and their support, for my mom who always believes in me, my aunt who shares every darn thing I post on Facebook, and just today Nick for coming in really clutch and taking iPhone outfit pics when everyone else isn’t home but my hair looks good. You get the importance of taking outfit photos on holidays BEFORE we get to the family parties, shooting at golden hour when I’m home to minimize stress levels and maximize the chance you get a good photo, and how well Sadie does for boosting my Instagram engagement. You’re rock stars and I would never be able to do this without your love and encouragement.

YOU

If you’re reading this post, I owe you all the thanks in the world. I cannot verbalize how much your support means to me, whether you are a daily reader or someone who’s only here for the occasional sale roundups, you all are a special group of people. If I’m having a rough time, I can see a comment or email from you and my entire day turns around. I do this all for you and it means the world to me that you care about my little piece of the internet.

Happy Thanksgiving, y’all. Please take time out of your day to identify things that you are thankful for, even if things are rough, even if you don’t think there’s much you can be thankful for. There is always something <3