Her Life Changed The Moment She Let It

One of my weaknesses: journals with inspiring covers. Oh how I love them. A nice crisp page waiting to be written on with a beautiful cover to match my excitement.

I was looking for a small notebook that I could keep in my purse as I travel to write down notes and ideas, especially for my travel posts around Connecticut and New England. I found one at TJ Maxx (they always have the best journals, right?) that kind of reminds me of the “handy dandy notebook” from Blue’s Clue’s, but I’m in love with the possibilities it has in store. The cover has the words “her life changed the moment she let it.” How perfect. 

I agree with the words completely. I had to make a lot of changes recently to get the kind of life I wanted to live. Unfortunately it took a difficult situation to give me the proper push, but at the same time this situation highlighted to me the importance of changing my life. I knew that I wanted to be happy where I worked because environment has a huge impact on not just your work life, but your life out of work. I also knew that I needed more time to edit and work on photo shoots, more time for my business and reaching my personal goals. I wanted to travel. I wanted the time to plan my wedding and honeymoon with Matthew. I also wanted more “me time,” time to read, time for art, time for tranquil mornings with tea and music, time with friends, time for family, time for my relationship with my fiancé and for learning and doing more of what I loved to do. Time for what was truly important because life is way too short to waste it dealing with people, places, and things you dislike. I simply needed time, the one resource in our life that we only have so much of. I needed a life where I was able to cook better and healthier meals, spend more time outside in nature, help others, give back to the community, become a part of a community, and get in more sleep and exercise. In other words, I needed simplicity and abundance at the same time while still being able to afford rent.

That sounds like a tall order, but it was much easier than I could have imagined. I could have let fear or “what ifs” hold me back, but instead I cut back on my spending, put more into savings, moved to a smaller but nicer apartment that is closer to people and places I love, removed the excess and the negatives, changed to a job that has less hours and is much closer to home, and planned my days wisely. I also learned to say no to over-commitment and busyness. It sounds like my life got more hectic, but I have more time than ever before. My days feel longer, like the endless summer days I remember having in my childhood. My time is being used more wisely for the people and things that truly matter to me. I have an abundant life.

I am still figuring it all out: trying to get to bed earlier so I can wake up earlier while feeling well rested, coming up with an editing and blogging schedule for my photography and business, trying to come up with a marketing plan to book more weddings, working out a routine to visit my Nana weekly, looking to sign up for a gym, and planning to start up my French lessens again soon. We’re also still figuring out how to organize and design the apartment to stage it for our life. I hope that for as long as I live I am always learning and improving.

The point isn’t that life is perfect or has to be, because it certainly isn’t. The point is that life is full of choices. How we spend this one life is completely up to us once we reach adulthood. Life is not automatic, it is a manual process. I choose happiness, health, and success on my own terms.

Her life changed the moment she let it.