I’m Putting the Phone Down | My “Word” For 2017

All right friends, you all know that I’m reflective. I mean, REALLY reflective. Now that I’m a new mama, that’s increased tenfold. I’m always wondering if I’m doing okay or making the right choices. Ultimately all that matters is that my daughter is loved and healthy – which she is!

Okay back to being reflective. I posted a traditional 2017 blog post at the start of January, talking about what I hope to get out of this year, and how I’m focusing on doing things that fulfill me. To dig DEEPER into WHY I wanted to accomplish that, along with other things I wanted to accomplish, I did Lara Casey’s goal setting series. I had been seeing a lot of posts on Instagram from what felt like hundreds of people over the past year about Power Sheets. They sounded intriguing and so I checked them out. It seems like a wonderful tool to use to really set intentional, purposeful goals for the year. The bummer was that they were all sold out. So I went through her goal setting series on her blog and it was AMAZING. I spent a few days going through each of the five steps and writing out pages in my notebook to come to my word for 2017:

FULFILLMENT.

Gosh. As human beings we do so much that isn’t what we really want to be doing. We do things a lot because we think we should, or because someone else is doing it. Well – go right ahead and march to the beat of your own drum, so to speak. I thought a lot about my business and the purpose it was serving in my life. I thought about my role as wife, mother, sister, friend, and WOMAN. And it all boiled down to one thing – fulfillment.

lara casey goal setting series

I touched upon this in my 2017 blog post, about how I wanted to do more things that fulfilled me. After doing this goal setting series and realizing that everything boiled down to doing what makes me feel good, I started to pay attention to what I was doing on a daily basis.

You know one thing that I did regularly that did NOT fulfill me?

Looking at my phone.

I try really hard to not use my phone for mindless social media binges, and I’m generally pretty good about it, but it happens. You know what I miss out on when I’m doing that? My daughter. I miss her learning how to hold something new. I miss seeing her eyebrows furrow and her lips kind of pucker up while she focuses really hard on something. I miss seeing her beautiful blue eyes looking at me, or the way her nose scrunches up when she’s nursing. I’ve stopped looking at my phone or having netflix on while I’m nursing just so I don’t miss out on this really amazing thing we’re doing together.

You know what else I miss out on? My husband. Sometimes it kills me to realize we are having a conversation and I haven’t really grasped what he’s been saying because I’ve been checking something on my phone. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, man it feels like a punch to the gut. I HATE feeling like I’m not fully with someone.

So much I can miss out on just because I’m on my phone.

So you know what? I’m putting the damn phone down. I’m leaving it in different rooms than the one I’m in. I’m getting on the floor even more and playing with my daughter. I’m focusing on my husband during the time we have together. I don’t want to get sucked into my phone just because I feel like I have nothing else to do.

Friends, there is SO much more I could be doing.

So, I’m putting the damn phone down. Because it DOES NOT fulfill me. And this year is all about fulfillment.

I love you all, and I appreciate you following along today, and all the days you read from my little piece of the internet.

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lara casey goal setting series

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  1. […] in January, I did a blog post about goal setting. It was a really powerful exercise for me, and my word “fulfillment” for 2017 has very much […]

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You can usually find me adding books to my never-ending “to read” list; challenging myself to do things like not shop for a year; sneaking crispy m+ms from my secret hiding spot so I don’t have to share them with my daughter; and melting over seeing my children smiling at each other.

Oh and I guess I should mention - I’m a seasoned Portland wedding photographer who provides not only kick-ass wedding photos, but also a meaningful and laid-back experience from the time you book to the delivery of your final images. 

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