My Dream For 2015: Elle from ElleSees

Hey you! That’s how I greet all of my friends, and I’m hoping you’ll be a new one! I’m Elle from ElleSees, a beauty blog based in Atlanta. I love to chat about all things beauty: tips, tricks, tutorials, reviews — even beauty DIYs are thrown in. There’s truly something for everyone. But today I’m not talking about beauty. I’m talking about My Dream For 2015.

Yesterday, I received horrible news: my Dad had been diagnosed with cancer. I took a deep breath and absorbed the news. This was something I wasn’t expecting to hear at all — parents are supposed to pass away when they’re old. He’s only 59.

I’m the oldest of my Dad’s kids and have forever held the role of being the strong one. The calm one. Okay, okay, I thought to myself, we can get through this. I was forming a plan in my mind for the questions I wanted to ask his doctor, plans to discuss treatment options and more as my sister kept talking.

But there was more bad news to come. It was followed by THE most horrible words: he has six months to live. Six. Months. There will be no treatment. No. Treatment. I kept hearing these words echo in my mind over and over. These words had overtaken the place of my hopeful plans and had developed a near-deafening buzz. These. Words.

The daze I was in after hanging up the phone disappeared when I was suddenly snapped into focus by the door banging and my dog, Charlie Brown, barking. I had friends coming into town to celebrate their birthdays at that moment and celebrating was the last thing I wanted to do.

Because my friends are amazing, they were willing to cancel everything to stay in and comfort me. But I insisted that we go out and celebrate, that maybe it would help a little. During the course of the evening, I raised my glass to give a toast and the words “celebrate life” stumbled out of my mouth. It was an epiphany. Celebrate. Life.

These words have now taken over the horrible ones and are now my dream. These words!

And so when I sat down to finish my original draft of this post, I erased it all to share this story because “celebrate life” is now my dream. I will celebrate life with the time I have left with my father. Every single moment. I will celebrate his life when he is gone. I will celebrate life with my loved ones — every single moment. I will no longer take life for granted. Instead, I will celebrate. I hope you do, too. This is my Dream for 2015.

–By Elle from ElleSees

[Photos via We Heart It]

My Dream For 2015: Julie from Julie Leah: A life & style blog

Hi, I’m Julie and I write Julie Leah: A life & style blog. I’ve been at this blogging game for over five years and when Melissa asked me to be part of her My Dream for 2015 series, I immediately said YES! When you’ve been writing a blog for this long, you’ve had quite a few opportunities to reflect and share your dreams and goals and plans. For 2015, my dreams are a little more personal, and I hope that it will generate some conversation and thought-provoking commentary about the times in which we are living.

My dreams for 2015 are to be more focused on my personal well-being and devoting more time to the people in my life. Now, when you first read that, you may be thinking, “Well, that’s cliche” or “That’s nothing ground-breaking.” Allow me to explain each of those…

In 2014, there were some eye-opening experiences that made me realize that it’s time to put myself and my health first. At 28, it’s really easy to fall into the “I’m too young for that” trap. But let me be the first to say — you’re not too young and it can happen to you. Pay attention to your body and what it’s telling you. Listen intently and don’t ignore anything. Your 68-year-old self is gonna thank you one day.

The second part of my dream for 2015 is to devote more time to the people in my life. This one has been more difficult, and it’s a goal that I will probably spend most of this year mastering, but it’s worth it. I have spent the last five years being fully devoted to (almost a slave to) my blog and the social media linked to it. In January, I decided that just wasn’t happening anymore. My personal, everyday relationships are more important to me than the superficial approval of x number of followers or x number of readers. Now, please don’t misunderstand what I’m saying here. There are some wonderfully significant relationships that have developed from writing my blog, but rest assured there have also been disappointments and letdowns from people. People who I thought were loyal “friends,” people who I was devoted to but didn’t return that loyalty. And that, my friends, sucks. So, I’ve said no more. No more artificial, not more superficial, no more convenient friendships. Because, let’s be honest, everyone deserves more than that.

True and genuine — that’s my dream for 2015. So, tell me: what are your dreams for 2015?

–By Julie from Julie Leah: A life & style blog

My Dream For 2015: Kate from Clear the Way

Hello there, readers of So About What I Said. My name is Kate and I am the blog girl behind Clear the Way, a blog filled with everything that inspires me from home décor and fashion to art and feminism. Right now, I am in the very beginning stages of launching a creative project that has been a dream of mine for some time and, as I progress through “hatching” this dream of mine, I thought I would offer my tips for each stage of the process. If you have a dream developing inside of you (whether it is a new creative endeavor or a lifestyle change) and you would like to make your dream a reality, I hope my advice will help you along the way…

The Very Beginning
In order to hatch chicks properly from their eggs, you need everything set up perfectly. You need the incubator set up just right and the proper conditions in place or you run the risk of total failure. That’s why it is so important to do your research ahead of time and really think it through. The same goes for when you are planning to hatch something new in your life. Are you planning on going vegetarian or vegan? Do some searching online and in your local market for what substitutions you might use in place of your familiar foods. Are you thinking about launching a new business? Gather all the information you need for each step along the way. The preliminary research you do, no matter what your ambition may be, is the first step in making your dream a reality.

The Incubation Phase
During incubation, the eggs need to be turned periodically in order to keep the insides from sticking in one place. My advice is to apply this same idea to your dream. It is so important to look at your project, lifestyle change or other ambition from every angle possible. Turning your idea over and over, just like the little eggs in the incubator, helps give you a fully-formed idea which will lead to the best strategy for approaching that idea in the real world. If you come at a project from only one angle, you may miss the big picture and may not find the success you could have if you spend more time exploring different aspects. Sometimes it is better to extend the incubation period for a project in order to give yourself the time you need to turn it over before you are ready for it to hatch.

The Hatching Process
Hatching is a really hard process, mostly because baby chicks are so new. They are new to using those muscles and new to the world at large. When we are hatching a new dream, it can feel the same way. We are navigating new lifestyles, new businesses, etc., and it can be very exhausting. My advice? Just keep at it. Pecking to break through the shell may be tedious and pushing bits of shell out of your way may be draining at times, but your dream will stay stuck inside of you unless you do the work to bring it out into the world. I shared a post awhile back on Clear the Way that echoed this same idea: The world needs what you have to offer. When the hatching gets rough, remind yourself why you believe in this project (or yourself!) and the work will be worth it.

Thank you, Melissa, for having me and happy hatching!

–By Kate from Clear The Way

[Photos via We Heart It]

My Dream For 2015: Monica from hola! design

Hey 2015. It’s me, Monica. I was still celebrating Christmas and you showed up, I wasn’t ready for you!

I had to sit down and think hard: What do I want to accomplish this year? Do I want to travel around the world? Do I want to (finally!) take a sabbatical? Do I want to start a business?

Well, all of that would be nice. But there’s something else I want to achieve. Not only for 2015, but for the rest of my life, starting now.

And that is being kinder to myself.

I have to admit that for the longest time, I was my own worst critic. In every aspect of my life. I was judgmental and way too harsh with myself. I decided to stop that. I’ve reading a ton about the subject and here are two things I’m already doing…

*I do something I love every day: Could be a long shower, going to my favorite coffee shop, getting a manicure or buying fancy cheese. I treat myself with my favorite things and I allow myself to enjoy them.

*I talk to myself like I would do to a kid: We are all kids at heart, in many ways. You don’t say to a kid, “You made another mistake, idiot!” You say, “It’s OK, buddy. Try one more time.“

There are many other ways of being kind to ourselves, but I find that’s is easier to stick to a change if we take one small step at a time. That way, it is not so overwhelming.

How are you kind to yourself? Share any ideas you may have! Wishing you an excellent year!

–Monica from hola! design

[Photos via We Heart It]

My Dream For 2015: Kara from She Writes Words

Let me just quickly start off by thanking Melissa for the invitation to be a part of this guest post series! I was pleasantly surprised when she asked if I’d like to take part because both her posts and her guest’s posts have always been so read-worthy, so it’s a real honor!

To now introduce myself before I delve into what I hope 2015 will be for me: I’m Kara and you can find me over at She Writes Words. I’m a stay-at-home wife and momma to a 2-and-a-half-year-old daughter and two canine furbabies.

I must admit right off the bat that overall, I’m generally not a goal-driven person. You’d find the majority of my life’s bucket list fully intact because I sway on the side of casual living. I take each day as it comes, for the most part, which drives my poor husband crazy at times. This year, however, will be a bit different. Near the end of June, we’ll be welcoming Baby #2 to the family and with that comes a whole new set of responsibilities and ultimately, some goals to go along with those.

My number one dream and goal for 2015 is to have a healthy remainder of this pregnancy. It’s been going great so far (at least up to writing this post!!) with no hiccups, so I’m knocking on wood that the rest goes smoothly as well.

You see, back in July 2014, I experienced a miscarriage in the early weeks of pregnancy, and while I feel I coped well with the situation, there will now always be something in the back of my mind nagging at me that something could go wrong. I know that being this far in the pregnancy game, there’s not a lot that could go wrong, but there’s always that little smidgen of doubt in my mind. Some may think that it’s a silly thing to get in your mind, that something could go wrong, but I think that unless you’ve personally experienced it, then you really don’t understand 100 percent. Those with kids understand a little bit better than those without, but in reality, it’s tough to relate to such a personal experience. Even my husband will never completely understand my feelings because it wasn’t his body that went through the motions of a miscarriage.

But enough with the Debbie Downer talk. I’m honestly excited and truly looking forward to the new challenges that are waiting for my in just a few short months. I’m hoping that my daughter will love her new sibling, even when she realizes that she’s going to have to share her toys, and that I’m able to show both of my children an equal amount of love. Let’s say that’s a sub-goal for 2015: To show my daughter that I’ll still love her just as much as the day she was born, even though a lot of my attention will temporary be focused on her new brother or sister.

So there you have it — my Dreams for 2015. Thanks again to Melissa for the chance to write this guest post, and I hope to see some of your faces over in my neck of the Internet woods some day!

–By Kara from She Writes Words