Chelcey Tate's 25th Birthday Post ... Dreams, Intentions, Life Goals www.chelceytate.com

My birthday was almost a month ago, and I've had this post sitting in my drafts since a month before that, but then life happened and rocked my world. My 24th year was one of the biggest years of my life ... we bought our first home, I literally created the most perfect baby girl, and for the first time in my life, I'm intentionally looking inward and towards God to figure out who I am and what I'm supposed to be doing. I've learned a lot, and I know there's still so much that I have left to figure out, but here's where I am right now in this season at 25! All of my big dreams, intentions for this next year, and a few of the things I've learned along the way.

:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧THINGS I'VE LEARNED :･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧

— Family is absolutely everything. I'm so much closer to my family now than I ever have been, and fostering those relationships is one of my top priorities. They're the ones who know who you are at your very core, love you at your best and your worst, and aren't afraid to tell you when you're being a little crazy. 😉

— People are always changing, and that's a GOOD thing! Who wants to stay exactly the same their entire lives? We're all growing, and coming into different versions of ourselves, and this is something I'm still learning every single day. I'm trying to be more intentional about who I am right now, and who I want to become. Doing some major heart work is always hard, but SO rewarding when you see the little changes in yourself as you grow!

— Routines are not the end of the world ... I know, who the heck am I? I can hardly believe I'm writing this myself! But ever since I fell into a VERY flexible daily routine, my entire mood has changed. I'm more patient, my spirits are higher, my mind is more clear, and it's given me the opportunity to carve in intentional quiet time with God -- even if that means worshiping way too loudly while giving Em a bath or over her morning cereal. 😉

— You are the 5 people that you spend the most time with. Whew, this one is something my mom has been telling me for YEARS, like think middle school, but now I know why! It is SO true! I'm big on energy ... Not like I have a ton of energy (unless I'm over caffeinated, which let's face it, I typically am 😂), but the energy you give off. If I'm spending a lot of time with someone who's extremely negative, my entire day / mood / mindset completely shifts. I have to be really intentional about where my time goes, and especially who I follow on social media because of this!

— Time is the most precious thing we have, and there will never be enough of it. Since getting married, and especially since Emmy was born (and blessed us all beyond belief), I'm much more careful about how I spend my time. If I have a free night or weekend with nothing on our schedule, I choose my family every single time. There's only so many hours in the day, and I don't want to look back on my life and wish I had spent more time with those who make up my entire heart.

— No one is YOU. There are thousands of people in this world doing exactly what you're doing, or what you wish to be doing, but no one is doing it exactly the same way. We all have our own experiences, stories, callings and heart to put behind everything we do, and that's what sets us all apart from one another. I learned this one a while ago, and if I had decided not to start blogging or stopped lettering when I realized how many other people were doing it, I wouldn't be doing what I love every single day! This is how I see it ... If someone else has done it, so can you. Your journey to get there may be different, but your end result will be something perfectly molded exactly what you need it to be.

— Being a people pleaser will drain every ounce of energy out of you. I can't even tell you how long it took me to figure this one out, but it's been a lifelong struggle of mine. It's ok to say no, it's ok to disappoint people, it's ok to do what YOU need to do for you. At the end of the day, you're not being selfish. You can't pour from an empty cup, and if you're constantly trying to do what everyone else expects of you, how are you ever going to be at your best? I think getting yourself out of a people pleasing mindset is a huge form of self-love, and I still have to remind myself of that sometimes.

— Community trumps competition every single time. I've never been a particularly competitive person, but the older I get, the more I notice it around me. Here's my take on it ... there's more than enough success and good stuff in this world to go around! Lifting someone up does so much more for your heart than tearing them down, and being able to celebrate alongside someone when they have a big win is such a GIFT!

:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧ BIG DREAMS :･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧

— I want to impact people's lives in the greatest way that I can. I want to speak life into the biggest dreams of their hearts, and encourage them to go after them! I don't exactly know how I'm going to go about this yet, but it's something that's getting more and more clear the more I pray about it. I mean, watching people make it through to Hollywood on American Idol makes me ball my eyes out because I can feel their JOY, and I can't even imagine what it would be like to be a part of helping someone find that in their life!

— I want a line of home decor and graphic tees with my designs at Target! I'm just throwing this one out there and hoping it sticks. 😂 I have one of my designs currently being carried there which is a huge dream realized in and of itself, but having a dedicated line with my name attached to it in my all time favorite store? Yeah, that would basically be the highlight of my entire design career! Who knows, maybe we could throw some fake plants in there for good measure!

— I would love to design an Anthropologie style coffee table book. I don't really know what this looks like yet, but it's been stuck in my head for a few years so I think that means I have to make it happen, right!?

— It's always been a goal of mine to get my business to a point where Sean and I could join forces! His analytical mindset + my creativity would be a force to be reckoned with! A lot of things would have to happen to make this one a reality, but the idea that he could be home with me and Emmy everyday, and I could do life AND business alongside my best friend is definitely a big dream of mine!

:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧INTENTIONS :･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧

— Get into the Word more! Intentionally spending time with God hasn't been as big of a priority in my life as it should have been until recently. It's amazing how having a baby completely flips your perspective and makes you see God's hand in every little moment in your life! My parents got me this Bible for my birthday, and I'm trying to figure out the best way to start diving in little by little.

— Practicing patience, grace, and kindness in every area of my life. I've never been what you would call a patient person 🙈, but it's something that I'm actively working on!

— Getting ready every single day ... Even if that means refreshing my top knot from the day before, leggings + a t-shirt! I just started doing this, and it's amazing how much more I get done! I used to call my mom crazy (sorry, mom!) for getting ready even if she was just going to be around the house, but I see why she does it now. It makes me feel ready for the day, and I'm also not hiding whenever UPS shows up at my door and I'm still in pajama pants at 3pm. 😂

— Take better care of my skin. I was the queen of tanning beds in high school, and I've never had a solid skincare routine. Basically all I do right now is a Burt's Bees makeup wipe, and this moisturizer from LUSH. My oldest-little sister, Court, has an awesome routine and does such a great job at taking care of her skin so I need to take some notes! I mean, I am 25 now and all ... 😂

And there we go! Things I've learned + my big dreams and intentions I hope to live out in the season of my life at 25 years young. I'm a saved by grace, wife, mama, business owner, and lifelong dream chaser. If you would have told me that those titles would be attached to my name 5 years ago, I don't know if I would have believed you! Just kidding ... I totally thought I'd be married with a baby at 20, but thank God that He had a better plan! 🙌 I'm so incredibly grateful for every moment that has made me who I am today, and I can't wait to see who I become.