Gratitude: It's more than you think
I will be the first to say that I love this time of year. Yep, I love the holidays and Christmas with all of its traditions, gatherings and wonderfully corny Christmas movies (sign me up!). But as a type 3 on the Enneagram I truly live for the smell of the new year.
That is because it is around this time of year that an achiever, some might say over achiever really gets perked up. With all the thoughts of vision boards, resolutions, calendars, planning etc many of us can get wrapped up in the doing and thinking. But have you taken a minute in the last month of the year to just be thankful? Have you taken an hour to just reflect on what opportunities you’ve been given this year? And even bigger, as we approach the next DECADE, how often have you looked back and been grateful?
I am totally aware that gratitude is not a new concept. Nor do I present it to be. But I want to spend the remainder of the month really revealing in how far I’ve come. See, sometimes you get so caught up in the doing and living and planning and worrying that you don’t take a moment to commend yourself. Just a few nights ago my husband and I sat on our couch in absolute awe of our 5 year journey.
We had broken every unspoken rule that exists in the NorthEast:
1. We got married young. In Massachusetts the average marrying age is 30, we were 22 so talk about rocking the boat.
2.We moved to Florida. Now for everyone reading this who is a Floridian you may not understand the fuss but if you’re from a major Northern city you don’t need a further explanation. But from the northern standpoint Florida is often seen as a shaky place. Due to it’s lack of strong corporate opportunities (aka not many job opportunities), hurricanes and shaky people (blame all of the crazy incident reports like this one)
3.We ditched the stability of a corporate position to truly operate in our gifts and calling by starting our own businesses.
WHEWWWW talk about a doozy, all in a short five years our lives have flipped upside down and we wouldn’t change it for the world. E would’ve never taken these steps without God leading us and yet it still required us to be bold, brave, full of faith to be people of character!
Somehow we can be so impressed with the faith or the boldness or the wisdom of the Noahs, Hannahs or Jeremiahs that are described in the Bible- but what about you? What about the Carlas, the Jonathans, or the Sarahs- isn’t YOUR story worth applause? Aren’t you bold? Brilliant? Humble? Strong? Faithful? Isn’t that worth acknowledging? It is so easy for us to pinpoint some of our failures and imperfections but you’ve got to take a minute to acknowledge and revel in your strengths.
So in this season of giving and gratitude remember to be thankful for what you have but also who you are!
This blog post is written in partnership of Femme Luxe Refinery. I’ve featured a few of my recent picks here and I’d love to share them with you. The first piece I am sharing is actually my favorite piece I’ve ever received from Femme Luxe and that is Sophie the faux leather joggers. If you have watched our video on Fall 2019/Winter 2020 trends then you know that leather anything is HUGE right now. Being a leather lover myself I already had tons of leather items including a pair of leather joggers that got destroyed by my dog so this replacement was heaven sent. They fit nicely and are an easy all day wear.
The second look is a look I never thought I would have picked. Definitely a wild card but that was my true intention. I fell in love with the Grazia sweatshirt co-ord especially the hoodie top. I can’t wait to implement the top into my new 2020 style (that’s for another day and post). It had a street wear element while still being feminine.
Ok…Ok… this Harley grey sparkly cycling shorts co-ord is really cool. It is a little bit over the top, seeing as though it’s sparkly. Because it was a bit over the top I paired it with a pair of clear heels and I cannot wait to wear this number again.
My last pick was a Camel slinky ruched dress called the Vienna. I enjoyed the comfort and freedom of this dress. Warning it’s a bit thin so to help with the smooth look add some shapewear.
Happy Styling
-xo Carla