It’s my birthday! I feel so fortunate and grateful to see another year! Personally and professionally I feel this has been one of my best years yet.  It’s like this year I just understood my purpose and started taking action on it.  I ditched the excuses, I held myself accountable, and just said let’s GO!

I am sharing 32 things I have learned in all different areas of life!

  1. Do not break the bank for our wardrobe.  There are so many affordable options are there to keeping you looking amazing and still keep your credit score up.
  2. Thinking about nagging or complaining about your husband? Just stop.  We have made more progress since I have taken the spirit of complaining out when I talk to him about something that needs to be done or hasn’t been done.  Weekly we build a to-do list for him. It’s not me ordering him, or pushing my agenda. We work together because I know most of the happenings of the house, and it helps him stay on task. Marriage is a partnership.
  3. Identify your brand vision.  It should be authentic to you.  Identify this first so you can only put your energy into things that will grow your brand.
  4. Everyday plan out your schedule and map the day.  This will allow you to operate with efficiency.
  5. Try a Labradoodle.  They are great family dogs and do not shed and hypoallergenic! Make sure to ask questions about the blood line.  If they aren’t multi-generational you may get a Labradoodle that still sheds so make sure to educate yourself before making the investment!
  6. Didn’t get the gender you thought you wanted when you had your child? It will sting for a bit not going to lie.  But remember that God gives you the children that you can handle. There’s no tellin what my daughter’s hair would look like!
  7. To take your brand/business to the next level you have to invest in your business. Upgrade that logo that was just ok, rebuild that site that wasn’t always working. I got back the money I invested and them some after I rebranded.  If you want to be the part you have to look the part!
  8. If you marriage is in a rough spot reach out to your accountability partners, if that doesn’t help go to counseling.  When we learned to use our resources and stop siloing our marriage that’s when it flourished.
  9. Have credit that needs to be repaired? It’s doable and it is attainable.  Don’t just accept that you need a higher credit score. Living with low credit should not be the way of life.  If you want to repair it. Assess your credit report, create a master list of the items that need to be paid off, and start tackling it one debt at a time. Don’t be a prisoner to low credit. We repaired ours and so can you!
  10. Drop those kids off to a sitter or family member.  Stop being afraid of being away from your children.  It is healthy for you and THEM!
  11. If you feel busy and constantly running around.  The biggest thing I can tell you is consider getting a cleaning person.  It will be life changing.  It will be so worth not getting a pair of shoes or sacrificing a dinner.  Our cleaning person comes every other week, and has helped making keeping the house up while managing a business, kids, and working for full-time!
  12. Boy moms be firm with your boys.  While it is by nature we want to baby them, we must be grooming them to become men.  You may have to use my line and tell your son’s to “get it together”.
  13. Find women in your industry that you can come to bounce ideas off.  It will help level up your brand and business.  And then sincerely root them on and want to see them win!  Success is so much sweeter when you see the women you are cheering on winning too!
  14. Date night is mandatory.  Even if you don’t feel like it, make it happen. And keep the children talk to a minimum.  The moment we started doing that the faster we reconnected as a couple!
  15. Decorating a home is tough.  Take it room by room. Don’t feel pressured with rushing out and getting pieces you are lukewarm about.  So what if your room has to stay empty. Take your time and enjoy the process.
  16. Looking to start a training for a running race?!  I know it seems like the impossible. Best time of day to knock it out and easier for the schedule is first thing in the morning when the house is still stirring.  Take it mile by mile, and never start of too fast. Slow and steady wins the race!
  17. If you have been itching to move for some time but you are afraid.  Ask yourself why, and tackle those fears head on. So many opportunities opened up when we packed up and move to Dallas. It’s crazy to think what if we let fear keep us from moving.
  18. I grew up with religion.  Always at church, but less about the relationship.  It wasn’t until I was an adult until I was able to really identify that.  Seek to have a relationship with Him that is not about what you want.  It’s never too late to rebuild. Find a church home that is about community and feeds your spirit, and helps strengthen that intimate relationship Him.
  19. If you are a blogger/influencer.  Save yourself the many pictures I did.  Grab a good camera or photographer and also take your shots in good lighting.  It is guaranteed to level up your business.
  20. You can wear Gold without it being gaudy or tacky! I rarely wear silver!  Gold is my staple in my home and accessories. Gold is so Glam!
  21. Why pay for a pricey 1-time special occasion dress.  I’ve been renting my dresses for years. Sending them back right after the event.  Try my dress out! It is only $35 to rent.  I would say for the past 3 years I have only rented for special occasions.
  22. Even when he gets on your last nerves, remember that he loves you.
  23. Invest in quality furniture.  We used to solely be about the lowest price tag, and then it would wear horribly.  It caused us to have to rebuy couches etc.  If we would just save a bit and get quality, then it ends up leveling out in price anyways.
  24. START TRAVELING.  Make no excuses just start! Create a travel fund and just put a little bit away at a time to make those new adventures happen.
  25. Hold a family business meeting.  Find the cadence that works for you.  It will allow you and your spouse to have a blocked off time to talk about the operations of your life.  Work on the budget, family schedule, and goal setting.
  26. When you are trying to build your wardrobe.  First, purge your closet of things you KNOW you will no longer use.  Then that will give you a clear picture of what staples are needed.  Invest a bit more in the pieces you know you will use all the time.
  27. Your weave and hairstylist matter.  One of the number questions I get is asking about my extensions.  I don’t skimp on the hair I use.  And before making my hairstylist decision I searched for a while and compared her work. Don’t cut corners when it comes to who you are putting in your head.  I have been using the same hair brand and stylist since moving to Dallas.
  28. Stop living in clutter.  This was a statement I also had to say to my house. Purge and then start a plan to tackle a organization project each month.  When you de-clutter it is so freeing.
  29. Know your worth – This applies to so many areas of life, but with my brand.  The moment I realized I offer so much with my blog brand.  I do home, motherhood, style, plus more.  That’s when I had the confidence to work with larger brands and reach out for a partnership that may seem like a stretch.  Be your own hype man and quit selling yourself sort.
  30. Before you buy your first home – take your time and scout the area, talk to the neighbors that already live in the neighborhood. Just fully educate yourself about this investment you will be making.  We learned so much and will do things so much differently on our next home buying process.
  31. Balance each outfit with 1 item in each price range to give an elevated look for less.
  32. You can do anything but not everything.  When I heard this it spoke to me.  I can try to juggle any and everything, but is that the right thing to do.  I am not ashamed to ask for help or to say this is too much! 

I could go on and on with more tips, but these are the 32 tips that came to my head right away.  I wanted the tips to be without effort and what just came natural to say.  The biggest thing about having this platform is I want to help other women that have been through or currently going through similar situations as myself.  If I can help just one person with a tip that I have shared, my job is complete!

Now….I am off to go celebrate my birthday!

 

Shop the Post


THE DETAILS

All Items are linked on pictures above or click text below

Dress | Shoes | Clutch | Earrings | Links | Cuff