Thursday, June 4, 2015

Behind the Tagline.

You may have noticed the three little fragments up at the top of my blog, right under Currently, Kelsie:

LOVE FIERCELY. LEARN FEARLESSLY. LIVE FULLY.

You may be wondering, what do those mean? Why did she choose those? If that's the case, you're in luck. 

Contrary to popular belief, I did choose these words for reasons other than the fact that they all are verbs that start with "L" followed by adverbs that start with "F", (sorry, I'm an English teacher. Yes, this parallelism did make me happy). Anyways, I chose these words because they are really things that I want to live out. I want people to see the real me as I strive to love, learn, and live with the best of 'em. It's part of my mission.

I squint when I smile. But I'm usually laughing, so this is the most accurate picture of myself I could share in a post that talks about being genuine and tackling my life missions.
LOVE FIERCELY.
One of the things that I really want to do most is to love other people well. I want to love my husband, my family, my friends, my students, my YoungLife kiddos, and anyone who may wander into my life- and I want to love them well. Obviously I'm not going to be in head over heels, tingles when they touch your hand kind of love with all of them, but I want them to know that they matter. I want them to see that I care and to put their needs first. I want to do this so fiercely and so genuinely that people can't help but wonder why. I want to choose daily to love them more than I love myself, which is a challenge for sure. It's a goal of mine to choose love in the moments when I'm most angry or upset. Though this may be easier said than done, it's worth it. I want to love others fully and with grace. I want them to see that I love them because Jesus first loved me. I want them to feel valued.

The head over heels, tingly when you touch their hand kinda love is reserved for this guy.
LEARN FEARLESSLY.
Though I like to be right (I'm a bit stubborn...), I've come to terms with the fact that I don't know everything, and I never will. There is no shame in needing help from someone to learn something. On the contrary, it is rather freeing and exciting to truly learn something from someone else. As a teacher, I'm a firm believer in being a life-long learner. There is always something more to learn, something to improve on, and someone who is better at something than I am. These teachable moments are not to be feared, but rather to be embraced with excitement. And they're actually kind of fun! I'm constantly learning how to be a better wife, a better friend, and a better communicator. Heck, I'm learning to drive stick shift this summer (hopefully), with the help of my hubby, and I just taught him to ski. Teaching and learning go hand in hand, and it's one of my goals to never be too afraid to learn, or too worried about how it will make me look. Admittedly, I'm a work in progress.

Thankful for life's moments that give me the chance to learn and grow. Through failure, we learn the most.
LIVE FULLY.
This was the original purpose behind the launch of Currently, Kelsie. As a twenty-something woman living in today's culture of social media and Pinterest, I found myself struggling with comparison and jealousy of others. I found myself wanting what they had, or wishing I could change something in my past to be more like they had done it. I found myself wishing away my current years so that I could be on to the next phase of life: if only I was dating someone, or married, or had a house, or had babies, or insert whatever you want here. I had to stop and remind myself that I am only blessed with a short life, and that I'm never guaranteed another moment on this Earth. I sure better enjoy every single second that I am given, while still setting my eyes on eternity. This is why the last part of my mission tagline is to live fully. I want to enjoy every stage of life that I'm in, without living in the past or rushing to the future. I want to live with purpose and adventure, saying yes to the important and eternal things, and no to the things that will only bring me down. I want to look back at the end of my life and think, "Yep, I did it right. Would do it all over again if I could." I want to be true to my heart and my God, and to know that I found joy in the little things, without worrying too much about the big things that I couldn't control. 

This is my wish for you as well, dear reader. Love fiercely: make a difference in someone's day, in their life, in their world. Learn fearlessly: never be too old to try something new, to let someone help you, or to fail at something. And live fully. Enjoy it. Have some fun, but not too much to regret it.  Thanks for coming along on this journey with me, to learn from the past, look with hope toward the future, and to live fully in the current.

Currently,
Kelsie

Need help with your own tagline? Want to come up with your own mission statement? Shoot me a message on the Facebook page, or share a comment below. 

28 comments:

  1. I love this! I'm grateful for your heart to love others well and absolutely see that in the way you treat everyone (including me!). Aaaaaand who doesn't love some good ol' parallelism right?! #englishnerds4life

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    1. Thanks so much, Lauren! I'm grateful for the chance to share life with you! PS. I feel like someday when you and Jordan have smart babies you need to start an #englishnerds4life hashtag. Get that bad boy trending ha :) Such a great play on words.

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  2. This is great! I just wrote a mission statement for my blog this weekend and posted about it today. It was really helpful to narrow down exactly what I wanted to accomplish with my blog and figure out why I was blogging in the first place. It's a little bit longer then a tag line, but it gets the job done!

    xo, Chelsie @ Life with Rosie

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    1. Thanks so much, Chelsie! It's definitely helpful to help think about what we should really be writing about and why are doing what we do :) I saw the link earlier, and definitely am going to go read it! Thanks for commenting!

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  3. I read a post on the importance of mission statements. I believe your mission statement is an example of why it's important. I believe your mission does say a lot about you and your blog. It's beautiful. :)

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    1. Thanks so much, Jazmine! It helps me to keep my head on straight in times of stress or trouble, and it helps me to remember what I'm really trying to do in life, in relationships, and on this blog. Thanks for reading and for posting :)

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  4. I love this! It really showcases who you are! Also further encourages me to make a mission statement :-).

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    1. Angie, thanks so much! You should definitely make one. I found it to be helpful not only for my readers, but also for myself! Thanks so much for checking out Currently, Kelsie and reading a little about what makes me- me.

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  5. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this. I can especially relate with the last one as I too am often caught up in jealousy and living for the next stage of life. Live fully is a beautiful reminder to love the stage I'm at. Thinking about my own mission statement now!

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    1. Thank you Sarah! I think writing a mission statement has really given me more of a focus as I go through my days (and when it comes to blogging). I find myself repeating and remembering it during the day, especially when I'm frustrated, cranky, or feeling lonely or upset. It has served as a helpful reminder, and I think you should definitely come up with your own!! I can't wait to see what you come up with. Also, I checked out your blog and I LOVE it! It's super cute. Thanks for reading and commenting!

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  6. I love the "commandment" to love fiercely - as Christians, we all need to be striving for that :D

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    1. I love it too, Andi! We definitely need to be showing that love to others all the time in all circumstances. Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  7. These are great "taglines" There is something so amazing about knowing we can keep learning, I'm glad that is part of your goals.


    Marissa

    Reading List

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    1. Thanks, Marissa! I agree- learning is a lifelong thing. Thanks for reading!

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  8. Good rules to live by...as an English teacher I salute your triplets!
    Thanks for this post, good reminder about making the most of our days

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    1. Haha, well thanks Helen! That's really some of my heart behind the blog- time is so precious and so short!

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  9. Good to find what fuels your heart and soul and go with it as rarely does that change! Thanks for sharing with us

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    1. Agreed, Marie! You are so right. The things of the heart really direct our other actions. Thanks for stopping by!

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  10. Each of your three are important. But "Live Fully" is the one that I struggle with the most. My sister got me a canvas that says, "Live in the moment and make it so beautiful that it will be worth remembering." Its a reminder that I see every day.

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    1. I agree, Pamela, and find that one is the hardest for sure. What a beautiful reminder for you! I love that. Thanks for sharing!

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  11. Yes! I love all of these! What a powerful statement to live by!

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    1. Thank you Caroline! I agree, and find it has really become something that keeps me focused on the crazy days :)

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  12. I also squint when I smile and greatly enjoy parallelism :) I love your blog style and the meaning behind your tagline. It really made me think, and that's what it should do.

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    1. Eye squinters unite!! Ha. Parallelism is good for my soul. Thanks so much for your compliments and encouragement. I agree, and I'm so glad it did make you think. Thanks for sharing!

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  13. What a great introduction to you and to your blog. I love your tagline.

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    1. Well thanks so much, Melanie! You are too kind. I'm pretty happy with it too- it helps me remember what I'm all about :)

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  14. Kelsie, I love love love the LOVE in your photos! So beautiful! Thank you for sharing your heart with us! I enjoyed it! God bless!

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    1. Thanks so much, Chari! We really had a great time taking them. We are taking our first pictures together since our wedding on Saturday, so I'm excited about that!!

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