Want to know one of the best things I’ve heard about life & balance???

“You can’t do it all, & do it all well.” 

WOW.

There is something in me that wants to argue. YES I CAN. I CAN KEEP IT TOGETHER. I CAN DO ALL OF THE THINGS. I CAN. JUST WATCH ME TRY TRY TRY.

But you know what the other part of me thinks?

Praise. The. Lord.

Because I can’t do it all. And there is something in me that takes a deep breath when someone tells me that I don’t have to.

As much as I would love to be able to. As much as I would love to tell the world that “I HAVE MY LIFE TOGETHER”! Nothing slips through the cracks. I am on top of it 100% of the time! My to-do list is consistently getting shorter!

Oh you guys.

2017 kicked my butt.

I am left here at the end just realizing more and more again that holding myself to a standard of perfection brings no life. It brings stress. Overwhelm. Frustration. All of the negative things.

I heard once that each day you have to choose the things you are going to be good at.

Family, Cooking, Laundry, Friends, Photography, Blogging, Exercise, Hair & Makeup, Errands, Phone Calls, E-mails, Texts, Social Media. The list goes on.

These are all things that I wish I could cram into each & every day. I wish I had hours to give to each one of them.

But what happened when I realized that each day I could choose the things to focus on and be good at *JUST* those things. Then, the next day, I could be good at different things.

There is a part of me that wishes I could balance all of the things EACH DAY.

Or even EACH WEEK.

But what if I finally realize that there isn’t a time limit on which I have to do all of the things. There is nobody handing out awards as I put on my pajamas at the end of the day telling me how well I did.

And if I am running around everyday *trying* to do it all, but being mentally exhausted, stressed, & overwhelmed in the process – I’m forgetting the most important part of ALL THE THINGS.

I think so often we forget that we have the power to create a life we love.

When I am feeling overwhelmed by my schedule, it’s hard to admit that I AM THE ONE THAT MADE IT SO FULL.

When I am feeling overwhelmed by the fact that I haven’t made time for my girlfriends – I AM THE ONE THAT SAID YES TO WORK INSTEAD OF FRIENDSHIP.

And you know what part of this balance equation that I so often forget to add in?

REST.

MARGIN.

DOWN-TIME.

PLAY.

The things that *feel* like they have to be earned.

Ya, I will rest when I _________.

Or we will plan a weekend away once we ____________.

2018 is already well underway, but I am still realizing that I can resolve to rest more. To say “No” to things that don’t matter so that I can say “YES” to things that do matter.

Jen Hatmaker said once, “If it’s not a ‘HELL YES’, it’s a NO.”

I’ve been thinking of that so much when opportunities come up. So many good opportunities are presented to us every day. But by saying yes to everything, sometimes we end up saying no to important things in the process.

You don’t have to do it all every day. 

Balance might not happen in each and every day. Just look at my laundry baskets. Some days I am on top of the laundry, some days I am not. Some days I am an avid blogger, and some days it’s the last thing I have time for. There aren’t time limits on when we have to do everything. Dreams don’t always have a deadline and neither do relationships. But I am learning that making time for dreams, friends, family, and rest? That is what kind of life I want. I don’t want to always put the fun stuff off in order to work.

In fact, in past years – December had been one of the busiest months for photography. Leaving me running around like a crazy woman trying to get everything edited & returned before Christmas day. I was left exhausted and drained. This year – I put some boundaries on it. I had certain days that I would work, but way more that I wouldn’t. And you know what? My business is still thriving. And so am I. I didn’t wake up on Christmas morning completely zapped of all energy. I had time to ENJOY the holidays and spend time with family and friends.

That’s what I want for you. And for me. I want us to work hard, but not work all the time. To really make some time for the good things, the fun things. The things that we so often sacrifice in order to get more accomplished.

Because I am pretty sure we won’t regret the hours spent doing the things that matter most to us. 

“You can’t do it all, and do it all well.” 

Cheers Friends,

Kels