Woah….It’s almost the end of January, friends. That means i’m getting even closer to having this baby, which i’m terrified/excited/nervous/emotional over, and also that i’m THAT much closer to starting my wedding season. I’m super excited for BOTH of those events, but I really wanted to get my 2018 words of the year out there before my life becomes this crazy whirlwind!

If you’re new around here, then you may not know, but I love having a “word of the year.” It helps me to remember what I want the year to be based around, and also gives me more of a sense of direction to where I want to go with work, and life, and everything in between. This isn’t something I take very lightly, and this year that couldn’t be any more true. I know I have some big changes coming up! I know that life is going to be a bit crazy! I know that my world is going to completely change! I’ve done the kiddo thing before, and it DRASTICALLY changes the way you live, and even just survive sometimes. I wanted my 2018 word of the year to be amazing, and really all-compassing, but I couldn’t manage to do that with just one. So this year, I decided to spice things up a bit and have TWO. That’s right, friends, TWO words of the year- Inspire and Connection.

Inspire

First things first- I love that when you look up the word “inspire” in has two meanings….

1. fill (someone) with the urge or ability to do or feel something, especially to do something creative
2. breathe in; inhale

I want not only my business, but my life to help inspire people around me. I know how hard I had to work my first few years in business, and how I had to learn new things, and I continue to learn new things everyday! Heck, just a few weeks ago, I had a whole conversation about arbitration and binding arbitration with my business-savvy father-in-law and had NO idea what that even was before-hand. I’m constantly trying to learn more, and be better, and I want other new mommas out there to know that, YES! It’s tough, but YES! It’s worth it, and YES! It’s doable. We can do this, ladies. Oh, yes we can.

I also know that because of this life-change I’m about to encounter, it’s going to be even more imperative that I remember to breathe. This pregnancy, I have dealt a lot with anxiety. It happened to me when I was pregnant with Raylee, but one thing that has helped me IMMENSELY was breathing exercises. I do them when i’m spiraling into this world of “what ifs!” I do it when I can’t stop my brain from working as I lay down for bed. I do it in the middle of the day when I just need to take a little time for myself, and remember that my world won’t come crashing down if I’m not looking at my phone 24/7 to check my latest notification. Breathing MAY be an involuntary movement in our bodies, but I know that sometimes my other involuntary reactions (Oh hey Fight-or-flight!) get in the way of that. So 2018 will be a year to remember to “INSPIRE.”

Connection

Connection with other people is something that’s ALWAYS been important to me. Growing up, I moved when I was 13. That was hard, and I had to find new friends in a new place. Luckily, I was kind of athletic, and a pretty good people person and was able to find some amazing friends to help me get through the next three years….until we moved again. There I was at 16- having to move to a new school–HIGH SCHOOL– but luckily again, I played volleyball and those girls were the first people I met, and I loved them so. Then I graduated two years later, and moved again to find more new friends and build new connections. Over the years of moves, and new schools, and new experiences, one thing I never took for granted were the connections to the people I came across.

Story time- My mom used to drive me INSANE because literally everywhere we went she would talk to people. Not just people we knew, no way, but EVERYONE. She would start conversations with strangers at the gas station. She would chat with the nice lady next to us at the airport as we were sitting in the terminal waiting for our flights. It didn’t matter who or what, but if I mom even SAW some sort of connection point, she’d say something. Drove me crazy.

Over the years, much to my dismay, I started turning into my mother. Now, you might have known that was coming, but I never even saw it, until one day it happened. And it happens more and more as I get older.

Now, these connections might not be anything spectacular. I sat with a lady in first class when I went to Arizona last year on my way to Showit United, and she told me about her late husband. I cried about my late mother-in-law, and we bonded. I needed that, and I think she did too. I never even got her name, but I will forever value that sweet lady.

I love making those connections, and I think that somewhere in the universe, whether you believe in God, or Mother Earth, or whatever else, I think that those connections need to be made. As humans, we literally NEED those connections.

Now I feel like I should say that I don’t want to be that creepy person who talks to everyone she comes around, because, like I said, that’s creepy. People would think i’m a psycho. But I’m excited for this year, and I’m excited to be able to build more connections with people.

Also, I don’t only want to be able to make connections with new people, but business wise, I want people to feel a connection with my images. Whether it’s the connection IN the image, or the feeling they get when they see the image, I want it to be there, and be evident. I’m excited for this.

Conclusion

I feel like with these two words in the forefront of my year, it’s going to be one of the best ones yet. I’m excited to see how this crazy life of mine changes with the addition to this new little boy, but I’m also excited to see how implementing these words in my life is going to benefit us, and my business. I know at the end of the year I’m going to be able to look back and be grateful for these new changes coming, and i’m excited to get to share it with you guys.

So now it’s your turn. Do you pick a word for the year? Or a saying? Or anyting?! I want to know what it is! 🙂