Earlier this year I went to Raleigh, SC for a conference of all women photographers called CLIC. To sum it up in a few words…It was AMAZING! One of the few things that I learned from the ladies who spoke was that taking “you time” is not selfish when you own your own business. By taking that personal time you actually are gearing yourself up to work harder.

One of the speakers mentioned getting up 30 minutes earlier to read a book or even meditate. I thought about it for a while and quickly figured that getting up earlier wasn’t an option. (I love my sleep) SO, I decided right before bed to start a journal saying what I am thankful for. I got this idea from my Bible Study where Anna Voskamp would right down the things she was thankful for that day! She explained that you had to really think deeply about why you were thankful. It couldn’t be a simple entry stating “I’m thankful for my family”…she said you need to write down WHY!

I typically write 1 a day and TRUST ME, it gets hard! The reason this has worked for me is simple. I wake up, go to work, get lunch, work more, go home, eat dinner, edit pictures, and then I go to sleep. Sometimes, I never even think about what I have been blessed with during my day. When I started this commitment (It truly is a commitment) I noticed I would sit down and realize the people that impacted my day. I stopped thinking so broadly and thought about the small things like someone smiling at me or being entertained by my co-worker dancing around the office. Then I write it down and I remember.