Okay, I’m a little nervous about this blog post. I hope we’ll still be friends after I tell you these things. I just feel like it wouldn’t be honest if I didn’t tell you, so here goes.
- I started listening to Christmas music BEFORE Thanksgiving this year.
I KNOW. I’m not a person who does this normally. I hate it when people blow off Thanksgiving and dive right into the the whole Jingle Bells bit in November. It’s, like, the antithesis of who I am as a person. A fundamental part of my identity is listening to Christmas music ONLY after Thanksgiving has come and gone.
But this year, there were extenuating circumstances.
Basically, it was REALLY cold this year.
And living in Houston means that we don’t have real winter wardrobes, so when these Arctic blasts hit us, we are totally unprepared. So, cold, and also, Christmas music is the only music that my kids will listen to quietly in the car. When it’s too cold to walk to school we drive, and when we drive, there’s a lot of noise, and I can’t handle the cold and the noise, so I just… surrendered. I started rocking out to “Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town” and “Last Christmas” and the Whitney Houston version of “Do You Hear What I Hear”, and I don’t regret it.
What I’m trying to say is, sometimes you do what you need to do in the moment. I’m pretty sure it’s not actually illegal to play Christmas music in November, and it doesn’t really hurt anyone, so I did it.
I hope you’re still with me.
2. I used to HATE this word of the year thing.
The other week, I was on a call with my copywriter, Abbi, and I said, “So, I’m thinking about my word for the year.” I talked about what I was considering, and how my 2019 word affected me so profoundly, and Abbi got this grin on her face.
“What’s so funny?” I asked her.
And she said, “I remember the first time you picked a word for the year, you told me, “I’m SO not into this word for the year thing, but everyone is doing it, so I kind of feel like I have to,” and now here you are, totally embracing the concept.”
So, yes, it’s true. I have grown and evolved and changed my mind about things. It happens. I didn’t want to pick a word for the year the first time I did it. I felt like it was being forced on me.
But once I tried this new thing, I discovered that I really liked it. And it would have been easy for me to forget that I once felt differently if I didn’t have a copywriter to remind me (someone MAY be getting some coal in her stocking…) but seriously — growth is good. It’s okay to discover that you actually like something you thought you’d hate. Like broccoli or mustard. It’s ok to learn how to commit to change.
Okay. If you’ve made it this far, I’m grateful. And now for the big one.
3. I used to think I’d never want a team.
Way back in May of 2017 — back before I hired a business coach, before I started the Free Mama Movement — I was on a podcast. And during that interview, I mentioned that I’d never have a team. I was super happy being in my zone, with only myself to worry about. I was making enough money doing my thing. I was happy.
Well.
My team is right up there with my husband and children in how much better they make my life. With a team, I’m able to support you and the other 29,999 mamas in our community. With a team, I have the freedom to breathe, to sleep, to take vacations. To focus on the things that I’m really good at, and to hand off the parts that are hard for me.
And because so many of my team members are actually women who have been through my program, I feel incredibly good about how I’m able to help them build their own businesses.
But it’s true — I used to feel differently. And I’ve had people who come into the community after hearing that old podcast and say, “Uh, what?”
Yeah. I grew, changed, and evolved. Again. It happened to me — and it’s probably happening to you, too.
Think about what you thought and believed was possible a year ago — and what you know is possible now.
You don’t have to commit to everything you think and believe for life. You’re allowed to change your mind. You just have to be willing to learn how to commit to change. And if you have a confession to share, I’d love to hear it!