I'm Back! + An Intentional 2022

Hello, hello 👋🏼 Bet you thought you heard the last of me, but I'm back! 

As 2022 begins, I'm eager to be more intentional. I'm not a fan of resolutions, but I am a fan of finding time to reflect and reset. Whether that's January 1st, May 27th or any other day of the year for that matter. 

So since then, I've been doing some wild things like reading more non-fiction (gross), waking up earlier (who am I??) and journaling every morning. flatlines 

I've almost been at my current company for four years now, and goddamn has it flown by. When I reflect back over this time, while there's certainly a lot I'm grateful for, there's a small part of me that regrets not finding the time to keep up with this corner of the universe. 

Which brings me here. Breathing a little life back into this humble, quirky blog. 

Things will certainly be a little different this time around, but for my single reader out there (Hi, Kayleigh!), if nothing else there will be content. 

Still Figuring Out A Better Sign Off,

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2017 ~ Don't Quit Your Day Dream

Happy Wednesday! I don't know about your corner of the universe, but Pittsburgh has been feeling a lot like Spring lately. I don't want to get too excited because it is quite literally the middle of Winter, but a girl can dream, right??

If you haven't already picked up on the theme, January's posts have been focused around reflecting on the past year and planning out success in the new year. (or at least that's the goal!) I've been reading up on business plans and sitting in on different webinars to help me formulate my own thoughts to figure out the direction I want to take RL in 2017.

So far this month, I've been making moves to create a more organized blog. Part of that for me includes keeping clear objectives for each day, week, month and quarter. (yeah, I'm hella determined) I've already felt more focused and motivated and really hope that shows in the type of content I'm creating.

Fingers crossed!

So, if you've been around Rachel Lynn for a while now, you already know how much I love setting goals and sharing them with you! I feel so much more accountable when they're posted up for all my readers to see. One of the best feelings is reviewing the previous month and having all of my goals (or almost all of the goals) complete.


This post will give me something concrete to look back on--something I can revisit each quarter to make sure I'm on track. I also love reading posts like these & want to inspire my readers to live an "intention driven life", which is my overall goal for 2017.


Because what this all boils down to is creating the life you want to live. I want to create a life that I will love each and every day & not just the days I have off of work. I want to look back on 2016 and 2017 knowing that all of the hard work was worth it.

#dontquityourdaydream

amiright, ladies?!



Quarterly Goals:

Q1: Refresh & Renew

New year, new blog, who's with me?? In my mind, there's no better way to start the new year than refreshing. The hype of the new year has everyone's head in the "changing" and "revamping" game. What motivation you didn't have at the end of the year has suddenly reincarnated on January 1st.

Crazy how that works!

So I've decided, while I have all of my revamping motivation, to do all of the things I wanted to accomplish *logistically* with my blog but never actually got around to. As you can see, I've already gotten a few of those goals down (i.e. my personal domain name and blog graphic), but there are two more pivotal items I still have to finish off. 2017 is all about making Rachel Lynn more professional!



Q2: Work/Life Balance

One of the biggest failures for me in 2016 was finding a work/life balance. When I graduated, I threw myself into blogging. Which was fine, because, at first, I had all of the time in the world. But I got a job and suddenly I had half of the time I used to but still trying to do the same amount of work.

Not a smart idea.

Now that I know this is a quarterly goal I want to accomplish, I can already feel myself making positive changes this month to bring good work/life habits (i.e. writing posts ahead of time & cutting back on the amount of time I spend on menial tasks). But I still definitely have room to grow. I really don't want to stay up the night before a post should go up working on finishing touches. It's better than waiting until the morning of (like I used to do), but I want to move towards having things all wrapped up and ready to go at least a day in advance.

"Life is a balancing act."

Q3: Scale It Up

This quarter is just what it sounds like. After I have renovated everything that needs renovating and after I have found balance in my work & personal life, I want to focus on scaling everything up. I want to figure out what projects I can dive into that will put Rachel Lynn on the maps.

I already have a project in the works for February (which I am so FREAKING EXCITED ABOUT!), but I want to do more. I want to bring my readers products & take webinars and online classes-- I want to do things take Rachel Lynn to the next level.



Q4: Time to Shine

This quarter is admittedly the least planned out, but it's the one I'm most excited for. This quarter is where I want to take all of the work I've done over the past 9 months and gear that towards starting projects and taking all of the knowledge I've just learned to grow.

This quarter is also the same quarter where my blog started to stumble a bit in 2016 and when I had to take a break. In 2017, I want to have secured a strong enough base throughout the rest of the year to take this last quarter by storm.




wish me luck!

xoxo,

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2016 Bloopers + Reader Survey

Hello, everyone & happy Friday!! I can't believe the first week of the year is already coming to a close. This year is FLYING by!  :P But in all seriousness, I have so many goals and ambitions for this year-- I don't want to waste a minute. I've been on a mission to make every day more purposeful. Less wasting time on meaningless things and more goal oriented behavior. I want to stop telling myself "eventually, I will do this" and instead, put it at the top of my to do list. No time like the present! So, in the spirit of my new years resolution, I sat down and created a reader survey-- something I've been itching to do for a while now. Stick around to the end of the post to check that out! It would mean the world to me. :)

BUT, as much of a goal oriented gal as I am trying to be, I also think it is so so SO important to take time for yourself and do things you enjoy. 'What do I enjoy', you may ask? Well, I enjoy laughing. A lot. I enjoy joking around, being silly and making people laugh-- especially at my own expense. Sometimes these moments are planned and other times its just me bein' me. Most of the time, though, I can't help sneaking a few of these candid moments into my style posts. I think they add so much personality to my shoots and really show my readers who I am.

While I've decided to stay focused and goal driven in 2017, I can't forget to take time to laugh and always enjoy the path I am on! What better way to do this than to reminisce on all of the priceless bloopers from 2016! Amight?! Some of these pictures you may recognize and others I was too embarrassed (or was trying to be 'serious') at the time to post. Either way, I hope my small gallery of "bloopers" makes you laugh and starts your new year off on a happy note. Enjoy!

quintessential Rachel Lynn

I really don't know what was going on in this picture... 

Probably me trying to recreate the HSM cover photo & failing. 

 Photography from "Pink High Neck Crop Top".

Can you guess what just happened?

Let's just say the material on my crop top was very light weight..

Great for those hot summer days.

Not so great on windy days.

*Me trying not to be embarrassed over the fact that I just unintentionally flashed two of my good friends.

#oops

Photography from "Off the Should Crop Top + Pom Shorts from Sammy Dress". 

The calm before the storm.

(Notice the proximity of the curling wand to my head.)

Ladies, we all know this feeling.. 

**trying not to cry

***trying not to cry

aaaaand we're back to normal Rachel stuff

Photography from Remington Ready, "4 Fall Hairstyles to do with a Curling Wand and Accessories"

NYC can't handle me.

Photography from "Speakeasies in New York City"

Someone my boyfriend I knew had just driven by and called us out on taking pictures on some random street corner.

#locationlocationlocation

Photography from "Fall Hats & Blanket Scarves". 

I was probably just asked to do a math problem.

*stalling

Photography from "Holiday Skirts & Belle Sleeve Tops with Sammy Dress". 

And now for the survey! "What is a reader survey", you may ask? It's really quick (only like 8 questions long) and super easy. The questions revolve around your experience on the blog. Even if this is your first time reading the wonderful works of Rachel Lynn, your input is still invaluable! This survey will basically help me make decisions on things like what types of posts I should be focusing on or how frequently I should be posting. It will take you maybe 3 minutes. I pinky promise. :) Just click here! Thank you, thank you, thank you. I would be no where without my lovely readers!




Well, that concludes another episode of the embarrassing life of Rachel Lynn. What were some of your 'blooper' moments of 2016?? I would love to hear all about them in the comments below! & as always, don't forget to subscribe & follow all of my social medias. Until next time,

xoxo,

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End of Year Reflections + Exciting Moves for 2017

Hello, friends! I am so excited to be back in the blogging game! This past month and a half hiatus was much needed, but I figured I should write a little check in and bring you all up to speed. The holidays are always a crazy time of year, and I quickly realized that I would not have the time or energy to prepare and keep up with blogging. This year was actually my first Christmas living away from home, so it was a bit of an adjustment. I worked an ish ton and spent the rest of the time buying presents and spending time with my family. (Sounds pretty typical, now that I'm writing it...)

This year was also the first year I bought my own Christmas tree!! Guys, I was SO excited about this tree. I had been dying for a small, cute, white Christmas tree for the longest time. I was bound and determined to bring that little addition into my home & was so psyched to find it at Target. (What can't you find at Target?? amiright?!) I also scored two darling bronze reindeer from TJMaxx and the most adorable Christmas ornaments that matched my room decor perfectly. I really don't want to take it down yet. Am I the only one that wants to keep their decorations up as much as possible??


It was definitely a new experience and now that I have one holiday under my belt as an "adult" I'm sure I'll be better prepared next year. (fingers crossed.) While I didn't have time to blog, I did, however, make time admits the craziness to start planning out 2017 for Rachel Lynn. Earlier in December I watched Hilary Rushford's webinar on organizing your business for the new year and I was so motivated to really put the pressure on myself to make RL as professional and business-esque as possible. I have some seriously exciting goals for this year and an IG project coming up in February! Naturally, I had to pick up an adorable notebook to keep all of my thoughts organized. (Its surprisingly working really well!) I don't want to spoil any of the plans, but I definitely foresee a blog makeover in the future. As soon as I figure out all of the tech aspects of it!


So, as I sit here writing my blog I feel hopeful. I'm not where I want to be in life, but I have a plan, have set goals and see myself making it where I want to be. As Hilary said, you have to get to a point in life where you are unhappy enough with where you are at that the hard work to get where you want to be is worth it. For me, it is 100% worth it. I am so ready for 2017 and all of the challenges awaiting me. I'm hopeful and determined.

"Where you movin?" I said onto better things. 

P.S.- Does anyone else have the worst time uploading photos onto their computer?? I have a Mac Air and I don't know if my computer is just running out of room or if I need to do something, but it seriously took me an hour and a half to upload these pictures. This girl does not have time for that! If you have any tips, help a sista out. <3 <3

xoxo,

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