"Live less out of habit and more out of intent." This is where I'm at.
I've been letting this phrase guide me lately...because of that decision, it's been a great year. Daily, I ask myself how I'm applying this to my life and what it truly means to live this out. Other questions include: "how do I want to spend my time?" and, "Am I doing anything of actual value?" Let's be clear, I'm not just talking about life outside of a desk job... I'm talking about lifestyle...your relationships, how you spend each day and who you want to be. You have a choice.
I used to spend a lot of time wishing for more time to do the things I actually wanted to do or cared about doing, when in fact, I just wasn't being intentional about how I used my time each day. My day was based around a desk job I absolutely hated. It wore me out. That job was some decent experience in my field but wasn't necessary in the grand scheme of things. It held no value. I only kept habitually showing up day after day to fund the lifestyle I had created and been taught to have, a typical American lifestyle of having excessive objects and things which led to wanting more and more. In the mean time, I highly enjoyed my design endeavors and community involvement outside of that desk job. Why was that?...because it's based on growth and relationships. I decided those were the things I wanted to pursue because those things have lasting value.
Currently, I can (happily and excitedly) say I'm boldly restructuring my life around living intentionally.

I'm welcoming my old friend, the choker necklace, back to life. I had and made so many of these necklaces in the 90's, so many. These simple beauties are a big deal this fall. I'm looking forward to experimenting with the different styles and seeing how I can make this old trend from my grade school days, new again. Expect more posts to come and of course some styles in the shop!

Original photos: 1 /// 2 /// 3 /// 4 /// 5

New bracelet designs available in the shop! Simplistic & minimal. Wear 1 or layer the different styles.  Get them at the Glam & Grace Shop!

I'm starting a new series here at Glam & Grace. I'd like to give you a glimpse of my journey with Minimalism & intentionally living with less. This, of course, includes why I walked away from my desk job and why I'm leaving my 2,000 sq foot house. Sounds a little crazy, right? Well, I guess it depends what you value (that's been my phrase lately). It's a very different lifestyle choice from the typical Americana sense of more, More, MORE!

Minimalism is about clearing the clutter of life and focusing on what's important. The past few years I've really been struggling with what it actually looks like to live out what I value most in life and I personally value my faith. I've been attempting to consistently take steps outside of my comfort zone to grow and learn what it's really like to live out what I believe.

I follow some pretty cool minimalist bloggers which you should check out: Becoming Minimalist and  The Minimalists. These dudes are pretty legit and I love reading what they have to say.

Right now I'm currently in the process of minimizing what I own and moving into a smaller space. I should have some interesting posts coming your way. Stay turned for the journey, guys and feel free to join me if you'd like.