#3YearGoals

time to get real you guys, we have been on the road for 90% of this year already. i’ve slept in my own bed maybe two weeks total and had an actual bubble bath even less often. when i do i don’t actually get to enjoy much of it because it’s rushed, in between assignments or completing a job or just trying to spend time with family who i haven’t seen. in the grand scheme of things bubble baths can wait. it’s been a hard couple of months and a lot of all nighters, which by the way i can’t do as well as i used to in college. we’re not getting any younger but i feel like there is no better time than the present to accomplish everything we want. i’m not big on waiting, this is why i’m also not very good at setting goals. in the last few interviews one question came up a LOT, where do i see myself in five years? FIVE years! that is the entire life of this blog. in the time it took for me to start the blog and be where i am today literally anything could have happened instead. i could have finished another degree, been on my way out of law school, becoming a doctor, starting my own restaurant (ha!). five years is long enough to start, grow, and finish something. my attention span doesn’t reach that far and life has a really funny way of course correcting in the most unexpected ways. while i am of the thought that i would rather be pleasantly surprised than disappointed i try not to set myself up for such pressures and so my answer to the five year question is just that i don’t know. i try to focus on the present and ride the wave wherever it may take me.

then, a few days ago, on international women’s day i heard about the #3YearGoal campaign. for the career driven woman who is focused on the flexibility of achieving her goals without feeling like she is locked into one set path. it turns out 67% of women feel the same way i do about answering the looming five year question! feels like a relief knowing it’s ok not to have it all figured out. the three year goal in turn is a much more achievable goal, it gives plenty of time to pay off debts, get into the swing of things at work, school and life in general but it doesn’t force an unrealistic expectation. compartmentalization is what it’s all about. we have so much information coming at us at all times that it can get frustrating if not discouraging to even think of what’s next.

this is where i’m at right now. tyler and i have now been married for three years, our business is growing, we get to travel for work, we are doing what we love, we’re slowly paying off our debts, we have great relationships with our families and life is good. but time isn’t slowing down, in fact sometimes it feels like it’s speeding by so fast that if we don’t start making bigger life decisions like, right now they will pass us by. i’m not big on regrets so, naturally that scares the shit out of me! my nephew is going to be an official teenager this year and my mum is starting to jones for another baby in her life, actually everyone around me seems to be very enthusiastic at the prospect. charlie, of course fills the void momentarily (for those of you who are just tuning in that would be our kitty cat) but i also know how happy a real live baby would make her, and in turn how happy it would make me. i missed the opportunity to see my children with my dad, who was already making a loving, caring and outstanding grandfather. i was actually excited for the moment when i’d get to experience it on my own. i’ve had this picture in my head after seeing a man and his grandson at a mall one day riding the escalator and thought how much i wanted that to one day be my dad, but that opportunity flew us by. obviously i don’t want it to catch me off guard again but at the same time i’m totally not ready to take that GIGANTIC leap of faith either.

here is where my three year goals come in. three years is manageable, it isn’t half a decade. i can visualize a goal and feel confident that i can see it through. one day at a time, much like new year’s resolutions. so here they are:

1. work smarter: i want to grow my skills and my opportunities but i also need to learn when to say no. i need to learn when to get off my phone/computer and let myself enjoy all the hard work that i’ve been doing. i want to grow into a team of talented people who have similar goals and will help me achieve mine without having to make life changing sacrifices.
2. buy a house: a HUGE undertaking on our radar, obviously the more achievable at the moment will be paying off our first mortgage. not living with debt has always been a valuable lesson my parents taught me. having had paid off several debts in life so far i know how good it feels to have that weight off your shoulders. before life can continue evolving this one MUST be crossed off the list.
3. re-decorate: before we buy a house i want to create a space in our current home that makes me happy, helps me relax and allows me to breathe. de-clutter my home, de-clutter my life. it’s been almost ten years of me living on my own, that means i’ve been surrounded by many of the same objects for that same amount of time. as weary as i am of change i also think it helps with finding clarity and the same thing applies to your space. i’m ready for a full over-haul!
4. take better care of my mind and body: this, in big part, goes back to travel. it’s so hard to keep a routine when we are on and off the plane every other day. also really hard to have my favourite products with me at all times, they weigh the most and i have to be really efficient with the way we pack (whether or not i actually succeed is another story). whenever we stay at a hotel that has a gym i will try and use it as often as time allows. meditation would be great, but i really don’t know if i have the zen in me.
5. spend more time with family: if we are going to be travelling as much as we do then i want to spend every moment i have when we are at home with my mum. simple as that.

the #3YearGoal campaign, fronted by the dufour-lapointe sisters, the olympic skiers who made canadian history last month by placing first, second and third at the freestyle ski world cup are the prefect role models for girls and women who want to live out their dreams and not let anything stand in their way. i am no olympian but i think we all deserve a medal once in a while for the hard work that we do on the daily. until then, envision it, keep your eyes on the prize and let it happen! what are some of your personal or career goals you want to see through in the next three years? write me, tweet me, snap me! xoxo

wearing: three floor dress, capwell & co bracelet, le chateau flats

shot on location at avalon hotel beverly hills