... striving for CONSISTENCY.

My word of the year > resolutions and recognizing my downfalls.

It’s the first Sunday of the New Year and tomorrow marks my first week back to work. I’ll admit the new calendar year does feel like a refresher and has inspired me to make some changes to my daily life. I don’t remember when exactly it was that I ditched the concept of a New Year resolution, but I do know that whenever I did, I adopted the idea of a word of the year instead. I feel like a simple word that encapsulates how you want to define your approach for the year is much easier than a list of resolutions, don’t you agree? One simple word makes for an easy mantra to remind yourself of as you move through the seasons.

My word for this year is CONSISTENCY. I have recognized a behavioral pattern in myself where when I feel stuck or bored, I give up or move on to a new project hoping one of them will give me a grand result. I lack focus and discipline and when I’m faced with something I really want I become mentally paralyzed not knowing where to even begin, therefore, sometimes I don’t even make an attempt. When I started my personal style blog in 2012, I wasn’t posting every day, just a few times a week. There were certainly some weeks where I felt uninspired to post anything at all. Readers didn’t really know when or how often to expect new content from me. After four years with my blog, I called it quits. I’d see other bloggers step into a full-time career with it and I was nowhere close to being able to do the same. (This was back in my early 20s when I didn’t yet know that comparison is the thief of joy.) I know that what I lacked in comparison to the full-time bloggers was consistency and commitment which I didn’t dedicate to the craft because I was never diligent with my time. The same goes for my workout routines. Some weeks I get in three workouts, other weeks it’s five, and sometimes it’s one! And then I get frustrated that I’m not seeing results. Or how about that gua sha routine that I do once a month expecting a snatched jawline each time? L.O.L Helloooooo! This stuff takes time and repetition. I think the modern-day concept of “instant gratification” has f*cked with my expectations and has caused me to completely sabotage my long-term goals for short-term pleasure. I need to be better, more patient, and more strategic with the long game here.

Consistency is like a paint-by-numbers picture of a flower garden. Many different sections of flowers to paint before you can see the full picture. It takes chipping away at one section of the same number before moving on to the next. You get to use a different color for each number, a different-sized brush as you work to cover larger or smaller areas, and the strokes are probably never the same given the variety of outlines. I think you might understand what I’m getting at by now, but essentially you’ve gotta work in sections to build up to the big picture. Some areas may be more time-consuming than others but they all share an equal level of importance to get to the final result.

Consistency is the overarching word that requires persistence, patience, discipline, and focus. Consistency builds habits and results. And I’m writing this all here for accountability! Because I’m tired of my own b*ullshit and the next time I even think about giving up I’m coming back here to reference my purpose for taking the first step in trying to do better. So here’s how I see the word CONSISTENCY trickling into areas of my life for the year:

• I really want to lean further into growing my travel photography client list and having that makeup at least 50% of my business. This will definitely require a lot of outreach, emails, pitching proposals, and persistently emailing all potential client contacts.

• Staying consistent with a strict budget. Shopping my closet more, not buying anything new (only secondhand), and keeping dining out to a minimum. If friends invite me out for drinks or dinner, I can still attend for the vibes and company but I don’t necessarily have to order anything! Especially if it’s a little cocktail bar. Last October, I also started changing coffee meetups or networking with friends into a “walk and talk” where we catch up while getting our 10k steps in for the day. That’s hitting three birds with one stone (saving money, exercising, and face time) and I love efficiency.

• Continuing my focus on mentoring photographers. If you didn’t know, I am a full-time freelance photographer and last Fall I launched my photography mentorship program. I anticipated having a lot of people sign up based on initial interest but realistically only had two mentees to start, which I had to remind myself was still a big win! I had the best time coaching them and unexpectedly experienced such an adrenaline rush during and after our sessions. I truly love photography and I especially love helping other photographers with advice that I wish I knew when I was trying to grow in my career. Past Laura probably would feel defeated with the two-person sign-up and throw in the towel on the program, but you gotta start somewhere! So I will keep at it and hope to reach many more growing photographers seeking coaching.

• Having a more consistent bedtime and wake-up time no matter what I have planned for the day. Nothing crucial or important happens after 10 pm and I also watch reruns of TV shows anyway so there is no need to be staying up late! A consistent exercise routine will obviously help with quality sleep, too.

• Cooking and eating healthy and fresh and only grocery shopping for 3-4 days of meals at once vs shopping for a whole week. I have found that doing the latter is when I become more wasteful with food.

• Working out six days a week even if it’s just for 10 minutes and getting in at least 30 minutes of walking outside each day. My friend/client Tessa teaches low-impact and resistance training in her virtual workout classes called Assembly Anywhere. There are 8 - 10 minute workout options and they are killer! I love them so much and certainly feel the burn afterward. I don’t know about you but when I know there is an end in sight when it comes to a workout I push harder and make the minutes really worth it. Sometimes I even stack two 10-minute workouts.

• Lastly, spending way less time on social media. Switching up reaching for the phone to doom scroll to reaching for a book or texting an accountability friend instead. I would say I’m a social media addict and it is a distraction. I lose so much focus when I’m on the app and it totally affects my ability to focus on one task at a time even off of the app. When I see the projects other people are working on I tend to feel like I’m not doing enough with my time or getting the results I “should be” getting based on what I’m seeing from others. (I know this is not the way to think but I am only human and it is bound to happen sometimes! Everyone’s timeline and process is different.) And it is kind of true! I am not being smart with my time and instead consuming what isn’t useful for me in that moment. Instagram also makes me too curious to shop for things I absolutely do not need, so I’m removing myself from the temptation. Social media is a double-edged sword because that is where I get most of my clients and have to keep up my “appearance” so that clients know I’m still in business and open to new bookings. It’s where I promote my art and mentorship program and it’s what has helped me grow my business. So while I can’t surrender it completely, I have to recognize it as a business tool right now and not make it my way of life. With that being said, if you are looking to get in touch with me for a project, please email me instead at laura@lcsstudio.com :)

For me, the results I am aiming to see from these efforts are:

• growing a strong domestic and (potentially) international client base with travel photography

• saving money to fulfill my goal of living in Paris (for at least 3-months)

• grow my list of mentees with my mentoring program

• feeling stronger and really in tune with my body through exercise and working through my anxiety with daily movement

• quality nights of sleep to give my muscles and my body the rest it needs and so I can also see results from my exercising

• cooking consciously and wasting less food from overcooking

• and now that my dining room is finished, hosting more friends over at my house for simple gatherings and game nights around the table!

Do you pick a word of the year, too? Or are you a resolution person? I love hearing other people’s goals and how they’re working towards them so please share in the comments below if you feel so inclined!

This is where I leave you with some Pinterest quotes but also quotes for me to reference time and time again when I am feeling defeated.