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Farewell 2017

2017 has been one for the books! I have experienced more loss than I care to recount, and I would be a liar if I did not admit I was excited to see it go! There was love and love lost...lessons that I should have learned a long time ago, were revisited because clearly, I did not learn all I needed to learn the first time around. 2017 dealt me one of the biggest heartbreaks I have had outside of being a divorcee (I so would like to go into details, but my petty ain't set up like that 😂.) There has been death, so much death...I have been stretched in so many ways...and I  AM TIRED!

With all the bad, there has been just as much good. Her Future is thriving, and put down roots in Galesburg, IL. Jeremiah started high school in one of the best schools in the city. Prayers that I have been waiting to be answered, were answered. I was inducted into a wonderful organization...40 Under 40 YWPL...and informed that I would be acknowledged by She Rocks It! I have met some wonderful people, started new friendships and fortified old ones. My family is alive and well...God is Good!

So, if I had to use one word to sum up 2017, I would use intentional.

What I am learning is that nothing is by chance. I know that maybe it seems I should have known that...that it would seem at 34 I would understand that everything happens for a reason, and in many ways I do. But, in full transparency, I sometimes question this. I want to know why! There were plenty of times this year that I was angry and I did not understand what God was doing in my life. I had been through ENOUGH and I just really wanted to know when my time was coming. Like, I finally understand what Josephine, Gloria, Robin, and Savannah meant when they was waiting to exhale....

The shift happened when I decided that I was no longer waiting (which was just a few months ago). I knew that if I wanted to experience the fullness of my life, it had to be intentional. I have to wake everyday with the intention of living my best life. What's interesting about that is even the definition of living my best life has shifted. I think so many people think living their best lives means taking trips, posting about it on IG, being flashy and Keeping up with the Kardashians...for me living my best life means being honest with myself, meditation, giving myself boundaries, cultivating relationships, and fully owning my gifts, and walking with my head held high. I realized that I had to start my work within...that my best life is reflective of being my best self.

So, as I prepare to enter 2018, my one help is to continue on this journey. While I have big plans, and a lot I want to accomplish in 2018, I am hopeful that I will remain intentional with being my best self and living my best life.

And for you...I wish the same.

~Lauren

p.s. - I really enjoy helping young women think through what living their best life means, and helping them make plans and take steps to following their dreams. If you need some support, email me...lcole983@gmail.com...I would be more than happy to help!

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