Category Archives: Inspiration

Invest

Posted in b.marie.photography, Inspiration by

If you’re feeling empty, invest.

 

Invest in yourself. 

 

Take time to slow down & breathe for a minute.

Take the time to learn something new.

Take the time to really look at all you do on a daily basis – all of the different roles you play.

Take the time to create something simply for the sake of creating.

Take the time to take care of your body.

Take the time to sit in quiet with your God.

Take the time – MAKE  the time – to do something you truly enjoy.

 

Because this is your one, precious life. And while I know it may seem impossible to slow down, to find time for just you, you’re the only one who can make the choice to make that happen. So invest in yourself, friend. Believe that you’re truly worth every bit of the investment – because without a doubt, you are.

 

Kingwood Photographer image of wooded path

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Thrive

Posted in b.marie.photography, Inspiration by

This past weekend I attended a conference for creative entrepreneurs in The Woodlands, Texas. Initially I was excited to have a conference nearby & in a price range I could manage. Then I got excited about the speaker line up. Then I got excited about the people.

Y’all, the information was great. (I ended up selling some LipSense too, which was a bonus.)

But mostly, it was the people. Connecting with people. While I wish I’d been able to connect with even more attendees, (or meet speaker Natalie Franke who founded the Rising Tide Society & moves my heart each time I hear her speak – although maybe that’s a good thing ’cause I probably would have made a fool of myself & cried telling her what an impact her heart & her movement have had), I did get to connect with some incredible people.

Seeing these creative business owners genuinely support one another, and seeing light bulbs go off for so many was such a gift. Getting to help re-set rooms & prep decor took me back to my orientation days too.

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I think it’s appropriate that it’s the people that meant the most at Thrive. Because really, with all of our hard work, dedication, sleep deprivation, BIG dreams & roller coaster successes & failures, it’s the people along side us, behind us & ahead of us who help us to truly Thrive.

 

So to those of you who have supported me, my dream & my business in any way, thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. It means more than you’ll ever know.

And to those who have been hiding your dream from others, share it. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how many people fill in along side you to help, to pick you up when you need it, & to be the first to cheer your successes. I know I’ll be happy to be right there with you.

 

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Why I Hope My Kids Notice Me Fail

Posted in Inspiration, Mommyhood, Personal by

This blog has been a place for me to share life & work with y’all, & I think that the two have intersected sooooo much in the past few months. As always, I’m going to be real honest with y’all… it is so so so hard to be re-building my photography business in Houston, building my LipSense business, trying to keep the house semi-clean, re-learning to cook now that Max is commuting (I’ve been SPOILED y’all!), and being a mommy to these two.

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Again, in all honesty, I haven’t always handled it as gracefully as I would hope. I’m still trying to figure out a balance to all of this, and I’m not sure that good balance is ever something that is found. I think it’s something that is continually in flux, something that must be continually worked on & nurtured.

I know they are going to see me fail – a lot. And sometimes that means I’m not the best mommy I can be, or even the decent mommy I should be. While I know those mommy-fail moments (or the business-fail moments, or the personal-fail moments) aren’t ideal, I hope that someday, they can look back and see how hard their parents worked. That we really worked at our education, at business, at faith, at parenting, at marriage, at self-care & at life. That the hard work is worth it, even if that means failing sometimes. I hope they learn from us that the hard work is needed even more after a fall, and that it does bring a return.

Because if these two can grow up to be the kind of women who keep working hard at the things that matter & giving themselves a little grace in the process – even when the failing makes them want to quit – then I’ve helped teach them a lesson that will serve them their whole lives. If they can work hard for the things that matter to them, for the things that in their hearts they know are right, they will be successful no matter how it looks from the outside. And I hope they can look back at growing up with me & know that they learned that being a human – an imperfect human – is more than just ok.