Blogging Archives - Insanity Is Not An Option

2020 Word of the Year: Flourish

What’s your 2020 word of the year? 2019 was harsh and unkind in our world. In 2020, we choose to FLOURISH! Flourish by definition means to grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way, especially as the result of a particularly favorable environment.

How did 2019 treat you?

In 2019, I had a year of struggles. I went through a divorce after 16 years of marriage (18 years together), lost touch with loved ones because of the split, had to give up my home, moved miles away, dealt with a teen who wasn’t ready for hormones, let alone a change to her entire life. I even made a huge personal mistake that has been plaguing me (financially and emotionally) throughout the year.

Although I held my ground, I kept my job, I paid the bills (and his), I didn’t flourish…at all. I made some new friends, lost some more, but I made it through…because there’s no other option. It was a bad year. A year of trials, a year of tears, a year of pitfalls, life lessons, and independence.

I survived and rid myself of decades of toxins and abuse, and I raised my daughter in the best way I knew how…with love and as much understanding and empathy as I could muster. I wasn’t necessarily strong though any of this, but there’s something to be said about survival during times of loss and depression, rebirth and growth.

How will you make 2020 great?

For me, 2020 (the year and this new decade) will be a time of promises to myself. If I can’t accept myself, be proud of myself, love myself and what I do, I cannot make others happy, and I cannot flourish. In an effort to stand my ground and follow through with my promises, I’m putting them down here to hold myself accountable. There’s also something to be said about accountability when things don’t seem as “easy” as you’d hoped.

Let my creativity flow for a happier heart! I’ve all but given up on this little speck on the internet. It was a passion project I started years ago as a way to grow, share my knowledge and failures with other parents so that they could hopefully learn from my parental milestones and mistakes (there are many of both). I still feel I have a lot to offer and although this may not be the money maker it once was, it holds so much of my heart so I owe it my time, my love, and I long to share our highs and lows again. I’ve written about 20 posts this year, published maybe one. Time for a change in my strategy again!
Be proud and love myself! Boasting isn’t OK, but neither is allowing yourself to be a doormat, failing to tout your own accomplishments, or letting people know your worth. In 2020, I’m making a promise to be kinder to myself and learn that it’s OK to be proud of all that I’ve accomplished in my life and all that I continue to excel at.
Be a better mother! I’m a good mom, I really am, but in light of the circumstances created by the events of 2019, I’ve leaned more toward friendship and less toward mom. I’ve let things slide that I would have never in the past in an effort to make everyone happy. In doing this, I’ve not encouraged Kylee to flourish in a way that I know she can. She has a new lease on life, a great life without abuse now. I need to encourage her to succeed and sometimes that takes more tough love than I’ve been willing to dole out. I’ll continue to be her friend and show her empathy, however, I promise that I will be a mom again first!
Flourish! I don’t merely have to survive anymore. I need to live again, flourish, and enjoy this new lease on life. A flourish is an extra touch — a trumpet’s ta-ta-da! announcing a king’s entrance, a fancy carving atop an otherwise utilitarian pillar, a wave of a flag, or a cheerleader’s pompom. I have always been – and will continue to be – everyone else’s cheerleader. It’s time I do the same for myself since no one else will and I deserve it!
Live by my own mantra! Throughout 2019, actually throughout the past decade, I’ve been asking myself if I have enough strength to make it through. I’ve let my health decline, both mentally and physically, and sleepless nights and anxiety are a way of life. The truth of the matter is, financially, I’m doing fine; professionally, I’m doing quite well; and personally, I have friends and family in my corner. For just those three factors, I need to remind myself daily that insanity is not an option and I’m not only going to be “just OK”, but rather I will flourish, be content, and finally be happy again!

What is your 2020 word of the year?

So, on this 1st day of January, 2020, these are my promises to me. Happy New Year to one and all! May your year, and decade, be blessed with love, light, and prosperity. This is the year to flourish; seize the opportunity.

Have YOU Found Your Tribe?

By Christy 10 Comments

When bloggers go to conferences, we always hear the same words. Don’t get me wrong, there are many lessons to be learned and I always take them all in, but some words, some messages, are simply repeated time after time. Why? Because they’re THAT important. The one that resonates the most with me is simply “Have you found your tribe?”.

tribe

noun \ˈtrīb\

: a group of people that includes many families and relatives who have the same language, customs, and beliefs

: a large family

: a group of people who have the same job or interest

Tribes are important y’all! Bloggers be bitches (and *ahem* brands) sometimes, and you need that tribe. You need them to lift you up, to bump ideas off of, to laugh, to cry, to support, to just…well be there when you need them. I’ve got them and everyone needs a tribe in all aspects of their lives. Both professionally, and personally.

My tribe, my beavers, hails from Michigan, California, North Carolina, and Texas (although that last one is painstakingly shy and absent from almost all of our photos). You might think it’s strange that my BEST FRIENDS in the whole wide world don’t live close to me, but it is what it is. These are my people. I love my people. We’re not a click (although we do wear pink on Wednesdays), and we do welcome anyone and everyone into whatever fun we can stir up. We’re a tribe. A strong group of like-minded women that aim to support, and love, one another no matter what our industry brings. A tribe. If I haven’t said this already, you need to find your tribe because these beautiful, strong women are invaluable in my every day life. I need them, and I hope that in turn, they need me.

To the outside world, we’re goofy, we’re a hot mess, we’re a bunch of nonsensical women that appear to need therapy. But on the inside, in our tribe, we’re supportive, strong, loving, and we have each other’s backs no matter what. Mess with me, you mess with my tribe.

Have you found your tribe?

Also, don’t forget about cross-tribing. Is that a word? OK, apparently it is now. My tribe has tribes. We cross tribe and that’s just as important as my tribe itself. Like-tribes flock together and support one another. We help each other grow, and we find happiness in each other’s successes.

FIND YOUR TRIBE!

I’m not going to say your life will be perfect once you find your tribe, but I can assure you, it will be so much better, so much more enriched than it is now. My tribe? I’ll love them until the day I die and I thank my lucky stars that we’re aligned and that they have my back, and that I have theirs.

Want to see how our tribe’s dynamics work? Be forewarned, we’re a random, hot mess, but we work well together and thankfully, one of us catches it all on video. This is one of our random trips to the best Walmart on the PLANET while we were in NW Arkansas for #SoFabCon14.

Have you found your tribe?

They Asked, I Said Yes…Today, I Begin a New Chapter

By Christy 10 Comments

Today marks the beginning of a new chapter in my book of life. Well actually, it solidifies all of the hard work I’ve been putting into this current chapter, so you could either consider it a new beginning or a great ending. Your call!

If I could choose the perfect company to work for, I think it’s pretty obvious by now that I’d choose Collective Bias.

If I could build the perfect website to uplift, help, and promote others, I’d build SoFabConnect.

If I could choose my own job and title, I’d choose to be SoFabConnect Manager.

If I could write my own job description, it would go something like this: UPLIFT OTHERS. Share fabulous content. Support and promote brands I love and trust. Feature fellow Social Fabric members that I want to promote, and uplift. Share the workings of the best company on the planet by highlighting team members and what they do to promote all of the above. Work with an amazing team to UPLIFT OTHERS. Inspire people, in their everyday lives, to craft, create amazing family meals, spend time with their family through amazing content created by the most creative people I know. And…UPLIFT OTHERS.

If I could choose two of the most supportive people I know, Brad Lawless and Sandy Jenney, to report to, I would.

If I could choose a team of coordinators to assist me in the growth of this site that will uplift others and brands, I’d choose three of the nicest and hardest working women I know, Mimi Baker, Heather Brummett, and April Decheine.

BUT, I didn’t have to choose. They chose me. How lucky am I? OK, maybe not totally luck. I’ve worked, and I’ve worked hard. I’ve contracted on many levels for over 2 years now. And you know what? They like me. They really, really like me. And today, I’m a full time employee for Collective Bias. You know what I’m doing? The job that I wrote for myself! How cool is that? Seriously, I feel like I’m living the dream.

Excited? You bet ya! Anxious and nervous? Yes, just a bit. But I’m ready to take this on and UPLIFT OTHERS. This is what I do. This is who I am. This is why I’m so PROUD to be associated with, and employed by, a company that truly “gets” me and knows that being a “cheerleader” is what I was meant to be.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to work. I’m about to do some UPLIFTING and it feels awesome.