This day never gets old to me. The fresh start, the new year, the clean slate! 2020, being that it’s the mark of not only a new year but a new decade, feels like an entirely new chapter. Of course it feels that way to me especially, because I’ve closed down Nancy Ray Photography and am now looking ahead to my new rhythm and pace of life. I am FULL of expectation.

Many people have been asking, “So what’s next for you?”

I’m usually the girl with the 5 year business plan, and I can easily articulate a clear answer moving forward. But this time, I have some clarity about this year, 2020, and I know that even that can change. I’m finding my way trusting God to write my story, instead of me writing in and inviting Him along for the ride.

Here’s what I know, as of now, to be my assignment for the year ahead!

What’s Next

• Be home with the kiddos 6 days a week, and work 1 day a week. I’ll most certainly be working some on my “home” days and doing some self care on my “work” day. But it’s a new, healthier rhythm for me. I’ll have reliable childcare for 1 whole day (we’ve scaled back our nanny from 3 days a week to 1 day a week), and I’m calling those days my freedom days! Ha! I plan to work out in the middle of that day (non-negotiable), and feel free to work or get coffee with friends those days too. It’s mainly a day for me to do the things I can’t do with the kiddos around - like record podcasts and write content, and have some uninterrupted adult conversations.

• Be a present mama with the kiddos. On my home days, I’m excited to be in the thick of it with them. I want to be more invested in teaching Milly to read, in spending more one on one time with each of them. I look forward to being Mom Taxi, doing all the preschool drop offs and pick ups, taking them to swim Lessons, and helping Milly transition into Kindergarten in the fall!

• Turn my NRP studio into a Guest House / AirBnB. We are excited to create something we truly love, and are hoping that it will be a bit of supplemental income after the close of my business as well.

• Speak life on the platforms God has given me: my podcast, this blog, instagram, and wherever else He wants to use me. I hope to take a limited handful of speaking engagements as well, which I love! The plan now is simply to invest in what I currently have been given!

• Serve Will and support his growing career, as he has mine for the last 12 years. Of course I’ve always supported his growing career, but without NRP, I’ll have the time and capacity to do more for him, which I’m excited about. Also, His workload is about to be crazy! The timing is really sweet - God gave Him a lot more just as I closed NRP. We couldn’t have planned it like this if we tried.

• Take more pictures for ME. I’ve honestly missed that! I’ll never stop being a photographer, and it’s time for me to do what I love for no other reason than I want to.

• Get to know myself again. I’m really ready to just get to know Nancy Ray, without the “Photography” at the end. It’s been all consuming at times, and I’m looking forward to just being me.

• Strengthen my body. Since September of 2014, I have been either pregnant or breastfeeding or both! I am still breastfeeding B and I hope to as long as I can, but one thing I know: I have MISSED working out. I have MISSED running. I feel more like myself, and this year I plan to prioritize this like I never have before - for my physical health, but honestly more for my mental health. I’ve felt pretty defeated in this area if I’m honest : postpartum with Baby 3 was hard and more challenging to bounce back than my other two. I am hopeful that 2020 will be the first time in 5+ years that I’ll have my body back to myself (once B stops), and I plan to strengthen and fuel my body in a way that stretches me and gives me life!

I heard this sermon earlier this year, and the pastor talked about the “Pace of Grace.” THAT is what I’m aiming for: the pace of grace for Nancy!

So how does all of this translate into goals? Well, for the first time, I feel like my goals have little/nothing to do with work, and everything to do with my life. And that makes me excited! Some of these goals are going to be redundant of what I typed above, but that’s okay. It’s how we make the important stuff happen, isn’t it?

2020 Goals

Strengthen My Body
- Work out 3x/week
- Sign up for a Race
- Do a 30 day strengthening challenge

Spiritual Healing & Connection
- Counseling for this new chapter
- Get plugged into church

Invest in our Marriage
- Go on a Marriage Retreat
- Finish the small groups we are part of
- Monthly Date Nights

Be a nurturing mama
- Go back through Positive Parenting Solutions Course
- Read Parenting with Love & Logic
- MBST with each kid daily

Be a faithful friend
- Host 2-3 girls nights throughout the year
- Monthly coffee with a friend
- Invite friends over into our craziness

Integrate Giving Intentionally
- Host a Journey of Generosity Retreat
- Blessing Fund
- More regular check ins with accountability couples

Joyfully Manage my Home
- Clean out clothes and toys
- Renew my love for meal planning and cooking
- Manage the new AirBnB

Speak Life through the Podcast
- Release one helpful episode a week

Complete the Contentment Challenge
- As you may know, I’m hosting the Contentment Challenge which starts TODAY! I could have put “Finish the Contentment Challenge” under several of these categories, because it affects so many areas of life: Spiritual healing, Integrate Giving, Joyfully manage my home… but I decided to just make it its own goal. It’s not too late for you to join, if you’d like! Just click here to learn more.

As you know, these goals won’t gain traction until we actually put them in our calendars! So finally, here is it broken down for you this month:

January Goals

• Finish Setting up Guest House / AirBnb

• Take photos of kids and Winston

• Read You are the Girl for the Job with the Nancy Ray Book Club

• Complete Contentment Challenge: Month 1

• Have a girls getaway with my 3 best friends

• Book our Marriage Retreat

• Speak at Return to Rest (There might be one more seat if you want to come!)

Well I’d love to read your 2020 goals if you’ve shared them somewhere - leave a link in the comments! And even if you didn’t share them somewhere online, I’d love to hear: what’s the ONE goal you are most excited about this year? (I asked my husband, and he said getting better sleep!)

Happy New Year, friend!

Yes, it’s happening again! The Contentment Challenge is happening January - March of 2020, and you are invited to join in!

Many of you have been asking me if I’m hosting another Contentment Challenge, and the answer is yes. I’ve found, for me, it’s been life giving to do this once a year. (If you had told me that the first Contentment Challenge, I would have been like HECK NO!) But it’s amazing the work God has done in my heart, and so many of yours as well.

Like this message I got via instagram, just this week:

“I stumbled across the contentment challenge… it changed my life, and in particular, my marriage. Forever grateful.”

Will I do this every year for the rest of my life? Probably not. I’m not gonna be legalistic about it! But right now, in this material-driven culture, and with 3 little kids, I’ve found that it grounds me, again and again.

But let me back up a bit, for anyone new who might be reading.

What is the Contentment Challenge, you ask? Great question!

The Contentment Challenge

“I will give up shopping for clothes, accessories, household decor, and ‘stuff’ for three months, to focus my heart and mind on the root of true contentment. I will actively pursue fulfilling activities that will replace my addiction to material things.”

Where did this idea come from?

Well, you can listen to the whole story here. But here’s the story in a nutshell:

After paying off our house back in 2012, Will and I accomplished a huge financial goal we had sacrificed and worked for. Weeks afterwards, we began arguing about money wayyyy more than we ever had when living on a tight budget. I thought I could shop at Whole Foods and Anthropologie and do all the things I had sacrificed, and went over budget for 3 months straight. Sorry, Babe.

Then, I spoke at Making Things Happen, and God began to whisper the word “contentment” in my heart. “Nancy, are you really content? with just Me? or do you always have to buy new things?”

I felt a tugging on my heart to give up shopping for 3 months. After fighting the Lord in my head and heart for 2 days straight, I finally gave in. To do this well, I planned it out and created the Contentment Challenge, and it changed my life.

So if you’re curious, I created some guidelines that help guide the 3 months of no shopping and set our hearts straight. I hope this is helpful to you! You of course can make it your own, but I encourage you - pray about it. Consider it. And let God do a work in your heart, life, and finances that you never knew was possible.

The Guidelines:

• For the next 10 days, your homework is the following: prepare your heart, organize your closet, and make any necessary purchases that you might need during these months. (This is not a last minute shopping spree! This is one final trip to the store for items you will need, and the opportunity for you to say your goodbyes to Target.)

• Choose 1-3 inspiring books to read during this time. I would recommend any of the following: Seven, Weird, The Celebration of Discipline, 1000 Gifts, Essentialism. I’m planning to read one book (because newborn life): Cozy Minimalist Home. (Feel free to leave additional recommendations in the comments!)

• Gifts are okay! If someone gives you a new dress or piece of decor during that time, receive it graciously! If you need to buy someone else a gift, by all means, do so. The point is not to be rude, but to learn more of ourselves and the Lord.

• Necessities are okay! If you drop and break your phone, please go get a new one! If you lose your glasses, buy a new pair. Just don’t start justifying new purchases for items that you already have. (“I really need this bathing suit, even though there are 8 in my closet already.”)

• Food: please buy food for yourself and your family :). From my experience, this is a good time to stop grocery shopping at Target and instead choose a grocery store. Some who have done the contentment challenge have chosen to use this as a time to forgo eating out. If you eat out all the time, maybe it’s best for you to limit it to 2x a month. I’ll let you decide what you want to do here!

• You must actively pursue something – anything – that replaces your tendency to buy stuff. Begin thinking about something you love or a hobby you’ve always wanted to do, and make preparations to actually do it. (Reading and Running are my go-to hobbies!)

•••

If you’d like a little more information about the Contentment Challenge and how to prepare for it, download our FREE extended guide below! You’ll also get monthly emails once the challenge starts in January for accountability and encouragement!

I’m just going to be real : if I didn’t have this monthly goal blogpost waiting for me, I don’t think I would have made any actual goals for the month of April. Life with three kids has dominated me lately 😂. BUT, I’m thankful for the accountability here, because it forced me to stop and think ahead a little. I realized: Milly’s birthday is NEXT month! Also, we haven’t hosted a baby dedication worship service and prayer time at our house yet for Beaufort, which we did for both of the girls and it was so sweet. And I’m pretty far behind on Lyndon’s baby book, which I want to make sure I don’t neglect. I was also reminded to continue my goal of taking off social media one week once a month, which has been so great.

So as you can see, this is a place for me to process the things I want to get done. The things that matter to me, and I’m grateful for the reminder to stop, to look ahead, and be strategic with my calendar.

You’ll see my first goal is to LAUNCH THE PODCAST! What! I can’t believe it’s almost here. I’d love to hear your guesses on what the name of it will be in the comments!! I’m excited and nervous and hoping it’ll be a fun way to get some great content to you.

So leave a comment with your guess! And if you are one of my friends who I have already told : SHH. Don’t comment ;).

April Goals

Launch the Podcast (!!!)
Read The Year of Happy with the Nancy Ray Book Club
No Instagram for 1 Week
Record Episodes 4 and 5
Finish Year 1 of Lyndon’s Baby Book
Plan Milly’s Birthday Party
Plan Beaufort’s Baby Dedication
Back up and Consolidate ALL old NRP Harddrives