A little fresh air

New seasons are like a new beginning.

As much as I love the summer time, I couldn’t imagine living in a place that didn’t have distinct changing seasons. There’s something so refreshing about a new season. Whether it’s relief from the heat or a break from the cold… new seasons are like finally being able to take a breath. And I love having the opportunity to take a step back and regroup.

So with this new season, I’m practicing a new mindset. And to go along with the theme here, my mindset shift is to focus on the here and now. This current season of life so to speak. Now I know this idea may be a bit of a cliché (thanks to people like Joanna Gaines), but I believe it is SO important to appreciate your life exactly where you're at. Over the years I have noticed that I tend to place happiness in unattainable time spaces. I have a habit of constantly feeling nostalgic for the past, while simultaneously wishing for the future. I know we all do it… Remember the good old days in high school when you had less responsibility? Yet I’m sure you spent your days dreaming of a future full of independence and no homework. Even now, I'll catch myself thinking “I’ll be happier when…” I’ll be happier when I graduate, buy a house, make more money, start a family, and on and on. But the problem is that even when you reach these goals, you still find other ways to push happiness into the distance.

This year it is a goal of mine to learn to focus on and appreciate my current season of life. Sure, I can't wait until we buy a house, BUT right now it has been amazing to have the support and time to spend with our family. Yes, I’m excited to be in the stage of our life where we are married and settling down, BUT it has been so fun going on this journey of planning a wedding and growing together as a couple, as well as individually. I know that one day I will look back admiring these times as such important stepping stones into where we will end up one day.

It’s no lie that time flies. Soon enough you will be looking back at your life questioning whether or not you lived to your full potential. My goal is to appreciate exactly where I’m at every step of the way.