This is getting awesome.

This is getting awesome.There is so much happening behind the scenes right now, guys.

About a year ago, David and I made a crazy decision to do a “hard pivot” in the business. It was a joint decision, but neither of us knew where we were going.

Modus operandi: hunch: a sense of quiet confidence and a gut instinct I couldn’t ignore any longer.

The business wasn’t going the way I wanted–it was starting to do precisely the opposite. Remember that story about my business failing the first time? That was how I felt last spring: like I had to watch another company die again, but this time in slow motion. Despite the fact that I saw Titanic FOUR TIMES by myself as a freshman in college, I am not interested in living that scenario twice in my life.

Deer in headlights, frozen, afraid, uncertain, blind. I was doing what I was told, when I was told, by whoever told me to do it. Or at least I was trying to do it, albeit a rubbish job.

We had just launched my book, A More Beautiful Life–a book all about about HEART, but I didn’t feel like MY heart was in it! How in Bloomingdale’s was I supposed to sell this book if I was depressed and not getting out of bed? Worse than that, I didn’t feel like my heart was in my life. (Come to find out, these symptoms are a frequent occurrence in response to a big launch, but I think they could easily be symptoms of any major life event or stressor. All excitement, then crash.)

But safe to say, I was discouraged.

I don’t know what happened, and if I did, that’s a story for another day. But one day, a switch flipped, and I decided to take ownership of my life.

As with all major life decisions, change didn’t happen overnight. Oh no. With the decision to take ownership behind me, the real work lay ahead.

Because taking ownership of my life didn’t happen in that one decision–it would happen in all the little choices about to come.

The choice to get up again, the choice to say I’m sorry, the choice to keep a good attitude, the choice to put down the doughnut, or at least break it in half. The choice to try harder, the choice to say thank you, the choice to be quiet, the choice to prioritize self-care, soul care, and all my people.

There are more times than not when life feels like it’s falling apart, so I think it’s worth commemorating the moment when you feel like it might be starting to fall together.

All those choices, stacked on top of one another, give me a clear view of where we are headed: as a business, as a family, and as a community.

I have hope, you guys. Energy.

Excitement for what’s about to come. I feel it in my bones–there’s this message I want to share with the world, and until I feel like I’ve said it, I will create. And write. And tell the story of my crazy journey and what I’ve learned.

The marketing gurus will no doubt tell me I’m doing it wrong. Someone will ask me to speak at a conference, and I won’t know how to explain it. I don’t sell “success elixir” really well. I have to know it’s good, and own that it’s good. Then, it sells itself.

I’m an artist running a business. It’s not will look like a business the way most people understand a business–like all masterpieces, it’s a work in progress. A dabble here, an erase there, the song and dance of paint on canvas until it starts to look–and feel–like an old glove. Just right.

On that note, allow me to give you a quick sketch of all the stuff we’ve been creating for February:

February Planner Packs are here!

I just finished uploading our February Planner Pack to our website. I’ve got to tell you: I’m excited about this. I used a very “2023” font for the graphic, so if you’re into typography, check that out. Monthly Planner Packs are something I’ve been thinking about doing for a long time, and as I put the finishing touches on this one, I got excited about seeing this dream come to life.

Creating

Believe it or not, there’s more I could talk about, but because we all have limited time, let me cut to this truth, to remind future me when she reads this blog post on a day when she feels like a total failure:

If your life isn’t “falling together” right now, look at your choices. What can you own? Your attitude, habits, responsibilities, the whole seedy mess you’ve made of things. Own the fact that there’s a gap between where you are, and where you want to be.

Because if you don’t own it, you’ll never close it.

But if I can close the gap between where I am and where I want to be, you can, too.

xo,

Whitney