Where do you see yourself in five years?

Where do you see yourself in five years?

A question I was asked so often during middle school and high school- a question that my answer changed probably every couple of weeks. Sometimes I would shoot big- I’d say I would be in school studying to become a dermatologist or I would be a fashion student in NYC. Other days I’d be going to school in Florida, or Virginia. And some days I would be going to ywam somewhere far away.

At the time I felt the pressure to pick ONE THING and make that my whole identity. That would be what I would have to choose for life. But as I’m getting older and leaving my teenage years ( I’ll be 20 on Monday whattt ) I’m realizing that I don’t have to pick just one thing and make that my life.

Life truly is like a book and we are living out the chapters and writing our pages as we go- with Jesus as the main author nudging us along. The thing I’m realizing is that I don’t want just one “life” I don’t have just one version of myself that I want to be. There’s so many of “me” that I’m hoping to live out. Let me tell you about all of them.

One version of me that I aspire to be lives in Montana or somewhere out west and has an a frame cabin. She spends her days drinking coffee on the porch, riding horses, building chicken coops or greenhouses or whatever other project she feels good about taking on (with the help of her husband and YouTube of course). She wears flannels, doesn’t need makeup, and she’s taking a break from social media to live off the grid for a while- only producing content to share later on. 🏔🌄🤠

The next version of me lives in Hawaii or Florida. Spending all her days eating açaí bowls, wearing her endless supply of bikinis, and letting her hair grow long and blonde. She is tan + she lives in a cute sky blue cottage that also has a porch. she’s always posting sunset pictures and loves the weather always. 🌺🌴🍍

The next version of me lives in a van or some tiny house somewhere and sells jewelry and macrame pieces on the beach- living out all her hippie dreams. She has long hair and is always wearing tons of jewelry and fun patterned pants. ✌🏼🚐🌼

There’s all these versions of myself that live in my head. And I’m hoping to experience all of them- even if it’s for a week or a month or for ten years. And maybe there’s other manifestations of myself that haven’t even popped into my head yet. And versions of myself- good and bad- that I will grow to love.

Maybe I’ll end up moving back to the Midwest and spend my days eating at root beer stands and having lake days. Then I could be closer to home and also I’d be closer to Dunkin’ Donuts which would def be a plus. Maybe I’ll end up having kids in a year or two and not be any of those things.

And that’s okay. The main goal for me is happiness. What will make me happiest in five years? I don’t know yet, and that’s okay. Right now I’m really loving the sweet chapter I’m in. Let me tell you about the girl who I am right now.

She’s newly married + has a new cute puppy and lives in an apartment she has decorated exactly how she likes. She lives in California and has explored areas that her middle school self was dreaming of. She is cultivating a life she loves. She loves producing social media content- and who even cares about likes these days just post whatever you want👏🏼 and she works at a juice bar and has found a love for decorating açaí bowls all day long. She loves her plants and making desserts. 🪴🌵 she is happy 🤍

Life is short guys. Be someone you would be proud of- no matter what that looks like for you. I’m cheering you all on, always 🤍

Today’s Reminder

the skies proclaim the work of his name

I’ve never experienced a church service that has actually impacted me and made me think after I left the four walls. I’m always the person who is zoned out probablyyy 85% of the time if I’m being totally honest 😅

Visiting churches here in Vacaville has been so impactful and has been truly such a cool experience. The churches we have visited have focused on grace, love, acceptance… something that is needed in today’s world. Churches that aren’t afraid to worship BOLDLY and raise their hands up. People here truly have the spirit of joy while in church. Though sacred, Christianity and church services don’t always have to be so serious and dry… it’s okay to be bold and super excited during worship + your church services.

This past week at church a message was preached that I have never heard before. It focused on how we are not bound under the Old Testament law anymore. Christians who focus so much on sin are oftentimes using manipulation to change members of churches. They used the example of the verse Psalm 42:1 “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.”

Though a beautiful verse, we live in the new. We don’t need to pant for the living God, we already have him. He lives within each of us and he loves us with so much grace and acceptance.

Jesus isn’t just a name in the old dusty book on your nightstand. He is true and He lives within each of us. His presence is always right there with us, we don’t have to beg and plead for Him to be close anymore. In this new season of marriage and it’s sacredness, I am so thankful for my new perspective of who Jesus is and the life He calls us to live.

I abandoned blogging for a LONG time. But what I never stopped doing was writing journal entries in the notes app on my phone. I stopped blogging about my faith because honestly it went through quite the dry spell lately. But with marriage and moving to a new city across the country, I realize how much I need Jesus and His apparent presence in my life. I know someone out there needs some Jesus in their life today too 🤍

I’M ENGAGED! + Life Update

Hi everyone, as you may have noticed I have not blogged in a while. I have had a ton of stuff going on in my life! I actually just got a new job as a receptionist. I am so happy and thankful for my job and I am loving it so much. I am in an awesome work environment and I am so thankful God has provided me with such an awesome place to work!

Also…. a big announcement!

I’M ENGAGED!

Do you guys remember a few years ago about how I had started dating an awesome guy? Well he proposed! I am so thankful and so excited about this season of life and this season in my relationship.

I was looking at my Bible the other day and found a section where I had written about some of my main goals in life. My number one goal was to be a good wife someday. Now that I am getting closer to that phase of life, I feel so excited and honored that God has orchestrated this phase of life. I have been praying about it for literally years and I can’t wait to see how God uses me to benefit His kingdom!

Let’s talk more about my fiancé…

Bryce is such an awesome and Godly guy! Over the past few years, he has helped me become the person I am today. He is so encouraging and kind to me always. He is also super caring and sweet to me! Finally, he is my best friend. We have so much fun together and I can’t wait for a life with him!

I feel so thankful and blessed. I can’t wait to post more about my engagement and wedding planning!

Ecclesiastes 4:12

“A triple-braided chord is not easily broken”

Also!! Please let me know any books you recommend for engaged/ married couples! Along with this, let me know your best marriage advice! I can’t wait to hear what you have to say!

How To Stand Out On Instagram: Instagram Series Part Four

I really wanted to talk about this because I feel like it is so easy to attempt to copy other influencers and Instagram accounts instead of creating truly authentic content. Focus on things YOU enjoy and creating a feed YOU like. It doesn’t matter what everyone else is doing! Focus on creating content that you like- you’ll be surprised when other people are drawn to your authenticity! 

One way to stand out is by having another creative platform on your website like a blog or a podcast. Having a blog has helped me generate various audiences that are niche-specific. Being an amazing influencer means you have more platforms than JUST Instagram. The more popular you are on a large amount of platforms increases your value tremendously. Another platform that has really helped me out is Pinterest. Because I have over 100,000 followers on the platform, my blog and Instagram has received hundreds of thousands of views through my pins and images on Pinterest. 

How To Increase Your Engagement: Instagram Series Part Three

Instagram engagement has been something I struggle with at times- especially when I am feeling uninspired and like I don’t want to do anything other than lay on my couch watching Netflix. To increase your Instagram engagement, the first step is going to be making a schedule for when you want to post-which should be about everyday. On the days I am feeling a bit more inspired, I try to focus on creating a huge batch of content whether it be graphics, photos of myself, or pictures of some of my artwork. It is fun to plan little workdays sometimes so I can feel really productive and get a lot of things done! I have a cute little desk space that makes me feel so inspired to create amazing content for my blog and my Instagram account! 

Along with making a schedule of when I want to post on my Instagram account, I also work on increasing my Instagram engagement by engaging with a ton of other accounts! I go and like other people’s photos, follow them, and even DM them sometimes! 

Along with being a social butterfly on Instagram, I also make sure to tell a story with all of my captions. This causes people to be more engaged with your captions and also get to know you a bit better. Captions are really important because they show that you are more of a person than just having photos on your account. Make sure to use action words in your post like “SWIPE RIGHT” “Click the link in my bio” etc! This keeps people engaged with your content and gives them a task to perform. 

How To Have An Amazing Instagram Feed: Instagram Series Part Two

Sometimes I look at people’s Instagram accounts and I am simply amazed by how beautiful their feeds are. Every photo matches and it looks so aesthetically pleasing. I am going to show you a few feeds that I personally think are so beautiful! 

These feeds are all seriously so beautiful! When creating your own feed, think about what kind of content you want to be creating. If you want to have a feed like the ones above without putting in way too much effort, make sure to pick color schemes that already match your lifestyle- if you love pink, have a pink theme! If you live in a beach house with a beautiful ocean-side view, you may want to go with more of a blue and colorful theme. On my personal Instagram, I went with a warmer white theme that has accent colors like pink, orange, and green. 

Along with choosing a color scheme, it is also important to use photos that are good quality. Even if you only use your iphone, take advantage of good lighting and portrait mode on your phone. If you plan on taking a lot of photos in the comfort of your own home, I would recommend purchasing a ring light to optimize the quality of your photos.

How To Get Brand Deals On Instagram: Instagram Series Part One

Getting brand deals is one of the main aspirations people go for when creating an Instagram account. So, I am going to give you a few tips on how exactly to achieve getting a few brand deals on your account. 

My first tip is to choose your niche, which helps you find brands accordingly! For example, if your niche is fashion, you should try to get the attention of fashion companies. Think of your account as being a marketing agency or a product in itself- an account where various brands and products can fit in seamlessly. For example- my account has a general blogging niche so I just did a brand deal with a company that sells online courses for blogging and making money as a social media influencer. 

My second tip for getting brand deals is not being afraid to reach out to other brands! Don’t be afraid to send a DM- you have nothing to lose! Along with this, consider creating a website that discusses all of your experience with brand deals that includes your amount of followers and all of your social media platforms. This gives brands an idea of who you really are! 

My third tip for getting brand deals is building a community. Follow other accounts that are in the same niche as you and engage with their content. This will encourage like-minded people to follow your account and truly enjoy the content you produce. This helps with brand deals because the engagement rate on your photos will be much higher than someone who buys their followers or attempts to follow thousands of people in order to gain more followers. Doing things the right way-even if you do not see the results as quickly as others.

Start Romanticizing Your Life

Oftentimes in this social media filled society, we are obsessed with looking on other Instagram feeds and comparing our lives to theirs. We see our favorite influencers posting photos in beautiful clothes and traveling to beautiful places. We see people’s perfect college experiences, perfect relationships, perfect friend groups.

And we feel like we fall short.

My encouragement to you today is to focus on developing a visionary mindset.

Do what makes you feel happy and at peace. You are the main character in your personal life. Wake up, do your devotions, and make your favorite coffee.

I’ve been applying this concept of romanticizing my life so much lately and it has been an amazing coping mechanism during these rough times. I’ve always felt so annoyed about living in Indiana- but now I find that I am grateful for Indiana summers. This is probably my last one here, and I want to enjoy the Midwest while I finish up my last few months living here. I’ll always come home to visit, but I may never live in the state of Indiana again. So at night, I look to the sky and enjoy the sunsets only Indiana can offer. I enjoy my walks where I can look at the lakes. I go to the local ice cream places and listen to country music. I embrace the peace that only small-town living can bring.

Learn to embrace where you are at this very moment and appreciate it while you still can. Someday, it won’t be yours to enjoy anymore. Though God is constantly pulling us towards new, better chapters; he never says to only focus on the new chapters. He wants us to appreciate where we are right now and love the chapter to the fullest.

If you can’t find beauty around you, check your mindset, and be intentional on shifting it. I often hate the colder months and long for sunnier days. But who knows how often I’ll see snow again or curl up by a warm fireplace.

Be grateful when you wake up and maintain your best positive mindset, it will serve you well in the long run.

The Gift of Life: A Guest Post by Addie

Do you ever feel useless? Like your life doesn’t mean anything? Like you aren’t making an impact on the world in the slightest bit? Well, let me reassure you: you are not alone in that. Most everyone feels that way at some point or another in their lives. It is normal to feel like that sometimes, but don’t dwell on it. The Bible reminds us in Philippians 4:8 to think on things that are true. Thinking that you are pointless, my friend, is most definitely not true.

If you are a Christian, you have a specific and extremely important calling. The Bible tells us to go into all nations and tell people about Jesus. The Bible also makes it abundantly clear in
1 Thessalonians 4:3 that the will of God for our lives is to become more like Jesus. We have a purpose in life. We have a reason to live. There is a beautiful song that is an amazing reminder of this truth. It is called “So I Can Love” by one of my favorite groups: Shane and Shane! Go listen to this song!

If blood is runnin’ through
If I’ve been given another day
If I can open my eyes
There’s gotta be a reason why In the morning when I wake up If there’s air fillin’ up my lungs
If I’m still alive
There’s gotta be a reason why And oh, if my heart’s still beating It’s only so I can
Love the Lord my God
With all my heart

This song is an incredible reminder of the beauty and gift of life. How amazing is it that every day when we wake up we know that we have a Savior in heaven that loves us unconditionally. He loves us so much that he died on the cross for our sins when he was completely sinless. He came to earth to be a humble servant and die a sinner’s death. We have so much to be thankful for and to live for. So, fellow Believer, remember that you do have a reason to get out of bed every morning. You do have someone who loves you and who will never leave you behind.
With Love, Addie

Hey guys! My name is Addie, and I am the author of “The Musings of a Teenage Girl” blog where I write about my faith in Jesus, my family, and my friends. I am the oldest of 5 kids, and I absolutely love my family! I enjoy writing, singing, and playing piano. I love Hallmark movies and country music. If you enjoyed this post, you can find more like it at themusingsofateenagegirl.weebly.com. Make sure to follow me on Instagram!

Avoiding The Traditional Path: Chasing Authenticity

Hey guys! Today’s post is going to be a little bit more personal! I want to share with you what avoiding the traditional life path so many other people my age pursue relentlessly. Ever since my sophomore year of high school, I knew I wanted to be different than everyone else. I wanted to do different things, I wanted to hang out with different people, I wanted to be different. I feel like a lot of times (because of my interests) people thought I wanted to be cool or popular. Honestly, I have always felt like I wanted to be the total opposite of cool or popular because nine times out of ten, having those traits means fitting in with everyone else.

Anyways back to sophomore year. I had big plans of different ways I could get out of my tiny high school in Indiana. I had plans to graduate early, to do YWAM, and more. I knew that I never wanted to live a traditional life and that I definitely did not want to get stuck living in the midwest for my entire life. I was super unhappy and I knew that I was different than everyone else. I didn’t care about anything that other people put their energy into like big friend groups, having parties, or posting the best selfie on Instagram. I began caring more about my real life instead of how I was portrayed on social media. That is what I liked about blogging, it was a creative outlet that did not involve self-gain. It was simply my words and thoughts for others to read if they wanted.

With the way things turned out, I ended up graduating in 2019 with my high school diploma and in 2020 with my Associate’s degree. I was super proud of myself and I was really glad that I had saved so much money and accomplished so much at such a young age. I also felt free: free from the feeling of having to go to college and get a four-year degree like everyone else.

Once I announced my graduation, the questions constantly began rolling in

“What’s next?”

“What are you doing next year?” 

“Where are you working this summer?” 

These questions honestly made me scratch my head a bit. I feel like in our society, everyone is constantly looking towards the future and planning everything constantly. There are also a ton of unspoken rules that a ton of people seem to follow…

“You have to attend a four-year university” 

“Make sure you’re building your credit” 

“You can’t get married until you graduate college”

These rules and concepts society has placed on us seem sort of ridiculous to me because no one seems to take time to appreciate the phases they are in. Everyone is constantly focused on reaching goals instead of relishing in the moment. Who I am is not based on my accomplishments, how popular I am, or all of the things I have. Who I am is my relationship with God, my feelings, my hobbies, what makes me happy, and how I love others.

I am at a super weird place in my life. The world is literally at my fingertips. Will I get a job? Will I get my bachelor’s degree? Will I get married? That is something you are going to need to wait and find out! Continue to stay tuned and continue to read my blog as the path of my life goes on. I don’t want to live in the routine of everyone else. I want to chase happiness and the plan God has for me. Right now I am just focusing on my blog and touching the lives of others. If you all have any suggestions for posts or different concepts on my platform, let me know in the contact section of my blog or message me on Instagram @thoughts.from.cami! Have an amazing day everyone!!

A Study in Philippians: A Guest Post By Faith

I love to take verses from the Bible and pick them apart. Learning the original meanings of words, understanding what the writer was really trying to say, knowing better why it’s there in the Bible in the first place. God always intended for us to really know His Word–more than just on the level of having a few famous verses memorized (we’re all guilty of that)–more than even on the level of knowing the culture and tradition that’s so deeply ingrained into the Word. But knowing the Word. What it really means, the reason it’s there, the beautiful lesson He puts behind every single word. The Bible has always been more than just words slapped on a blank page, more than just inspirational stories, more, even, than God’s Word, directly from His heart. Everything in the Bible has a lesson underlying the surface image–something God wants us to learn about Him. So I try to learn it.

Philippians 4:10-11 says:
  10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.
  11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

People have a tendency to bring to remembrance 11b when it comes in handy as a reminder that our circumstances shouldn’t determine our attitudes. They like to say that Paul said he learned to be content, even as he wrote this letter to Philippi in prison. That he was content with where he was–behind bars for no just cause. But I’m going to touch on what God has taught me through this verse as I’ve meditated on it.

In full context of this passage, you can see that Paul was saying to the Philippians that he noticed that their care for him has grown. . . back up. Interesting. Notice the use of the words “again” and “ye lacked opportunity”. So basically they hadn’t really shown their care for him until “the last”, meaning very recently. He could possibly have been referring to the time of his arrest, in which case he would be saying that they only actively cared for him when he was in trouble. And let’s be honest, we’ve all had a friend like that. One who only pays you any real mind when they think you need them to. Far past the time when you actually needed them to take notice of you. So we can understand where Paul is coming from here.

Now, to clear any confusion, the word “opportunity”, coming from “opportune”, originally came from the Latin ob–“in the direction of”–and portus–“harbor”, which was used to describe the wind driving against the harbor–which always happened at the expected time and place, like the tide rolling in. Also coming from “opportune” is the word “seasonable”, which meant in its archaic form “coming at the right time or meeting the needs of the occasion”. So when Paul says “opportunity”, he’s not saying that the Philippians didn’t get the opportunity–or the chance–to show their care for him, like we would read today. But rather, he’s saying that they didn’t show their care for him even when presented with the opportunity. Therefore, “wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity” means, “I know you cared for me, but you didn’t show it.”

Referring back to what I first said, this is where I point out the importance of studying more than just the Scripture itself. You have to look into the words used in the Scripture. Language has changed since the Bible was written (duuuh, obviously), so what the word used to mean isn’t always what it still means.

So back to the point. Paul notices that the Philippians’ care for him has grown back up, and he praises God for that. But then he says, “Not that I speak in respect of want”. So he’s saying, “Not that I’m saying I wanted you to show your care for me.” He’s pretty much making the most selfless statement ever. “I needed you and you weren’t there until it was too late. But that’s perfectly okay.”

This is where 11b actually steps in. “For I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” Paul was never really saying that, in prison or not, he has learned to be content in God. He was saying that even without support and help and love from his “friends”, he’s okay because of God. Now, I’m not belittling the fact that living in prison, especially under unjust accusations, is hard. I’m positive that he was referring to that, too. But taken into full context, his mind was probably on the hurt that doesn’t come from imprisonment, but comes from. . . loneliness.

So let’s see again what Philippians 4:10-11 really means, in its truest context.
“I greatly rejoiced in the Lord, because recently I saw that you really do care for me. I knew that you cared before, but it was hard to see. Not that I’m complaining or putting you down for it. Because I’ve learned that, no matter what’s going on in my life, I can and will be content in all that God is.”

So I’m speaking this out over all those who are in a state in which it’s hard to be content. Those who feel rejected or isolated or alone. Especially in this day and time when we’re all so separated from our friends and family. It’s hard, I know, I’ve been there, even a matter of days ago. But guess what? There’s actually a Bible verse that speaks over your situation, pushing you to find your contentedness in God, not in people, and also not in your circumstances. People are so great to have in our lives, but they’re also so easy to trust in, even when they’re not trustworthy. So easy to depend on, even when they’re not dependable. Only God and Jesus will ever be worthy of the trust and dependence that we absolutely have to place on someone, because we all need someone who will hold us up, but will never let us down. That’s God. We’re not alone, after all. Now that sounds like something to be content in.

About The Author

Hey, y’all, my name’s Faith. I’m the author and creator of Suddenly, Grace blog; a blog where I write about everything from my life to my relationship with God to what I’ve learned from God’s Word. I’m a recently graduated homeschool kid from Texas, prepping for my first year of  Bible college to come in September. Some of my favorite things are playing with the worship team at my church (I’m the keyboardist!), reading, writing (DUH), taking care of my crazy family, and growing my relationship with God one day at a time. If you enjoyed reading this awesome God-post, be sure to check out my website at suddenlygraceblog.weebly.com and follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest! Praying for y’all!

 

My LadyBossBlogger Course Results

How I Gained 100 Followers In 1 Week, Tripled My Blog Views, And Increased My Brand Collaborations After Taking The LadyBossBlogger Course

Hey everyone! I am so excited to be talking about my course again! I have been so motivated to create a professional online platform that can help me be a positive influence on others while also making social media a part-time job. Today I want to talk about three different results I have noticed after completing my LadyBossBlogger course! 

 

• Increased Blog Engagement 

 

I am so excited to announce that my blog engagement has increased to three times the amount it was before the course! I learned so much about social media and my amount of views went from about one thousand views per day to about three thousand views per day! I also gained a ton of likes and comments on my blog posts which was amazing to see. 

 

• Increased Instagram Engagement 

 

Along with my engagement increasing through my blog, my engagement increased in a massive way after following tips and strategies I learned from the course. I gained a few hundred followers within about a week and I also noticed more direct messages and comments on all of my photos! 

 

• Increased Brands Reaching Out 

 

Along with increasing my engagement through my Instagram account, more brands have been reaching out to me to share their products. I have been wanting to make my account a place for brands to be able to share their products, and I am seeing this goal come into fruition because of the Ladybossblogger course! 

After completing the Ladybossblogger course, I have learned so much about building a successful online platform. If you want to try the course out as well, use my promo code CAMIDAHMS to receive 40% off!! 

Also, head over to my Instagram @thoughts.from.cami to check out who won the @LadyBossBlogger giveaway by @ElaineRau!

Here are some free resources for you to check out:

7-Day Make Money Blogging

21-Day Build A Better Blog

5-Day Master Affiliate Marketing

3-Day Become An Instagram Influencer

Thank you LadyBossBlogger + Elaine Rau for sponsoring this post.