Good morning! I don’t know about you guys, but fall is my favorite season. The slightly cooler weather calls for cozying up next to the fire at my favorite coffee shops while reading or journaling. Fall brings about a new set of opportunities, so today I want to share 5 ways to make some power moves this season:

1. Clean your workspace

I’m not messy. I’m not a neat-freak. I like to refer to my workspace as ‘lived-in.’ Once a week, or every week, try tidying up a bit and reorganizing your workspace. This will help get rid of unnecessary junk that’s cluttering your work area, while also reorganizing your headspace. Sometimes a decluttered work area makes for a better mood, and a better mood means higher productivity.

2. Focus on your network.

I hate to say it, but the secret to success doesn’t revolve around you. Success is a result of mixing your strengths and skillsets with your network and their knowledge. There’s no way you can do everything all by yourself. If you do, you’ll burn out. Trust me, I’ve learned this the hard way. To accomplish your goals and take the necessary steps to reach them, you need to rely on your network. This means carving some time out of your day for a networking coffee date, taking a chance by cold messaging someone who inspires you, or doing something thoughtful for someone that has invested in you – whether it be their time, money, etc.

3. Reflect

Summer flies by. And now it’s already fall and I feel like the past few months have just been a blur. Take some time over this season to reflect on various different levels. Think about your passions, your hobbies, your friends and family and how everything overlaps. Take time to recognize how much you’ve grown over the past 15 years, 10 years, 5 years, year, 6 months, 2 months, month, week and day. Growth isn’t exponential…but introspection makes growth much easier and more recognizable.

What’s the benefit of reflecting on our growth? It leaves us inspired and wanting more. There are countless things in this life that you can’t control, but the one thing that you can control is how you respond.

4. Prioritize yourself.

This one sounds a little selfish, I will admit. I think fall forces us to change our pace from a nice summer stroll to a fall flash. School starts, work picks up, and we forget what matters at the end of the day. I should be a pro at prioritizing self-care by now, but I feel like I have to keep reteaching myself how to eat well, sleep enough, and exercise so that I can stay healthy and sane.

I’ve seen so many people do social media detoxes the past couple of weeks, and I’m honestly proud of everyone that recognizes when they need some time off. I’ve actually been starting to take on less work the past couple of weeks, because I realized how overwhelmed I was. I would stretch myself too thin and somehow work 25 hours in a 24 hour day. I flew to Colorado a couple of months ago while being a full-time student and booked 12 shoots in one day, which meant that I slept 5 hours within 4 days.

For some reason, I feel like the world won’t wait for me. It kind of makes me panic. I honestly didn’t realize how much I was hurting myself and being counterproductive until my family had to literally tell me, “Girl, you are 21 years old. You don’t have to conquer the world quite yet. Breathe…you have time.”

They’re right. It’s important to remember that life is fleeting. We have to figure out how to enjoy it as much as possible and hold the things that we cherish the most close to us. But at the same time, it’s okay to take a step back and also remember that we have some time to conquer the world. Things don’t happen overnight. It takes time to improve ourselves and our work. It takes time to grow. And it takes time to build the relationships that matter most.

5. Tell someone how much they mean to you.

Love is a strong word, I get it. But if you feel it, you better say it. Living life with a grateful and loving heart is the best way to live. We weren’t meant to do this thing called ‘life’ alone. Sharing your thoughts and appreciation with others is pretty difficult, if you ask me. I’m usually a pretty shut-off person. I absolutely love detailing my thoughts and feelings on paper, but sharing them aloud with another soul is an entirely different story.

When we allow ourselves to share our true thoughts and feelings with others, it puts us in a unique position. I personally believe that people tend to fall into one of two categories:

They either dislike talking about themselves at great lengths

or

They dislike telling other people how they truly feel

I understand how difficult it is to pry ourselves open sometimes, but doing so will allow us to truly trust other people. And with trust comes the ability to trust that they will give us honest feedback – about our ideas, our dreams, and our insecurities. Being exposed to this good and honest truth will allow our work to be the best it can be.

I hope you guys found at least a couple of these tips to be useful! Now I want to share 5 of my favorite shoes this season that are helping make power moves this fall.

These heels are the Natalie in Black Embroidered Lace Fabric. I decided to pair them with a black lace top and some shredded jeans (a closet staple for me) from H&M. This outfit is perfect for a Girls’ Night Out this season!

These sneakers are the Carly in Gold Sparkle Leather. I went ahead and paired them with a white lace sweater from Amuse Society, and some shredded jeans from American Eagle. I love the comfort of these Carly’s, and because of the sparkly leather, I can dress them up or down!

These are the Emiline in Silver Studded Fabric. I decided to pair them with some fringe jeans from American Eagle and a simple black turtle neck sweater from Forever 21. Then I added a simple silver necklace to tie everything together. Then I added a grey and black coat from Soft Surroundings to transition the look from day to night. Similar to these Emilines are the Samantha in Silver Studded Fabric as well. A very similar style, but the inner foot is cut out and the tip of the shoes are a bit more pointed.

This final look styles the Emilines in Rose Gold Metallic Leather. For this look, I added a blush tie top from Soft Surroundings and restyled the fringe jeans from before. I love that these Emilines can be styled for a more casual look like this one, or dressed up for a NYE party in a couple of months!

To shop your own Naturalizers for the holiday season, click here 🙂