Yesterday I asked — What does it mean to you, to “cultivate a good life”? What is one of your dreams or passions or something you’re working toward? Your comments are flooding in. And I am overwhelmed with gratitude for your sharing. Your example. Your diligence in cultivating a good life so that you can bless those around you.
I also promised I would giveaway a Project Life kit to a reader every day of this this week. Today I am pleased to announce the first randomly-selected reader. Tune in every day this week to find out who the other winners will be! Anyone is welcome to add their comments to that post & enter for a chance to win all week long.
Congratulations to Katie E. in Oklahoma! She wrote: I did [Project Life in] its introductory year and my family found that cultivating a good life meant to us expressing our gratitude for the things and relationships in our life. No, we don’t have a ton of money but we found that we were rich beyond measure as we photographed our life and expressed in the journaling cards our gratitude for what we do have!! Thank you for your blog – I’m inspired by it to be a better person, mother and member of the world at large!
Katie, drop me a line at projectlife@beckyhiggins.com and let me know if you want the Amber Edition, the Turquoise Edition, or the digital version of Project Life. Your wish is my command.
Tags: giveaway winner
For me, cultivating a good life means living each day intentionally, and not reactionary. In the last month or so I’ve turned my life completely around, and it has everything to do with choosing my path, laying out my goals for tomorrow, and making them happen, instead of reacting to whatever happens to me.
I was a wedding photographer for 3 years and gave up my thriving business to be a better homemaker to my husband and 2 children, and this is my first year not shooting for work. It has given me an entirely new outlook on photographing my family – it doesn’t seem like work anymore. I’m enjoying shooting the little moments that happen through the day instead of dreading the pile of processing and not wanting to add to it.
That’s my story… I hope it inspires! Thank you for your work and following your blog and twitter has given me so much strength on a daily basis.
Becky, This past year has really been an eye opener for me. My husband and I got custody of his 15 year old and in addition to that, I was just beginning to adjust to life as a mom to our now 2 year old son. In that year, I used shopping as a way to cope with the stress of everything and in turn have racked up some good bills. As I began to look at how I was feeling with all the stuff, and all the debt, I decided 2011 I was going to make a plan. Pay off 5 credit cards. As of today, I am down 3. Yes, they were small, but they are gone! So, as we start a new month, I feel the layers of stress starting to lift as the bills start to diminish, I am able to be happier and spend more quality time with the kids. I know as each bill gets paid off and we are closer to a debt free life, that in turn our happiness as a family unit will go up and we will have the family life that I have always dreamed of.
oops! Darla C. in Boise
Life itself is like a seed. To me, to cultivate a good life means to improve and prepare just as it’s done with land. It’s to insure that everything is ready to reach our potential and raise our children to be productive members of society. It takes hard work and dedication just like raising crops. We promote the growth of individuality and provide much needed nurture We attempt to refine by providing ourselves and those in our lives with an education that not only comes from books but from ideas and experiences. We teach our loved ones to be tolerant and accepting of others. We encourage kindness, compassion, and love. That is what it means to cultivate life to me!
Cultivating a good life is living every day being the best person I can be but still having measureable goals/dreams for the futuer.
Congratulations Katie. Well put!
Our way of cultivating a good life is realizing that you don’t need to be perfect… it’s more important to be happy (and have a little art in your life every day) We are grateful for all of the wonderful people and things in our life, and find simple happiness in the small things in life.
I recently started having pictures printed from when our first daughter was born 4 years ago. I was a little behind, but I work in advertising & graphic design so journaling and scrapbooking felt a lot like my every day work. THEN it hit me all at once. I have over 8000+ pictures from the last 4 years of the kids because I want them to remember how much we love them, and I love to document all of the wonderful memories that you can never recreate. You can’t hold on to EVERYTHING, but photographs, and journaling about great times & monumental moments keep those memories alive for generations to come.
So the journey continues as we sort, crop, insert pictures and cherish. Those sectioned inserts are a true blessing! I would NEVER have been able to catch up otherwise
Dream Big & Follow Through,
Kelli B.
Southern, PA
My husband is trying to cultivate the good life for us. While it isn’t about material wealth, it is important for me to stay home while raising my two young sons. My husband works but is in the process of building his business. Things have been a bit tough. My husband has also decided to cultivate his hobby of writing to see if he may be a success writer. I love that he is putting his heart and soul into cultivating a good life for us.
Nicki
Peoria, AZ
congrats Katie E!!! what a fab answer!
Katie’s Project Life sounds like a wonderful idea for her family. What a fantastic opportunity to appreciate the little things in life.
Cultivating a good life, for me, means to MAKE time for the things that are important to me. I’ve learned that I will never FIND time to do everything… so narrowing the things down to the important ones and making time for them has been working for me lately. And I have definitely been making time to scrapbook – I scrapped 12 layouts last week! – so I have been making sure to record the good life I’m cultivating as well! So important to keep in mind.
Cultivating life means spending as much time as possible surrounding myself with people that I love and creating memories that will last a lifetime. Cultivating life means having a career that I am proud of and thoroughly enjoy. Cultivating life means going that extra mile to let your friends and family know that you think they are special in their own unique way. Cultivating life means capturing those special moments and highlighting those memories so that the future generation will know that I have lived my life to it’s fullest. I have always believed in the statement that “Life is what you make of it.” I know I plan on making my life the best life that I possibly can and, hopefully, I will leave behind a legacy of memories.
Ann Greene
Ormond Beach, FL
Cultivating a good life for me: Do unto others as you would have have them do unto you.
Cultivating a good life, for me, means to MAKE time for the things that are important to me. My family is important to me , now that my children are grown and left home are allover australia i make time to keep contact. my children bless me by sending photos by email, that way my life is enriched and i scrap pictures of my beautifull gran children so i have a memory to keep and share when they visit. Cultivating a good life also means to be the very best you can be, stand for something.
To me cultivating a good life starts with love. I find that life can get so busy and when we stop and just love each other I see the good things we have and enjoy the life I have built for my family. PL is helping me see this even more as I work through this year after a rough few years…
I would love to change my life for the better. To spend more time doing the things I love and enjoying reading again more than ever.