HOW TO FIND MOTIVATION AND INSPIRATION

Travel adventures, cultures, weddings, and family

Aaaahhhhhhhhh hello.... Hello, my people!! I’m so excited to be writing to you today! It’s been too long, and oh have I missed you all! Have you missed me? I sure hope you did! I’ve lost a few followers during this time out, but there are many of you who stayed with me. So many of you were so sweet to check in on me! Thank you so very much for sticking around! I wasn’t joking when I said I’m still trying to get a hang of social media feed and consistent posting habits. I don’t layout or plan my Instagram or my Facebook posts ahead of time (I'll try to get better!). I tend to do it authentically and as I go. And, my life is pretty simple. I also wasn’t joking when I posted once that I tend to fly away to tropical lands during the end or beginning of the year. During late December or January I tend to travel to escape the freezing cold or just the winter itself, only to return... rejuvenated and motivated! Excuse this summer girl, won’t you?

Above cell phone images are of Istanbul, Turkey

​​I’d been in bit of a creative rut and found it very difficult to find motivation during the dreadful winter season. I know many of us small business owners go through this, and sometimes we are expected to "fake it till we make it." How do you fake motivation? You don't fake it! Seek it! We work on our own most of the time, and we have to constantly self-motivate. Not being able to explore our talents, passion or creativity can cause us to be in a rut. First world problems? We are constantly looking for or creating inspiration or constantly soliciting and creating proposals. It’s an ongoing process and can sometimes drain our creativity and leave us burnt out. To speak for myself, it sometimes leaves me burnt out and demotivated. I can get restless when I can't create. I also feed off of human interaction at all times. When you are wearing several different hats to maintain a wedding services business with a lifestyle blog, and various marketing and editorial projects, it can catch up on you while keeping you glued to your screens.

Above cell phone images are from Istanbul, Turkey

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​Social media is amazing as it allows us to learn from others and find various inspirations and connections. That's how I found most of my vendor friends and so many of you! But we're all aware of the effects of social media and the downward-spiral comparison as well. We’ll touch on those topics another time. In order to find inspiration and motivation, we need to learn from others and also need to look inwards, take time out to travel, to expose ourselves to different cultures, to rekindle our relationships with others and ourselves, and to give our busy minds some breathing room and perspective. Which is exactly what I did, and I’m so thankful!

Construction workers in Bangladesh breaking bricks

Construction workers in Bangladesh carrying bricks

​After a brief layover in Istanbul, Turkey, we went to Bangladesh, a developing country and my birth place in Southeast Asia. The purpose was to take some time out for a wedding and for spending some much needed time with my grandmother and some of my dearest families who still live there. They have so much unconditional love, affection, and care to shower that I leave with my heart full. It’s a completely different life, and weddings there are a different ball game, entirely. The vacation was a blast and an experience for the books, and now I can’t wait to jump back into the swing of things here at home. You know, the transition process is interesting whenever you return from a country where the way of living is so different from ours in the USA. It takes time to switch back your mindset and refocus. But, I won’t have it any other way! It keeps me grounded and offers a totally different perspective on things. I’m also thankful to you and to my business for helping me live and share this life!

​There are perks to working for someone else on a nine to five job, and then there are perks to running your own business. When you leave an office job, the company still continues it's usual business while you are out. When you are mostly a one woman show running your own business, somethings may need to pause for a little when you are out. It's helpful to have a peak season in wedding industry. However, both situations require taking some time out to travel, explore, and unwind in order to stir our minds and hearts!

I’m definitely still in awe as to how quickly the year 2017 went by at the blink of an eye! But, I’m super excited to welcome a new year. Now, anyone excited for Valentine’s Day or Galentine’s Day this year? Last year I partnered up with an awesome photographer to create a Valentine's Day inspiration for you. (check it out if you haven't) This year we are staying in and probably watching a movie. ​​

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