Perspective

So I finally did it! I picked my focus word for the year. This wasn't supposed to be such a stressful exercise but in true Jessica fashion, I made it that way lol! When thinking through different words that encompassed my goals for this year, I came up with: strengthen, mindset, focus, change, and belief before I finally decided that perspective is really what I need to put my energy into.



I want to change my perspective when it comes to the difficulties we've had with infertility. This isn't something that I have control over but I do have control over about how I think. I really want to trust in the Lord and His timing for us during this time. That has to do with my perspective and has to be a daily choice with how I look at our situation.

I want to work on my perspective when it comes to comparing myself to others. It's so easy to look at the "highlight reel" of social media and just feel bad about ourselves. There's nothing wrong with my life, but I see others doing things that I want for us, and it's just a bad feeling. Envy is nobody's friend and I need to change my perspective to be thankful for everything we have. This goes hand in hand with wanting a baby. I'm so thankful for the time Mark and I have had together as a married couple. We've gone on awesome trips, had lots of freedom to do last minute things, and just grown together as adults. This is time we won't get back, so I'm trying really hard to just appreciate all those moments. Do I wish we had a little baby Bradford strapped to us during it all??? Well yeah, but one day we will. :)

Perspective is also super important during change. Ugh, that word...change. Doesn't that just make you cringe?? No, just me? Okay, well I really like love to plan and know what's going to happen next. When I'm thrown into something new, it (literally) throws me off and makes me feel very uneasy. This is something I want to work on this year. My friend, Carly, has really great perspective on all things in life, but especially change. I want to follow the advice that she has given me this year. Thanks Carly!

I've also shifted gears with how I want to run my Rodan+ Fields business. When I first started, I just wanted to share the products and was scared to build a team. I was so scared that no one would understand what I was doing, or would want to join me. Once again, my perspective needed to shift for me to unleash my full potential and the full potential of this business. Now, I don't feel like I'm trying to get people to join me,  I just want to share about this incredible business that has opened so many doors for me. I cannot imagine what my life would look like today without it. Now, it's time to dig deeper and make this bigger than I ever thought possible.

Now this might be the strangest goal of mine, but I really want to get more sleep. I know that makes me sound super old and boring but I am the worst sleeper. I am exhausted after work (from lack of sleep) and then get my second wind around 9 pm. I find myself on Facebook, Snapchat, Pinterest... you name it, until almost midnight. Then I feel like a zombie the next day and the cycle continues. I really want to make sleep a priority and put down the dang phone while I'm in bed. My friend, Emily says that she's working on staying off her phone an hour before bed and I think this is huge. I am joining you, girl! This takes a perspective shift... yes, I want to binge watch all the shows I like, and yes I want to read all the blogs I follow, but going to sleep and feeling rested is also super important for my health. Does this mean I'm a grown up now??

Church also needs to be more of a priority. When we have a busy weekend, attending church seems to be the first thing to go. I know how important it is to be filled up each week by the word and I definitely feel a difference when I don't attend. This also goes along with making morning devotions a habit. Since, I don't get a ton of sleep, waking up is the worst for me. I am such a grump in the morning and it takes me awhile to feel awake and ready to start my day. Choosing to read my devotion first thing in the morning will really start my day in the best way possible. Once again a perspective change. It's not something I HAVE to do, but want to do. :)

So what are your goals this year? Do you have a focus word? I would love to hear all about it. I think that setting goals for yourself is HUGE! It gives you focus for the new year and also keep you accountable.

My word from last year: grow.

B+ Goals for July

Hi everyone! I thought I would do things a little differently for this Friday post. I read these B+ July Goals posts on Sarah and Elizabeth's blogs and I LOVE the idea that getting things done is better than perfect goals, especially during the summer time. These are all works-in-progress. This month is going to be super busy so maybe if I write it all down it will help me get it done lol. Let's go!

Organize/ Pack.

Ugh, who likes packing?? It's awful. You spend all of this time organizing your things into labeled boxes only for them to be moved somewhere, unpacked, and attempt to re-organize them. Nothing is ever where you think it will be and it takes way longer to unpack. Wow, I'm sounding like a whiny child lol. We are the midst of packing up our apartment to move next week. Who knew you could shove so much stuff into such a small place??? I've been going through things in our house for the last few weeks and I'm hoping that helps with the packing craziness. We have about ten boxes packed right now... only 100+ more to go :(

Blog more.

It's summer time so you'd think I'd have SO much free time but I've actually been quite busy. From being out of town, to having visitors it's been busy busy busy. I have trying to post at least 3x a week but I think I'm in quite the blogging slump. I feel like I have nothing to say. Well let's face it, I always have something to say, but not always things that I think people want to read lol. I'm really going to make an effort to produce better content but it might be on hold until after our move. Some content is better than no content right??

Read.

Sometimes I find that I am not very good at relaxing. I give myself tasks and to-do's to accomplish every day. I actually have to remind myself that this is summer and it's okay to kick back and read a book. So I'm going to use my breaks from packing and organizing to read. I'm only 20 books into my 50 book quest for 2016. I need to get moving!

Be present.

This correlates with the goal above. I want to enjoy summer and not just blink and it's over. I'm trying to soak up beach days, spend more time outside, read read read, and do things in SD that I've never done before. The weather has been amazing this year and I really just want to enjoy where we are in our lives. I tend to make lists and spend my day checking off all the things I need to do. I want to focus on being more present and less focused on tasks. We will see how that goes :)

Cook healthier.

I go through phases where I cook super clean and healthy and then I go back to only wanting to use my Pioneer Woman cookbooks. Don't get me wrong, I love Ree and her amazing recipes but I'll be a blimp if I eat like that everyday lol. I need to focus on lighter healthier meals.

Drink more water.

I am SO much better at drinking water when I am at school. It's counter-intuitive because when I'm at home I can use the restroom whenever so I should be drinking water like it's going out of style. When I'm at school I have to limit water intake to the times when I can take a break and use the restroom. I think I honestly just forget to drink water when I'm home. This needs to get better!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Goals Update {April 2016}

I wrote about my goals for 2016 at the beginning of the year. You can read about a more in depth version of my goals here.  I also chose the word: GROW, as my word of the year. I'm a teacher, so naturally I always want to grow and become a better version of me. There's always something new to learn right?? I feel like I've had the opportunity to grow in numerous ways this year but I know I have a long way to go. Here's a little update so you can see where I am now.

Do something that scares me/ buying a home. 

I have done this in two different areas. #1 I joined Rodan+ Fields and this was definitely a new scary adventure. Going out of my comfort zone is not something I do easily, but I can happily report that I have had a great experience. I love the company, the products, and the people on my team. 

#2 We started looking for a house. This scares the tar out of me! Making such a huge financial investment is something we've wanted to do for years but I haven't felt ready to make that step until now. We are pre-approved and have seen a few houses so far. I also spend most of my nights looking online and man oh man it's exhausting. Everything is either crazy expensive or is a dump lol. I am hoping to find something in our price range that doesn't totally creep me out. Hopefully it's out there lol :) I'm trying to trust in the Lord, that he will provide the right situation for us. 

Read 50 books.

I absolutely LOVE to read, if you haven't noticed from my numerous posts about books. So far this year I haven't read as many books as I'd like but that's because I keep starting a book and not finishing it. I need to hunker down and finish a few that I've started. So far I've only read 10 books and finishing The Best Yes, The Nest and Power of a Praying Wife will put me at 13. I should be at 14 by now, so I am a little behind.

Drink more water.

I go back and forth with being great at this and then terrible lol. When I'm at work I am constantly drinking water but at home I have a hard time remembering. I drink so slowly and I"m not thirsty very often so I literally have to make myself drink water constantly. Hoping to make this more of a routine!

Get more involved with the church.

Sadly, this is one goal that I have pretty much failed. I've volunteered once at church but in my defense we are constantly out of town or have people in town. I really need to make more of an effort to be involved. I'm hoping when school is over I will have more time to focus on this goal. 

Take better care of my skin.

I have been WAY better about taking care of my skin. I started using Rodan+ Fields products at the beginning of the year and I am diligent about using them regularly. This includes wearing sunscreen every single day. Previously, I was terrible at this. I feel like I am finally getting rid of some of my sun damage and I'm super excited about the results. If you want to read about my full skincare routine click here. 

My Word of the Year: GROW

I posted my 2016 goals last week, so click here if you want to check them out. As I was thinking about my goals for this year I seemed to come across a common theme, to grow. I want to grow this year in all ways possible, with the exception of my weight... I would rather that shrink lol.

I want to grow intellectually... reading as much as I can. 50 books, who is with me??
I want to grow spiritually, connecting with Him and spending my time in the word more than ever.
I want to grow from our tiny little apartment to a house lol, but seriously though, we need to move :)
I want to grow as a person and stop fixating on what others think of me. This has always been a struggle.
I want to stop focusing on the things that make me scared and actually do something new that will challenge me and stretch me... aka GROW :)

Starting my blog last year was a HUGE leap for me because it meant putting so much of myself out there to the world. When I say world, I mean the 5 people that I thought would read this blog. I'm now at over 10,000 views and I can't believe it! This was such a dream of mine and I'm so excited that it is actually a reality. It wouldn't have happened if I didn't just take the leap and create the blog or my husband didn't make me click publish lol. Then I had to make it public, because for the first 4 months it was private. Let me tell ya, that was painfully hard for me to do. I've gotten such a wonderful response and I'm blown away but the kindness from people I've never even met. Also, the constant support of my family and friends cannot be ignored. Thank you for believing in me and being my first and continued readers :)

Now, I am taking a new leap and giving myself the opportunity to grow in different ways. I decided to join the Rodan + Field's business and I am so EXCITED. R+F is a dermatologic skincare line brought to you by the same doctors who created Proactiv. I have always been super into skincare and beauty so these products are right up my alley. I love hearing the stories from other consultants about how positive this business has been for them and seeing the amazing results after people have used the products.

I'm committed to making this a year of growth in all areas of my life and I continue to add to my plan to make it happen. What is your word of the year? I would love to hear what you are doing to grow in 2016!

2016 Goals

I always make the same resolutions each year... lose weight, stop eating junk, work out more, blah blah blah. I always attempt to do these things but nothing really sticks. This year I thought if I called them "goals" that it would help me to actually work towards them instead of feeling like I've failed when my weight yo-yo's and I still love chips and dip lol. So here we go... my 2016 goals!

Do something that scares me- 

This one is going to be super hard for me. I get in my comfort-zone and I stay there... forever lol. Just starting my blog and making it public took me months and months. I'm not good at trying new things but this year I want to change that. I already have something in mind and it definitely falls in this category because it scares the heck out of me lol. Stay tuned for more on this :)

Buy a home-

Mark and I have wanted to buy a home for years now but it never seems to be the right time financially. Hopefully, this is the year! Buying a home also falls under the first category because the thought of tying ourselves to something with such a large financial responsibility freaks me out, but I know it will be worth it! 

Read 50 books-

This was actually my goal this past year as well. I only got to 43 books though :( I blame my blog because as soon as I starting focusing my attention on my blog, my reading decreased significantly. The blog is worth it though! :) I'm hoping I meet this goal in 2016.

Drink more water-

This one is self-explanatory. It will help with my headaches and overall health :)

Get more involved at church-

I want to make a bigger effort to be involved at church and to maybe get plugged in with a growth group. Our church doesn't have growth groups so this would mean finding a group at another church. We loved our couples Bible study and something similar to that would be awesome for both Mark and myself. I think it's important to surround yourself with people who help you grow in your faith and we definitely want that to happen this year!

Take better care of my skin-

I have always had a real passion for beauty and skincare but lately I have been neglecting my skin. I just don't take as much time as I used to for masks or other good-for-your-skin products. I recently tried out the Rodan + Fields products and I was super impressed with how they made my skin feel. More on this to come! Also, I'm terrible when it comes to moisturizing my body. I know this sounds dumb but my skin gets so dry that it's painful, so I need to be more proactive about moisturizing.

What are your goals for 2016??