Alright, here’s my final post on resolutions (yes, it’s February first – don’t tell me you have given up already?) and my three themes for 2012. I’ve already talked about Simplicity and Creativity – so here comes the last (and scariest!) one.
  
Bravery is tough – it means putting myself out there and stretching myself past my comfort zone. It means taking risks and facing fears.
I hope that Simplicitiy is what will ground my year, Creativity is what will make it beautiful, and Bravery is what will make it exciting – you will never have what you never reach out for! I heard someone say that if your dreams don’t scare you a little bit, you aren’t dreaming big enough. And for me, Bravery isn’t really the absence of fear so much as the ability to overcome the fear that you feel. These are a few mantras I’ve got running through my head to get me pumped for an adventurous and Brave 2012:
Get Over “NO”: I saw this great post by Becka featured on Makeunder my Life yesterday – and felt like it summed up a lot of what I knew Bravery needed to be for me this year. Because if you don’t get over having to hear a few noes, you will never give yourself the chance to hear any yeses. And I am definitely ready for a yes or two, aren’t you?
Make Mistakes: Ah, this is a kicker for the perfectionist in me. I am known to all-out avoid things that I don’t think I can do perfectly – and this means, usually, that I’m not doing much of anything new. So this is the year where I kick my fear of failure to the curb and step out on a limb with some things that I’ve been wanting to try, but have been letting nervousness hold me back (i.e. open mic nights – eek!).
Give Myself Some Credit: Sometimes it takes just as much Bravery to admit that I am good at something as it does to face up to the things I still have to learn! We feed ourselves all sorts of self-defeating lies: no one would want what I have to offer, everyone else is much better, and on it goes. Being Brave not smugness or pride, but it is having confidence in yourself – or at least (or greatest?) having confidence in the One who sent you.
Staying in the safe-zone of life is easy, but if I’ve learned anything lately, it is that if you are going to live a creative life, you have to be willing to make mistakes and accept that some people are going to think you are a bit crazy. Be brave, and you’ll be surprised at what can happen.
So there we are, my themes for 2012: Simplicity, Creativity and Bravery. I hope reading has inspired you to pare down, amp up, or otherwise make your 2012 the best year yet. Here’s to a new year and a myriad of new opportunities!
Exodus 15:2 – The Lord is my strength and my song. (ESV)
(Photo Credits: first two are my own, third was found on Sacramento Street, and the fourth came from my la la loveliest friend, Trina)
Lately I’ve been wanting to document some of my daily outfits – mostly to inspire myself to be my best every day, and also to challenge myself to express my creativity and my personality in what I wear (per what I talked about yesterday). Don’t you agree that when you feel great in what you put on, the day just seems to go better?
Well, I realized that with the busy schedules Cory and I have, and with the minimal winter daylight, it just isn’t possible right now to take the quality of photos that I would want. So, that leaves me with a distant memory of high school notebooks full of sketches of faceless mannequins with fancy outfits, and this post.
Back in bible college, we had a casual dress code, but on Friday a group of us would dress to the nines just for fun – and thus, Fresh Friday was born. I’m naming this series after those school days, and occasionally on Fridays you’ll see some doodles of my favorite outfits from the week, and some things I’ve been learning and I explore creativity and personal style. Hope you enjoy!
Winter can be kind of grey (not to mention dark and cold – seems like there’s no sunlight left after work most days!) so I’ve been pumping some extra color into my wardrobe to keep things interesting:
Outfit 1: Worn to a party celebrating the return of my awesome friend (and pastor of Pulse!)
Outfit 2: Worn to work, on a particularly chilly and unexciting Tuesday.
Which is your favorite? Anyone else like to go bold with color in the bland winter months?
It’s still January, so we’re still talking resolutions and my three themes for 2012. Last week, I shared about Simplicity, and this week we’re looking at theme #2:
So what does Creativity mean to me? It’s thinking outside the box and living beyond the routine, it’s expressing myself in ways that feel genuine and “me,” and it’s making time for craft time – simply because I love it.
The idea is that with the foundation of Simplicity, I’ll have some empty space in my life – and though I won’t want to fill every second of it up again, I can begin to fill my time with things that I love – and that’s where Creativity comes in. I really see these themes all wrapped up in each other. Here are some of the simple ideas I’m implementing to cultivate a creative life:
EXPLORE: Don’t settle for routine all the time – try new restaurants, run new trails, listen to new music, read new books – be willing to switch it up on occasion to keep life interesting and expose myself to fresh inspiration.
EXPRESS: I am going to push myself this year to embrace my uniqueness, in whatever way that may be – experimenting in the kitchen without the help of a recipe, coming up with new ways to sing old songs, or combining the clothes in my closet in a different way – to figure out more and more what I like and who I am, and to live my life in a way that honors that.
CRAFT: Songwriting, painting, sketching, writing, photographing – whatever strikes my fancy – as long as I am exercising my right brain. No holds barred – 2012 will be a year of creative explosion in my life! Practice begets excellence, and I want to be excellent at what I do.
I’ve already seen a huge difference in my outlook as I’ve applied these themes to my life over the first few weeks of the new year. There is no doubt in my mind that God is a creative being (see some of my thoughts on the matter here, which I’m sure will be expounded upon) and that he put my creative heart in me for a reason – 2012 is all about letting it shine!
Next week, I’ll finish up this series with my final theme, Bravery – which will, out of the three, most definitely be my biggest challenge this coming year.
Exodus 15:2 – The Lord is my strength and my song. (ESV)
Cory and I camped here two Septembers in a row – about an hour and a half outside of Colorado Springs on Rt 24, turn left just past the town of Lake George (anyone else love how simple directions can be when you’re going to the middle of nowhere?).
The first time, we had a campsite out in the open (read: expansive views, windy windy windy windy). For the second, we picked a more isolated spot with a little bit of a hike-in and some nice tree cover (read: not windy, more non-people related noises at night).
If we camp here again, we’ll probably go for one of the boat-in (or much longer hike) sites – though you have to be much more careful with animals/food/etc and probably travel a little lighter than we have on past trips. They are SO beautiful though, hard to resist.
There are lots of trails to hike around the big lake (reservoir?) – I can imagine that in the summer this place fills up, but in early September, you have plenty of space to yourself. We like to do a whole lot of nothing when we camp – hiking, reading, sitting by the fire, and of course, roasting marshmallows.
{Public Service Announcement for S’mores people: switch your chocolate bar for a peanut butter cup and it will rock. your. world. Pinkie swear.}
Last week, lifehacker posted about how getting out into nature makes you smarter (my paraphrase) – it didn’t surprise me, but it’s truly amazing how doing “nothing” for a while, whether it’s camping or hiking or just being outside, can refresh your drive for all the “somethings” you’ve got going on at home.
The article also said that even photos of nature have similar effects, helping people operate at their best. So here you go, I just helped you rock. You’re welcome!
Have you noticed that escaping to the outdoors helps you be more creative/productive?
Last week I shared my three themes for 2012 – Simplicity, Creativity, and Bravery. Today I’m going to expound a little more on the first – which is really the foundation for the others.
For me, Simplicity means taking some time to be still, to unplug for a little while and reconnect with reality, and to sift out unnecessaries in my life to make more time for the important stuff, and also the fun stuff!
I was really inspired by this post on Jess’s blog, and I had been thinking for the last few months of the year about the intentions and motivations behind my daily routine. To cut to the chase without all the philosophizing, here are some changes I want to make to foster more simplicity in my life:
UNPLUG: Less screen time, more face time. No phone/computer/email/TV (etc) in the morning before work, or in the evening 30 minutes before bedtime. I work at a computer, so I just spend way too much time in my day looking at a screen.
PURGE: Mentally and physically. I want to spend more time running and doing yoga – things that energize me as well as help me clear my head and refocus. I’m also taking Jess’s challenge to get rid of 100 things – I want to be surrounded by things I love, use and need. No more clutter in my head or my house, please.
WAIT: Pray, dream, play piano, listen, journal – spend time doing the things that help me to slow down and be intentional and remember what’s important in my life.
I think my next two themes, Creativity and Bravery, are going to make 2012 one of the most exciting years yet – and I really do believe that having this foundation of Simplicity is going to make both of those easier to accomplish. Because when I make time for a little empty space, it helps me shift my focus from the stresses of everyday life back to the One who has put big dreams in my heart, and has promised peace beyond understanding – even in the midst of life’s craziest adventures.
Philippians 4:7 – And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (ESV)
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“if your dreams dont scare you a little bit, you arent dreaming big enough” i like that! cheers to stepping out of comfort zones and creating new adventures!
Great post, dear Annabelle….simplicity and bravery are big on my list too…. i am with you… i get all caught up in not doing anything if i can’t do it right. ready to just make a few mistakes and try some new things!
XO t
Yup – I think I’ve decided the unknown will always be a bit scary, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be exciting at the same time, right?
I love this post and I love the three words you’ve chosen to shape this year. I am planning on using them as well this year as most of my goals for the year can be lumped into those categories.
Thanks Rochelle – so glad this inspired you 🙂
Facing fears… I am always searching easier way…. Share some bravery with me, girl =)