I can’t believe that I’m twenty five today! I’m truly grateful and blessed to see another year.

For months I was so nervous about turning twenty five. I was dreading it. I know that sounds terrible, because turning a year older is a blessing that everyone is not granted. However, I’m not going to lie and act like I was excited, because that definitely was not the case. I was a disappointed, because I thought I would be flourishing in my career, graduated with my Masters degree, and along with other things that I had planned.

I began to get excited about my birthday once I kicked the feeling of disappointment to the curb. Our thoughts are things that we tell ourselves along with feelings that we have during those moments. Feelings are not facts. Feelings are temporary not forever. I had to get out of my feelings!

Chilleeeee. God snatched my edges and gathered me all the way together. He reminded me that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. He challenged me to re-position my thoughts. I had to affirm that I would receive everything that He has promised me.

I’ve made plans as to how I want to execute and successfully complete my goals, but I’ve learned to not be so hard on myself in the process. I’m learning to give myself grace as I’m transitioning in a new season of my life. I understand that everything is not going to go as planned and I’m okay with that. I’ve learned the importance of being present and in the moment during my journey, because I know that I can never get time back. I’m not obsessing over everything going as planned nor focusing on what is next. It doesn’t mean that I’m not planning for what’s to come, but I’m enjoying and watching my destiny unfold.

Let peace reign in your life. Affirm good things! Good things attract us when we have a positive mindset. If you think positive then good things will attract you. Focus on what is good and let God handle the rest.

So, I am very grateful and excited about turning twenty five!

Life can get pretty hectic between work and various things that I have going on! However, I’ve learned that sticking to my routine makes a huge difference! It seriously helps with not feeling overwhelmed and all over the place. Creating a routine and sticking to it can enhance your life in so many ways.

Tips:

• Use one day of the weekend to plan out your week! — Every Sunday evening I spend at least an hour planning my week out and writing all my tasks down in my planners. I know exactly what I have to do each day without going into the week blind. This is one of the best things that I’ve ever done! It’s helped alleviate any unnecessary stress due to not planning properly. — I talked about how to purposefully use planners here!
• Prepare for your mornings the night before! Do things such as: Preparing your lunch, choosing an outfit (ironing it too), already having your work essentials together, and a host of other things. Getting those tasks done at night can allow your mornings to go a lot smoother.
• Wake up on time! Hitting the snooze button is so satisfying just to get those extra minutes of sleep. However, rushing in the morning is not fun! Getting ready in the morning without having to rush is such a good feeling. Give yourself more than enough time to get ready along with including your commute to work.
• Stick to your nightly routine! Create a set time to start wining down. Doing things such as: showering, journaling, reading a devotional, meditating, etc. This plays a major role in how you will sleep for the night. — I prepare for bed an hour before I plan to lay down. When I shower at night I like to use Bath & Body Works Aromatherapy line in the scent Vanilla Lavender or Lavender & Cedarwood, which is specifically for helping you get a peaceful rest. Also, I usually try to drink sleepytime tea at night as well.
• Carve out a set time to work on your goals, side hustle, or other things when you get home from work at least a couple times per week. Finding time to work on those things is important too! If you want them to happen then you have to put in the work! — I work full-time job in addition to blogging. However, I have a set time each day to work on content and goals in the evenings. When I get home from work sometimes I’m tired, but I still push through to work on them. However, that doesn’t mean that I don’t give myself a break as sometimes because they are needed.

More importantly, sticking to your routine is all about planning properly! Life can get crazy sometimes, but you can ease the load by creating and sticking to your routine!

Listen, in order the slay your year and actually get things done you must be organized! The key to staying organized is to be consistent and plan things out. Planning properly and writing my tasks down not only makes my life easier, but I’m also not left feeling overwhelmed and in shambles.

I use three planners for different specific reasons. Each planner differentiates between: personal, blogging, and a mini personal one. I tried using one planner for everything that I had going on numerous times, but it became too much for me. I had things written all over the place and it caused me more anxiety than actually getting things done.

On Sunday evenings I spend at least an hour writing down my tasks and planning for the week in my planners.

Blogging:

• Having a planner solely for blogging purposes has been such a lifesaver! I’ve been able to effectively plan content, get tasks done, and overall become a better blogger. At the beginning of each month I create a list of content ideas in the goals section of my planner. Afterwards, I choose three topics for each week of the month and write out in detail how to execute them. I use Sundays as my content planning day to get prepared for whatever I’m working on the upcoming week. Creating this process for myself made the relaunching of my blog so much easier!

Personal:

• I have two personal planners! One is notebook-sized that I always keep at home unless I am carrying a tote bag. The other is a mini-sized one that I keep in my purse with me at all times.
• In the notebook-sized planner I write everything out in detail such as appointments, payday, bills, goals for savings money, to-do lists, and many more things. No matter how big or small my tasks are I make sure that they are written down.
• In the mini-sized planner it’s an overview of what I written down in the notebook-size one, but not as in depth. It’s perfect for being on the go! I never take it out of my purse!

Hopefully my tips on utilizing planners for different reasons helps you! Even if you decide that using one planner works best for you, just do whatever it takes to stay organized and get things done! Staying organized helps the process of accomplishing various things a lot easier. Choose to get and stay organized!

After being one year post-grad I learned a few things along the way that I think will help others on their post-grad journey! I talked about my post-grad journey previously here!

Tips:

• Take time off if you need it! Don’t feel obligated to immediately start your job search, grad school, or whatever else after graduation. It’s okay to take a break! — I took a year off after graduation and it was the best decision ever!
• It’s okay to not have everything figured out! If you’ve changed your mind about what you want to do that’s completely fine. There is nothing wrong with that! Give yourself some grace.
• We’ve all been blessed with a gift or talent! Nurture your gifts. Practice with them daily. — Read books, attend workshops, and many more things to cultivate and enhance your gift. More importantly, work on being the best at them. Never stop learning and being a student!
• Don’t listen to everyone’s unsolicited advice. After you graduate people will feel the need to give you advice based upon their experiences or try to shove their opinions on you. They’ll also have an opinion about your goals and what you’re planning to do. That is NOT okay. Don’t feel obligated to take their advice. Basically, tell people to mind their business if it’s necessary. They might not like it, but who cares! — Personally, my first couple of months post-grad I was very sensitive when it came to advice. I was constantly bombarded with people telling me what I should do and I got sick of it!
• It’s a good idea to get a mentor or seek help from someone in your field! — I formed three relationships with women in my field while I was in college from internships and a shadowing experience. They have impacted my life in so many ways by giving me honest advice and being a phone call away whenever I need them.
• Attend events that are catered to your field! They are a great way to network! — Always get an email address if possible to follow up with someone! I know we live in a world where sliding in DMs is an easy way to communicate, but it’s not professional in some cases.
• Take risks! Don’t be afraid! Try it out! Whatever happens, happens. Even if things don’t work out at least you can say that you got the experience.
• Lastly, do whatever makes YOU happy! Your happiness should always come first. Everyone will not understand your journey and that is okay, because everything you do is not for everyone.

Photography by: Crystal Williams

I graduated from college a year ago and my post-grad journey was completely different that I thought it was going to be. Honestly, my last semester was extremely overwhelming because my mom was battling a major health issue and it had a major effect on me. She’s doing amazing now and I’m extremely grateful for that! However, after graduation I decided to take a year off. It was the best decision ever!

The first couple of months were great because I was enjoying the luxury of having so much free time. I continued working at my part-time job that I had during college and doing whatever else that I wanted with my time. I traveled a lot and took it easy. Basically, I was reclaiming my time!

However, half way through the year I began to have anxiety because I didn’t know what was next for me. I had started applying for jobs in my field, but nothing was happening. My days consisted of applying for job after job. After while I felt like I would never work in my field. One day I simply asked God to lead me in the direction that He wanted me to go. I began to seek Him for my purpose and how to work with my gifts. It was impossible to start a new chapter without figuring myself out and what I wanted out of life. I stopped obsessing over finding a job and focused on working on myself first. From then on, that is when I accepted not knowing what was next for me, while being proactive and using my time wisely to prepare myself for my new chapter.

I definitely experienced frustration and had some rough days. I almost let fear persuade me into settling a couple of times. Those were the moments when God checked me, because that is not how He works. He constantly reminded me that He is faithful to ALL of His promises.

The main lesson that I learned from my post-grad journey was patience.  — In the words of Joel Osteen, “Just because you don’t have the details it doesn’t mean that God doesn’t. He wouldn’t be leading you there if He didn’t have a purpose.”

My post-grad journey consisted of a lot of praying and seeking God for clarity on my purpose. Getting aligned with Him was very necessary, before I could get aligned with my purpose. My first year post-grad stretched and challenged me in ways that I didn’t think were possible. There were many times when I questioned why things weren’t happening the way I had planned. God consistently reminded me that I was exactly where He wanted me to be. The process wasn’t easy, but everything that I experienced was so worth it!

Taking a year off to get myself together was the best decision that I’ve ever made. It prepared me for my next journey in life!

When I took a break from blogging I didn’t tell anyone. I just stopped. I wasn’t passionate about it as I was when I first started. Creating content felt like a chore instead something that I loved doing. Months went by and I still didn’t miss blogging. Initially, I thought my hiatus from blogging would last a couple of months, but it turned into two years.

After I graduated from college I started struggling with whether or not I wanted to start blogging again. Often times I would browse back through my site and I knew that couldn’t just stop blogging all together. However, I was dealing with a lot personally, so I knew that I need to give those things my undivided attention. I decided that it was best to put relaunching my blog on the back-burner. Basically, I felt that the timing wasn’t right.

A few months later I was talking to my cousins in our group chat one day and I mentioned that I was going to relaunch my blog. After that conversation one cousin in particular began to help me with the process of relaunching. More so as an accountability partner. She checked on me asking things such as when was the relaunch date, how was creating content coming along, and things of that nature.

“You just have to step out and be okay with not being perfect…” — Those were the exact words that she told me. We had SEVERAL conversations last year about me relaunching my blog. I was still focused on why the timing wasn’t right. I was scared because I wanted everything to be perfect when I started blogging again. I was standing in my own way and allowing fear to hold me back. I got to work on relaunching my blog, once I kicked fear to the curb and the idea of the timing not being perfect.

I’m so grateful for my cousin, because she constantly STAYED on my behind during the entire process! More importantly, she held me accountable for not letting fear hinder me from conquering my goals.

Side note: If your circle isn’t making you level up, calling you out when you’re slacking, or encouraging you during your journey, then you need to let them go! You need people around that are going to expect nothing but excellence from you! That doesn’t mean that they will expect you to be perfect, but to consistently go after your goals and dreams!

Sometimes life has a way of directing you back to your purpose! I knew that I couldn’t quit blogging, but I was allowing fear to hold me back. Don’t let fear keep you from conquering your goals! It’s okay to take a step back and refocus, but don’t quit. The process of accomplishing goals is never going to be easy nor perfect, but it will always be worth it. The timing might not ever be perfect, but all you have to do is start. Don’t let being perfect prevent you from releasing your gifts to the world. You have to be willing and brave enough to start. Take things one day at a time and everything will come together. Step out and be okay with not being perfect.

Photography by: Crystal Williams

Hi, there! I’m MaRae!

Welcome to The Always Fabulous! Not only is today the official relaunching of my blog, but it is also my birthday! I chose to reveal my blog today, because it represents a new chapter beginning in my life! 24 is off to such an amazing start!

I’m so happy to be blogging again! I’ve been working so hard preparing for this moment! It’s FINALLY here! I’m so excited to share everything that I’ve been working on!

Some of you may remember when I first started blogging! If you’re curious you can check out my old site here! However, I took a break from blogging for a little while, but life has a way of redirecting you to your purpose! The journey of relaunching wasn’t easy, but overall I’m grateful for everything that I endured to get to this moment! I’ll be sharing about the process of relaunching my blog tomorrow, so stay tuned for that post.

The Always Fabulous is a glimpse into my imperfect, yet FABULOUS lifestyle. I always wanted to start a blog and after being hounded by my friends I created The Always Fabulous in November 2013. I took a short break to focus on graduating and getting a job, typical twenty something “fun,” but I’m back with even more to say! Here I’ll share my passion for style (I have a knack for finding ridiculous deals) and beauty. I’ll also sneak in some of my other loves, like travel, food, and reading. I hope you will join me for the adventure!

Again, welcome to The Always Fabulous!

Photography by: Crystal Williams