Happy New Year friends! I’m sure we all say this every year, but I cannot get over the fact that 2018 is over. Hands down the FASTEST year of my life, which is saying something because I was pregnant for most of it haha…which also means 2018 was probably the best year of my life, because it’s the year sweet Shiloh entered the world. I could do an entire post reflecting on 2018 and all of its ups and downs…but for today’s post I want to look ahead to 2019. To the new year that lies ahead of us like a total blank slate!
I try to make new year’s resolutions every year…do you guys? I might share those with y’all in another post, but something I’ve come to value even more than resolutions is a word or a phrase for the new year. (I shared my word for 2018 in this post by the way!). As I’ve been thinking and praying about the year ahead…there wasn’t one single word that’s come to mind, but rather a phrase. A phrase that I wish I could find a better word for, but since I haven’t found that “word”…my phrase for 2019 is big picture mindset. This is what keeps coming to mind as I pray about the year in front of us.
This phrase plays itself out in just about every area of my life. Let’s start with work. This plays itself out with blog things because I want to keep the “big picture” in mind with every single blog / instagram post that goes up. What is the big picture for LKS? That this blog would be a place where you find inspiration, encouragement, and empowerment to live every day to the absolute fullest. Whether that’s through feeling your best in a new outfit you love, getting in an awesome workout that makes you feel strong, or spending time in the Word to get your mind and heart prepared for the day. I want this blog to be a place where you find inspiration to do those things. So, rather than throw together a blog post that my heart isn’t in or take a collaboration I’m not passionate about…I want to keep a “big picture mindset” and ask myself “is this post accomplishing the goal that I have for LKS? – that this post would inspire and encourage the women reading it”. Big picture.
This big picture mentality plays itself out in my marriage. When Michael and I get in a fight or if he does something that bugs me, I want to keep the big picture in mind – that we are on the same team, he is my best friend, and I will strive to love and serve him to the best of my ability. Sometimes when you keep the big picture in mind…the little fights or annoyances seem to kind of fall by the wayside. When you have a mentality of “in 1 year from now, will this argument matter at all?”, it helps you not sweat the small stuff and focus on the truth: marriage is such a sweet gift from the Lord and sometimes you need to swallow your pride and choose to move on.
Keeping the big picture in mind affects my everyday life with Shiloh because I know we will have great days and really hard days. Days where she’s an angel and naps perfectly and days where she’s fussing and crying all day and doesn’t sleep at night. What’s the big picture here? That these little baby days will fly by and I want to soak up and cherish every second of them. I want to take care of and nourish her in a way that lets her know I love her more than anything in the world. Good days, bad days, and everything in between. Keeping the big picture in mind reminds me of the truth that she is the most amazing gift I could ever ask for.
I want to have a “big picture” mentality in my physical fitness as well! Instead of choosing workouts just based on convenience and familiarity…I want to keep my “big picture” in mind. For me, this “big picture” in 2019 looks like more strength training and growing in muscle tone. I have a tendency to just run or do cardio because that’s what I’m best at…but I’ve been wanting to grow in strength / muscle tone for forever now. But when I go to workout, if I don’t have the big picture in mind, I’ll fall back to what’s the easiest and most familiar to me.
So, keeping the big picture in mind affects my work, my marriage, my family, and physical fitness. But you know what it also affects? Going to the grocery store. When you’re in the checkout line and checking your phone and making to-do lists and ready to rush off to the next thing…keeping a “big picture” or eternal mindset allows you to actually see the person checking you out. Ask them how their day is going. Encourage them in any way that you can for those 60 seconds you’re in the checkout line. Having an eternal mindset allows you to see things in light of eternity. Did I love people well today? Including the checkout person at the grocery store or the person who cleans my house or my next door neighbor. Because let’s be real, loving people well is so much more important and impactful than checking off your to-do list.
Keeping an eternal mindset affects my to-do lists I make everyday. Because I want everything I do to have a lasting impact – whether that’s a blog post, how I interact with people when I’m running errands, giving Shiloh a bath…I want to keep an eternal mindset knowing that what I do today can echo into eternity.
Outfit Details: Turtleneck Sweater Tunic (Similar Here) | Beanie | OTK Boots Here and Here | Gucci Bag | Gold Beaded Earrings
This blog post might seem like it’s all over the place…but I think that’s because keeping the “big picture” in mind really does affect all aspects of life! How I process and react to things, how I treat people, how I work, and everything in between! Thanks for letting me share my 2019 mantra with you guys! It felt really good to write it all out, and know I have you guys to hold me accountable to this! Cheers to an amazing and impactful 2019 friends!
xo Lauren