'New Year' and 'Resolutions' they almost go hand in hand don't they? I happen to be not a big New Year Resolution kind of gal. I am more likely to start on any Monday..or every Monday and take a chillier approach by Wednesday to celebrate my accomplishments by the weekend. Ha! Seriously though!
I somewhat manage to stay balanced about diet, family and lifestyle in general. It has been a helpful that since I can remember, I have always moved: to a new city, sometimes country or even continent lately. Let me explain: moving to a new place forces you to re-organize, re-evaluate, prioritize and be very mindful about how you use your time. I've learned that I need to exercise and eat healthy, I need to go to church and spend quality time with whom I love, I need friends I truly connect with and have time to nurture my passions in order to feel happy everyday. All the rest it's extra. It sounds quite simple but I've met women that have completely forgotten to feed their own bodies and souls to make money or support their families; and others that look so healthy and successful on the outside but are lacking a true connection with everyone around them.
In my case, since I've moved to McLean finding time to nurture my passions and get the business rolling has been the most challenging aspect. I move, I loose connections to clients, contractors, shop owners and maybe I loose a little motivation too. I get so busy getting the family and myself situated that I naturally invest less time in my work. It takes a lot of enthusiasm and time to go out and introduce yourself, build sincere relationships with people in the business and market yourself. I love what I do but it's exhausting at times.
So this brings me back to my New Year Resolutions. I liked reading a piece from Melinda Gates about this. Instead of giving herself a resolution, she chooses a 'word' to help her find guidance through the year. I love the idea! I thought about authenticity for myself.
Striving to be authentic to me means to act on my true nature and beliefs. It embraces a lot of wonderful intent in my private life but concerning work and passions, I hope it will guide me to honor more openly my values, beliefs, talents and step out of my comfort zone. Reaching out to other designers, business owners and potential clients and even post on social media platforms can be uncomfortable at times, especially if I doubt the value of what I offering or if I am afraid about how I can be perceived. But I can only be myself and by being more authentic I will hopefully naturally attract more of what is good for me and my business.
Happy Monday everyone!
XO,
Fede
