On Wednesday, I officially rang in the celebrations for my 26th birthday. It’s been a glorious week of celebrations with friends and family. Now, I’m excited to sit down and reflect on what my goals are for this year, and anything I plan to leave behind with twenty five year old Lauren. It’s interesting to even write that, because twenty five was a defining year of my life. It has been one of the most extraordinary and eye-opening years of my life. It’s been complex, beautiful, and stressful; but most importantly, this last year has shifted the trajectory of the rest of my life. Never before have I felt so empowered to dream bigger and bolder. But just like with any milestone or shift, I feel excited and exhilarated to see what this next year will bring me. Because I have no doubt twenty six will be amazing.

Over the last year, I’ve experienced so many transformative shifts— in my mindset, relationships, and even my physical experience in this world. If I were to define twenty-five in one word, it would be shift. Everything, and I mean everything, took a major shift last year. Not just the things I experience outside of me, but everything internally too. My emotions, my confidence, mental health and emotional health all shifted. Those aspects of me used to waiver so much. Even on a day to day basis I would be confident, and then in complete lack. As the year went on, and I continued my practice of living intentionally, those thoughts slowly began to fade.

Why Twenty Six Will Usher in the Next Era of Lauren

Personal goals

On Wednesday, I sat down and took some time to journal. I reflected on last year and what I think my goals will be for twenty six. I began thinking about my long term goals for myself and for La.Rue, and what I want to achieve over this next year. What goals can I set for this year that will nudge me closer to much larger life goals? My personal goal of seeking balance won’t change much for this next year. As life evolves, so do we. I love having to adjust what feels balanced as my life changes. But, I don’t want my priorities or values to change too much. Meaning as I succeed and as I fail, how I feel balanced in my life will shift. But that balance won’t change based on what I value and how I prioritize my life.

So my personal goals for twenty six will be to continue seeking a fine balance in all aspects of my day to day life. How I can I balance living intentionally with running an intentional business? How can I balance my relationship with my friendships? Or, how can I balance me time with time with friends? Over this last year of seeking balanced, I’ve realized it’s about looking at balance within such a small scope. What feels like balance today might not a month from now. It’s about asking ourselves daily what will feel like a good balance. Sometimes, one aspect of your life will take priority over another, but those things shift as your needs and goals shift as well.

Goals for La.Rue

Over the last year, my goals for La.Rue have shifted from what now seems like a small success, to a major life achievement. As I slowly grew in my own success, I started to feel more confident setting bigger goals. And as I continued to achieve those big goals, my confidence and dreams grew exponentially. Like I said, twenty five was transformative in every way possible. Every success empowered me to dream bigger and look at the ways I could scale La.Rue into something of a global success, changing the face of entrepreneurship for women. The last three years of La.Rue have been incredible. This brand was born from the most authentic, raw, and emotional parts of myself. And the success of the brand over this last year has given me the courage to change my most enormous goals yet.

In the Era of 26, I’ll be launching the next phase of La.Rue— our online community platform where women coming from ALL walks of life can connect and empower one another to live intentionally both in life and in business. In the coming months, I’ll be formally announcing the launch date of our online community. But in the meantime, it truly feels so extraordinary to dream so big, and believe in those dreams so wholly. Turning twenty six feels like a shift in all aspects of my life. It feels like I’m truly entering a new era, leaving the young twenties behind and looking ahead to the rest of my life. I truly couldn’t be more excited for this next chapter.

To the Next Era

As always, I’ll continue to keep you all posted about what the day to day emotions are of this journey. Like all, I expect to have the highs and lows, and the successes and failures. But most in alignment with living intentionally, I expect to continue to grow. The best goal we can ever set for ourselves is to love and nurture the relationship we have with ourselves and our emotions. No matter the growth of La.Rue, or the pitfalls I face, I hope it remains true that my number one goal in life is to always be true to myself. I will never stop fighting for the love and respect that I have for myself. While our goals and dreams will change with time, this should remain a constant.

Show up for yourself. Be your number one cheerleader and number one supporter. Ask yourself how you’re doing and what you’re feeling. Nurture the love you have with yourself and foster deep healing. And most importantly, never forget to live intentionally. With all my love…