THERE'S NO TIME LIKE NOW TO FLOURISH

As a blogger, I am constantly pushing myself to be creative and encourage creativity in others. Some of my biggest inspirations are the wonderful women I have met through blogging. Today, I am excited to linkup with Brittany, from The Kardia for the first Flourish Linkup! This linkup is all about learning to be successful and thriving with your own passions, and there is no time like now to start. I'm so lucky to have come across Brittany's blog, because she has such a wonderful spirit and energy. Her posts have inspired me to think and design more creatively, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to spread creative energy with her linkup.

10 Things I'm Grateful for:

1. Friends and family that support my dreams and creative endeavors
2. Late night talks about life
3. The opportunity to attend a university where I can study what I am passionate about
4. Breathtaking views
5. Good books with refreshing tea
6. The unique bond I have with my 4-year-old sister
7. Warm chocolate chip cookies
8. The close relationships I have with my parents 
9. Videos, movies or songs that inspire me to think about life
10. Writers, bloggers, and teachers that have inspired me to choose the life of writing and everything that comes with it

I will flourish creatively this year by:

Not making excuses. Life is always busy. Netflix is always tempting. There is always some excuse. My biggest goal this year is to stop making excuses of why I don't have time to write or work on my design skills. No one was every successful in what they didn't do, so this is the year that I take some advice from Nike and "just do it."

Taking my time. I always say that all I want is another day in the week, but I know that in reality if there were another day I would find more to keep busy with. Sometimes I rush through things, because I don't feel like I have enough time to get everything done. And there is nothing I want to cut out of my schedule. It might seem like there is too little time in the day sometimes, but I want to spend more time with my creative outlets. I do not want to feel rushed through posts or designed projects. So my goal is to set tentative deadlines but to be flexible so that I can do my best work.

Listening. Music has always been one of my biggest inspirations. When I was younger I used to write fiction with chapters named after songs that had similar themes to what I was writing about. I think it's amazing the way that a song can tell a story or evoke emotion. Music has even inspired some of my blog posts, and it has often help me better articulate my thoughts. This year I will spend more time paying attention to the lyrics that help me think creatively.

What the word "Flourish" means to me: 

The way I see it, to "flourish" is to succeed by putting in everything that you have and not holding back. To flourish creatively is to immerse yourself in your work and produce something that has never been done before. One of the things I liked that Brittany said was that she has a goal to work on creating her own style, because it is so easy to use ideas from other people, even by accident. It's difficult to push boundaries and create from a blank slate, because we have so many influences all around us. So many strive to be unique, but being original is difficult in a world coated in creativity. I think the best way to flourish creatively is to be authentic and push past your own limitations until you uncover the beauty that no one else could see.

What do you think it means to "flourish"? Join the linkup on The Kardia to share how you plan to flourish this year.

The Kardia