Constant Reminders

We live in a world filled with reminders and to-do lists. Reminders when our check engine light comes on to tell us it’s time for a tune-up. Reminders that pop up in our inbox 15 minutes before a meeting. Or the reminders we get from the Doctor’s office letting us know our appointment is coming up.

As much as these life reminders help keep us on track, there are different types of reminders we keep around to fuel our spirit and to bring a smile to our face. The constant reminders we place around our homes, on our desks, or even in our wallets. The constant reminders that mean something in our hearts. A photograph of your children or maybe that picture of a girls trip you took with your friends that you framed to remind you of that amazing trip. Maybe your constant reminder is a poem or a piece of artwork, a piece of furniture, or a set of china from a loving grandparent who lives in your heart. These are the simple and most beautiful reminders which we turn to when we need a quick pick-me-up. They remind us about life, love, and happiness and isn’t it pretty awesome how they bring us immediate joy!

For us, we love to display constant reminders throughout our home. Maybe it’s a small token we picked up on our honeymoon or from a trip we took together, they are the constant reminders that help tell our story. But one of my favorites is a quote I bought when I was first starting to build my photography business. I remember running into the grocery story one night and happened to stumble upon a wall of quotes. I stood there debating if I should even buy it because it seemed like an impulse buy. As it turns out, this constant reminder is one that motivates me on a daily basis. I see it every morning when I wake up and every night before I go to bed. It’s pretty simple, yet for me, it’s incredibly powerful. It’s my gut check, it helps me quickly keep things in perspective as I continue to make decisions about the business and it challenges me to constantly ask myself “WHY”.

I had to start making time for new opportunities even if this meant having to say “NO” to certain things. Do more of what makes you happy. This simple phrase has created an enormous amount of freedom in my life and helps put some of the harder decisions into perspective. Do more of what makes you happy has opened up new doors because as difficult as it is to do, I’ve had to say “NO” to the things that were not making me happy, in order to make room for the things that would. And to be honest, this is still something that is difficult for me to do but I’ve learned that it is ok to prioritize and unselfishly be able to say no.

The daily life reminders and to-do lists will always be there, but it’s the constant reminders that lift us when we need a quick pick-me-up. They help comfort us when we need it most, and they give us permission to do more of what makes us happy.