when you make a choice to launch a business with 3 of your favorite friends and all 4 of you are women, you know that you are saying yes to many things. yes to challenge, growth, emotions (highs and lows and all of the mess in between). a big fat yes to a message you believe in and people you admire! yes to beautiful energy, vulnerability, honoring people for who they are and where they are at, loving unconditionally...
yes to holding the tensions as heather would say.
and that is not always an easy undertaking. BUT, it has been worth.every.moment. which brings me to my biggest take away from 2014. something that i would not have learned about life or myself without those beautiful dreamers by my side.
when i am working on anything and i start to get flustered with the process or start asking myself, "am i crazy?" i have learned that i feel that way because what i'm doing is not staying aligned with my core values. for example, if one of my core values is adventure, but i'm saying yes to too many opportunities that keep me behind my computer screen, i start to feel burnt out and resentful. however, if i'm intentional about making space for adventure, i am saying yes to feeling energized and inspired instead.
when i keep this lesson in mind, it helps me use my strengths to support the people around me. so, just before heading into the new year, i asked the arise&be girls to let me know what their top three core values are for 2015. they took things a step further and let me know what their top three business focuses are as well. i loved this exercise because i feel like it gives me specific points to check in with each of them on. my hope is that it helps me support them in the way they each need it most. plus, when things start to feel hectic, we are able to take a step back and evaluate if the "busy" really aligns with what matters most to each of us. i also love that it was a simple exercise that you can do with any of the important people in your life.
here is a quick look at my goals for the year ahead:
we'd love for you to join us and keep things simple for your 2015 plans. you can download the form we used here. share with people you love or put this up for a visual check in for yourself throughout the year. the quote included at the top are words from a wise and dear friend, natalie norton. make a plan. keep it simple. work your plan. i'll be choosing to say yes to that a lot more in the next 12 months.
cheers to you and 2015!
meredith