Collect Moments, Not things. That’s what I want 2016 to stand for. The first weekend of 2016 I repainted my bedroom and threw away garbage bags full of things I had been holding onto for a long time. Random stuff from high school, trinkets that really didn’t mean anything, stickers that I refused to take the back off of so I could keep them forever. (Anyone else do this?!) I spent the day decluttering my room, and my office, to stick true to my 2016 mantra. Collect Moments, Not Things. Part of this was simplifying all the clutter and the chaos that had built up around me over the years.

When I was abroad (almost four years ago- what?!) this was so simple. I traveled to live in another country for four months with just two suitcases. I had about 8 different shirts, three different pants, a cell phone that had no data and T9word texting (remember that?! Days were spent adventuring around the incredible city of Copenhagen, working on school work in cafes and actually talking to people. Like… real conversations. Not Facebook, not texting. We met up, cell phones were completely out of sight out of mind (they were kind of useless anyway) and it was incredible. It was by far the best four months of my life and I’m not sure if anything else will compare. I’m trying to do more of that this year, be completely present with who I’m with.

Print by Wayfaren.

But anyway, here’s why this is so important…

When I look back on my life I don’t want it to be about the belongings I possess or the money I made or the houses and cars I had. I want to look back and remember all the incredible people I met and places I explored along the way. I want it to be about how much I lived and how much I loved and how I didn’t let any day get away. I want it to be about how many lives I touched or how I inspired someone to follow their passions.

Because here’s the thing…Moments are fleeting and priceless… each day we have 1,440 minutes to do whatever we want, with whoever we want, and I’m choosing to fill them with living. With spending time with people who make me happy, who encourage me, who push me in my career and personally, and who radiate positivity. I want to be around laughter, adventure, and love. And heck, that’s probably why I’m a photographer.  Because I collect moments. I capture moments in time that are otherwise gone forever, but this isn’t about photography. This is about showing up to your life everyday to live and to be and to pursue what you are on this earth to pursue. It’s about building relationships and slowing down to realize that this one crazy life is a wonderful gift that isn’t about the material things we have but about the memories we have and the people we share them with.

So what are you going to collect this year? What are you going to let go of? How are you going to simplify your life to allow yourself to really focus on what matters most? Comment below and start the conversation…what moments will you collect?

And I’ll leave you with this. One of my top five favorite moments of my life…

Switzerland. It was the first thing on my bucket list to picnic on a glacier. We bought some bread and beer at the lodge on the top of the mountain and skied our way to a secluded area high up off the trail. There has been no feeling in the entire world that ever compared to that moment, being on top of the world. I can’t wait for the day I can go back.