Woo! Wow. We're back. I know. We haven't recorded in so long. I know. See, the listeners, our community, you guys will not realize that we have not recorded a podcast since the month of June. Probably. So what? That's been like 6 months, 7 months. Yeah, almost. Like I would say like 6.6 months. It's like probably like around 6 months. Yeah. Wow. That's such a long time. I know. We haven't recorded for 6 months because we got recording done because I was pregnant. I was gonna have my baby. So it feels like a whole new chapter has unfolded in between then and now. Like we haven't filmed. So much has happened like for us personally, for the business, and then I'm a mom now, like, Woo! And I'm an auntie now. And it's so great, and it's amazing. An auntie! Auntie Jo for life. Literally, it feels like this is such a fun episode to come back to, though—Mm-hmm.—to film, 'cause this is our end of year like hurrah reflection episode. We did this last year. We so enjoyed it. You guys enjoyed it. And it just feels like perfect timing to come back and reflect on the last 12 months. Like how are we here again? I know, right? I literally was talking to like our mom the other day, and I was like, "How—like it feels like we just did this." So I was talking about Christmas, and I was just like, "It feels like we just did this like yesterday." And now, we're heading into the holiday season again. Thanksgiving is coming up, and Christmas is coming up, and it's just like, "Woo! Yawn." How did we get here? Like it feels like sometimes the days felt really slow, and like e—everything was just dragging on, but like as a whole, it feels like this year just flew by, as it always does. Yeah. Um, but like I mentioned, today, we're so excited to be back with you guys. If it's your first time listening, welcome to Legacy Creator. Whoo! We're so happy to have you here. Uh, and if you've been, uh, an avid listener, we appreciate you so much. Uh, we love this podcast. We love this community. Like anytime we meet and we talk about like what are we loving right now that we're doing in the business, and the podcast always comes up. It's one of our favorite things that we do. We love this space. We appreciate you guys, and we just love this community that we're building. So we're so happy that you're here, and this episode is going to conclude season 2. Ah! Oh my gosh, I can't believe it. I know. I'm like, I can't believe we're here. We're so proud of season 2. We hope you guys have enjoyed the ride. We, you know, we went there with some of the topics. We went there. And we only expect to do more and more of that in season 3. And if you guys have any requests of things that you want us to speak to next season, let us know. But I'm gonna go ahead and get to it. Like I said, today, we're gonna do some end of year reflection. And really, like this is an opportunity to invite you guys behind the scenes of like what really went down for us this year, personally, in the business. But also, this is just such a great touch point for you. We want to remind you guys, as we're wrapping up the year, to take some time to slow down, take a breath, like take a pause, and truly reflect on where you've been this last year. Um, I know that sounds like such a cliché point to make, 'cause yeah, everyone's like, "Reflect on the year." Like, "Here's your journal prompts." And like we're those people, too. We're like, "Here's some journal prompts." "Like reflect on the year." It sounds cheesy, but it is so important. I'm a big believer in the fact that where you've been needs to inform where you're going, and I think that that's true just holistically, but definitely strategically. If you know anything about my story in business, one of the reasons that I was able to see breakthrough and go from being more of a hobbyist to truly creating like a profitable business, is I started looking and reflecting on, okay, what's working, what's not working? What am I enjoying? What's feeling like pulling teeth? I started looking at the business, and of course, you're gonna do this from a strategic lens, but you're also gonna do this from a lens of like connection, alignment, vision, right? All of that is so important and foundational. And we just had our team retreat a couple weeks ago where we spent days like reflecting and casting vision for the upcoming year. And so, we hope that this episode was a really good touch point for you guys, reminder for you guys to reflect on where you've been. And hopefully, some of the lessons and the takeaways that we share with you guys today just really speak to you. We're gonna share some takeaways that are gonna be really important in setting the tone and foundation for 2025, and we're also gonna share some things that we believe are gonna be so central, important, and crucial in 2025, both like for us, you know, as a team, but also as a collective, as a larger collective. We're gonna touch on some things that we're gonna see that we believe to be important next year, so stick around for that. But we thought a fun way to kick off this episode would be sharing what our words for the year were. And I can't remember. Did we share our 2024 words in our last reflection episode? Or did we just share in reflection? Uh, I think we shared our words, because the episode was about staying steadfast, and that was your word for last year. Wait, what do you—I mean—what—answer your question? like did we share these words? No. Okay. Yeah. We haven't shared these words yet. We haven't shared these words. Yeah. So yeah. And we already have like our anthems chosen for 2025. We'll keep those—you know, until like next year. Yeah. We'll share them then. But we want to share in retrospect what our words were for this year, 2024, and kind of like our expectations versus what they actually ended up being. And if this isn't something that you currently do, I know everyone has their own kind of preferences and what works, but I really encourage you to choose an anthem for the year. It doesn't even have to be a word. Sometimes, like Jordan, you choose like themes. Yeah. Like sometimes in the—there was one year where I kind of had like a word. Uh, I think it was like, uh, rebirth or something, something like that, but my—Mm-hmm.—I had like a color for the year. My color was green, and I was really just feeling that. So sometimes, it—I don't know. It can be whatever you want it to be, I guess. Like it could be a phrase—Mm-hmm.—like a statement. I like to have like a word, just so I can be like, "This is the year of this," or whatever. Mm-hmm. And it's just like one word. But—it's good to have, like, whatever, whatever feels, like, right to you, whatever you need or whatever you want for the year. Like, sometimes I take that approach. Uh, it depends on the year. It's either I feel like this is the word that I really need going into the new year, or this is what I really want for the new year. This, my word today that I'm gonna share, it was more like a want. I was like, "I really want this going into the new year." Mm-hmm. So, um, yeah. Yeah, it can be, like, something that you wanna claim. But I think some years, like, for me, I'll even, like, have a word that just presents itself to me. Mm-hmm. I'll be praying and I'm like, "Oh, that word stands out." Like, that's kind of how I found my new word for 2025. But you can kind of choose what you wanna claim or you can choose something that you're just feeling drawn to naturally. Um, but there's no right or wrong, right? And it doesn't have to be a word. It can be a color, it could be a theme. But I do recommend having a central theme that is kind of the umbrella to your year and regularly, like, going back to that theme, thinking about that, praying into it, figuring out like, "Okay, how am I meant to walk this out and live this out this year?" And as we said in the last reflection episode, you guys, like—these words, they did not come to pass, like, in the exact way that we envisioned, and I feel like that's 100% how it is every single time. It's like God knows what you need. You might think you know what you need, but a lot of times, it's more of a place of, "This is what I want and this is what I think I need." And you will always be directed to what exactly is meant for you. And so, a lot of times that means that your word might take, you know, on a shape or a form that you didn't anticipate. But it's always, in retrospect, what we needed. Yeah. And that's what I love so much about having this theme and then reflecting on it because you're like, "Wow, that's not how—happen." Yeah. But here we are. It's, it's also, like, kind of a fun game to play. Yeah. And like, I mean, yeah, going into this year, I thought this word was gonna mean something different, or like, I wanted it to mean something different. But then, like, seeing what it actually looks like, it's always so interesting to me because I'm like, "Wow, like, I wasn't really anticipating that," or, "I didn't really want that, but, like, that is what I needed." You know? So it's just, like, fun to see, like, from the start of the year what you're thinking it's gonna look like—Mm-hmm.—and then at the end of the year being like, "That's not what it was supposed to be at all." Like, "That's crazy." I know. So let's share our words. We can kind of, like, explain what we're talking about here. My word for the year was roar. And I was like, "What?" [silence] "That sounds crazy. That's so hype. Like, what's that gonna look like?" And I was trying to remember if I'd actually selected this word before or after I knew that I was pregnant, and I can't quite remember. I'm leaning towards the fact that I chose it before. Mm-hmm. Um, but what I will say is that when I chose this word, I feel like what I was really wanting to lean into more and more was, like, letting my fullest expression come through without hesitation. And so, a lot of that was definitely intertwined into the business and work and content and my presence online. And I didn't realize at the time just how central that was going to be to birth and motherhood. And I feel like this year, with me becoming a mom and all the reflection Jordan and I have done, like, so much of this year was, like, way more about that chapter of my life and that transition of my life than it was about the business, which is so unique for me. Because ever since I started, you know, pursuing business in 2017, every year it's been full throttle. It's all I do, it's all I think about, because I'm so passionate about it. This year, like, becoming a mom definitely, like, just changed things. And I think that my word was absolutely selected for that season and that transition of my life. So, of course, like, giving birth was, like, this huge, powerful experience. It was wild. And I feel like I've never felt, like, so strong and so powerful and so like, "Oh my gosh, this is what I was meant to do." It was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my whole life, but it was also one of the most, like, powerful, liberating experiences. And literally, like, roared my baby into this world. My baby came out of the womb literally halfway out crying, and the doctors were like, "Oh my—I have never seen this before. Like, he's only halfway out and he's screaming." Um, but then the other piece to that is, my son's name is Leo, so of course that's tied. We call him Leo the Lionheart. And so there's just all of these little, you know, kind of things that just tie that all together as my word for the year. And I think that also as I've come back into work towards the end of the year after maternity leave, I do think one of the things we'll talk about more later in this episode is just this theme that we're feeling, this pull to, like, come back to our own, like, voices, our own self, our own specialties. And I think that that's definitely, you know, what I was hoping to embody with my word for the year. And I feel like it kind of took the full year for some of that stuff to really, like, come to fruition and seem like it was more at the forefront for me. But that's also another way I feel like I've seen my word come to life this year. Yeah, I love it. Like you—I feel like that is a really big thing, like finding your voice again. Mm-hmm. And it's just been, like, so cool to see. And just all the fun things. Like all the cool connections between your word and, like, Leo and his birth and you becoming a mom. It's just like, it's so fun to see all of that, like, tying together. Like—crazy. Oh, it's so crazy. I love it. Literally insane. My word for the year was harvest. Oh, Lord. This word, man, this word. Going into 2024, I picked the word harvest because I think that I've just been like—I actually don't remember how this word came about. I feel like I need to reflect on that and, like, look in my journal. But I just feel like I started seeing that word, I started noticing it and, like, really picking up on it, and I was like, "That needs to be my word." And I'm like, it—going into this year, I really was like, "This is going to be related to the business." Like we—you know—oh my God, I'm just laughing 'cause I'm like, it is so not—Like there's so many other, like, personal things that happened that like, oh my gosh, it just didn't turn out the way I, like, wanted it to. Um, but it—it turned out the way I needed it to. That's the whole thing. But going into this year, I was like, "You know, like, we've been working so hard, we've been laying the groundwork for the last few years, like, we're really gonna, like, reap a harvest in our business." Like we're gonna—like we've been planting seeds, they're gonna come to fruition, we're gonna taste the fruits of our labor, and I really was so adamant about that. That's what I wanted. That was my will for this year, was like, "We're gonna reap a harvest in the business." And I even, like, I think I have that written down in, like, my journals. Last year, when we had our team retreat in 2023, um, I remember in our document where I had, like, a bunch of questions and reflection and forecasting stuff going on, I wrote that in there, and I was just like, "We're gonna reap a harvest in the business." And like it was so, like, full throttle. Like I was so, like, "I'm ready for this," because like I just feel like we've been putting in so much work, and I'm like, "I'm ready for it," you know? "I'm ready for, like, to—I'm re—I'm ready to level up," you know? And it just, wow, did not turn out that way at all, but it turned out to be what I needed for sure. Uh, I remember when I picked that word, like, you know, there's kind of, there's multiple definitions for, like, most words. And I think with harvest, it was like—it's either—well, like, it's that idea of like gathering in crops. And I also just, with that word harvest, was thinking of the, that, uh, there's 2 sides to that. There's the side where you're the one picking up the, the, like, fruit or whatever, the vegetable, like, off of the ground or off of the, like, stem. Or there's the other side of that where you're the fruit, and you're being, like, plucked off of the stem. You know? Like there's 2 sides to that. And I feel like harvest has this connotation of like, uh, kind of like this, uh—what's the word I'm looking for? It's like hard work. Yeah. And like, it's like laborious to, like, d—actually, uh, like do a harvest, you know? Mm-hmm. People like farmers and all the, the workers, like, picking up all the fruit. And then like also on the other side of that, the fruit has to grow to the point where it can be ripe enough to be harvested. So like there's so much like, uh, like labor, I think, going into like a harvest, uh, or like leading up to a harvest. And oh, I really—like I—going into the year, I kind of thought, like, this could look, like, um, more painful than I want it to be. Like I remember picking the word and being like, "Let's hope that it's not that." Like let's hope that it's not painful. I want it to be like, you know, I want to reap a harvest in the business. That was my theme. But I think that like it totally took on a different form and totally just had this, like, crazy, like, personal experience where I just feel like I had a personal harvest. And I'm still trying to wrap my head around it, to be honest. But I feel like, uh, the way I've been thinking about it is like there have been a lot of seeds that have been, been planted within me as a person for years and years and years. You know, for my whole life really, and maybe even before I was born. There's been a lot of seeds that have been planted in me, um, prayers that have been prayed for me and things like that. And I feel like all of that was—growing inside of me, like the fruit was ripening. And I feel like I reached a point where it was like, "All right. It's time for that harvest." And it was painful. It was like I felt like, uh, I—just to use like another sort of like metaphor or symbol, I've been thinking a lot recently about, um, tilling of land. Mm-hmm. And how when you till the land, you're like upturning all the soil so that you can like aerate it. So there's air in it so you can add new seeds. So that they have more of a chance of growing. And I've really been thinking about that just within the last week, that symbol of like tilling the land. Mm-hmm. And—sounds painful. Yes. Sounds painful. And I feel like that's actually what was going on in me, was like—Mm-hmm.—a tilling of the land. I feel like new seeds have been planted, but I also—it's like I experienced a harvest. I feel like there's fruit that, um, was harvested within me, but I feel like new seeds were just planted as well. Mm-hmm. So it's like, yeah, it's just been a lot of personal stuff going on, but it's been so ultimately good for me. It was painful and I've been through like—I just went through like quite a bit of painful stuff just in such a short period of time, but now it's like I feel so much better and I feel like I am now ready for more of a harvest in the business. You know what I mean? It's like I needed to be prepped as a person for that next step—Yeah.—in the business. Mm-hmm. And, yeah, also can I just say, there is like a hawk—a hawk. Literally, I've been staring at it. There's just a hawk sitting here as we're recording this episode. That's so weird. I just like—I kept looking at it. I was like, "What is that?" "Is that like a bird or"—it's a hawk just like chilling outside. Hey, buddy. We see you. I'm gonna look up your meaning after this. But, yeah, it was just like that word did not mean what I wanted it to mean. Mm-hmm. But it—it meaned what it—it—it meaned? It meaned. It meaned. What it meaned. It meant what it needed to mean for me, you know, for my—Yeah.—betterment and to prepare me for a new season. And wow, like it was a lot, but it's been so good, so. Yeah, I feel like you have just come into your own this year in like such a major way. I definitely think in the business, but also as a person. I mean, if we think about in the business, I mean, Jordan like took the business on solo like f—you know, she was the face of the business for months while I was on leave. She was doing her first ever like solo-led coaching calls. And we've had so many people reach out and just be like, "Jordan, literally slayed while you were away." Like how—I've literally had people been like, "Okay, is this like as seamless as it looks on the front end? Because Jordan just like looks like she knows what is up." "Like I wish that I had that person for my business." And, you know, I think that's a huge way that you grew and you did reap a harvest because you have been growing so much personally—Mm-hmm.—um, to where you have the confidence and the boldness to be able to carry the business, be the face of the business, coach and lead our, you know, members, our community, and pour into our clients while I'm not around. You could not have done that when you started working with me. Oh, no, like I had to grow into that. Yeah. For sure. Majorly had to grow into that just like we all do. Yeah. I think the thing was that you were expecting going into the year seeing that harvest in the form of like numbers, followers, clients, members—Yeah.—uh, money—Mm-hmm.—whatever. And like don't get us wrong, we have had some incredible wins in the business this year, but I think that was just so not what your word was meant for. Yeah. Like absolutely not what it was meant for. It was so geared more towards personal growth and this like God moment, transformation that you had where like you're ending this year with more peace than you have had in a really long time. And like all of that growth and that work, that absolutely is going to pave the way for the harvest that I think you were envisioning for the business. Yeah. No, absolutely. And I feel like this kinda ties in with some of my like big takeaways from the year. But I just feel like I needed to be prepared personally before I could have what I wanted. Mm-hmm. Like I felt like I—you know, I wanted that harvest in the business and I wanted all these like big monetary things, which like those things are good to strive for, but my focus was just so off. Like I really was just like—it was not good. Mm-hmm. Um, my focus was really off. I was not focused on the right things. and, um, I was just, like, frustrated. Mm-hmm. And I ultimately feel like I needed to go through, like, personal stuff before I could, like, actually have the things that I want, you know? Like, I couldn't have those things, I couldn't have, like, a harvest in the business if I didn't have my own personal, like, experience—Yeah.—that, like, could, like, lead me there. So, yeah. Yeah. It makes me think about how you go about achieving your goals says a lot about how you may or may not sustain them. So, if you go about achieving your goals in a way that's just striving, hustle, you're coming from a place of trying to imitate, you're always feeling like you're not enough and you're striving to recreate to hit goals, or you're hustling so hard that you're not moving sustainably, you're gonna burn out, like, that's going to determine, like, how you continue to actualize goals over the long term. So, I think that the way that you've been able to go about it is a lot more sustainable. I mean, growing and reaching this place within yourself, that's just posturing you for more growth that's gonna be sustainable and even more powerful—Mm-hmm.—in the future. Yeah. So, I think those were just some initial takeaways we wanted to share from our words for the year, but we wanted to go even more into takeaways for 2024, uh, from 2024 rather, and just really share with you guys some of the biggest themes that we saw, that we're taking away from the year. I think it's so important to learn lessons from your year. We're always so eager to learn from other people, to learn new tactics, to learn new skills. And don't get me wrong, growing is great and r—receiving and learning from other people is awesome. I mean, we coach people, so we obviously value that. But at first, the first and foremost person and thing that you should be paying attention t—to is yourself and your actual experience. If you're not paying attention to that, what are we doing, right? Like, you and your experience is one of your greatest teachers, if you will learn from it, if you will notice it. So, take some time to do that for yourself. But for me, one of the biggest takeaways I had from this year, and then I actually just want to speak over this community, is who you are is enough. It's more than enough. I think that the longer we're in business, the more that we're building up our dream, we're building products and services, we're seeing how other people are doing things, we can kind of get swept up in this notion that we need to do things like other successful people have done them in order to succeed. Mm-hmm. We get in this loop and we get down this rabbit hole where we start trying to conform and fit into these molds and do things the exact way that other people have done them because we think that's the only way. But in doing that, you actually neglect to leverage the thing that makes you unique and powerful and sets you up for your greatest breakthrough, and that is leveraging you. That's leveraging your skillsets, leveraging what makes you different. And I have definitely gone through ebbs and flows. U—and I've done this dance multiple times in my own business journey, and you kind of don't realize that you're doing it. You know, you'll find yourself, like, steps along th—the way and you're like, "Wait, how did I get here?" "What am I doing?" And, you know, Jordan's even been such a great sounding board for me. She's like, "These are incredible things that you're good at. Why aren't we using this in our marketing? Why aren't we talking about this? Why aren't we leaning into these things?" And that's kind of leading into a different point that I don't want to get to just yet, but I just want you to know that who you are is enough. It's more than enough. And actually, it's the thing that will lead to your breakthrough if you learn how to leverage it, if you learn how to harness who you are. What are your natural inclinations? What naturally makes you different? You don't have to conform to be like anyone else, to be like any other company. You can kind of do what you want to do and make your business what you want it to be. That is part of entrepreneurship. That's part of, you know—uh, that's an advantage—Mm-hmm.—that you have access to because you're running your own business. And leveraging that is going to be so important next year. But for anyone that's listening to this where you've just b—been feeling down about yourself, frustrated, maybe you're like, "I am not where I need to be. Something's wrong with me. Am I really cut out for this? Can I do this?", I believe that the only thing that you need to succeed in business is a commitment to your vision, a commitment to see it through when things are great, when things are not great. Anyone can learn and develop and grow, and that's the key to your success. We talked about that in our episode last year. Becoming and growing, that's your key to success, so just remember that. But as long as you have the commitment to your vision, you can do this. You can do this. And the vision, the desire, the goal, that's inside of you for a reason. It's not there just by happenstance. It's there for a reason. You're meant to actualize it, to see it come to fruition. It might just have a different path than you anticipated, and that's okay. But who you are is more than enough. Hmm. Yeah. And I was thinking, y—you said the word conform, and that just, like, popped out at me 'cause I feel like, uh, we can all get caught up in that. And I think that I've even really fallen into that before where, like, I just see what everyone else is doing and it's—God, it's like, social media—let's, like, chat for a second. Social media and the way it's set up, it can sometimes perpetuate this where i—we feel like we need to conform to certain structures and certain frameworks. Like, for example, like, the way that you create a Reel, the way that you create a short form video, you have to follow the way that everyone else does it so that you can reach more people, so that you can grow, so that you can grow your page, so that you can grow your business as a result. And it's like, I personally am just—I feel like I'm so—like, we are so nonconformist. I feel like we don't like to conform. That is so against my nature, and I feel like when I give into that, when I have given into that in the pa—i—in the past, it's just so detrimental to me and my creative process. It sucks the joy out of it, it sucks the joy out of my creative process, and it makes what I'm creating, uh, less powerful because I'm just conforming to what everyone else is doing, and I'm just, like, following along with the crowd. And I feel like I've done that before where I feel like I have become the sheep, like, following along with all the rest of the crowd, and we're all just kind of like—it's like s—the social media giants, they're like the shepherd, and they're, like, leading us and telling us what we have to do, and we're the sheep just kind of, like, blindly following and, like, going along with it 'cause we feel like we have to fit into certain frameworks so that we can succeed. And I'm like, it's the exact opposite. You have to stand out and not conform to the frameworks and not conform and not be like everyone else. That's how you actually stand out amongst the crowd, and that's, I think, how you really succeed is when you are so confident in who you are as a person, your strengths, your skills, what makes you unique, you're so confident in yourself, and that seeps into your brand and your company so that your company is just, like, so solid, and you're so confident in yourself and your brand that, like, no one else can tell you any different. Mm-hmm. I'm just—Mm-hmm.—I've been feeling that so much h—like, so heavily for the past few years, and I'm really, like, getting to a head with it where I'm just like, uh, like, I'm just reaching a point where I'm, I'm at my crescendo. I am, like—I'm so done personally with feeling like I have to conform, uh, and do certain things a certain way, especially when it comes to marketing 'cause that's more of my, like, lane. That's what I—that's where I'm more involved in, and, like, I just don't want to do it like everyone else. I'm so tired of that personally, and I'm like, I want to just be who I am. I want us to be who we are as a brand and, like, roll with it, and I feel—Mm-hmm.—like that's what really sets you up for long-term success. When you conform y—and lose yourself in the crowd, you don't stand a chance of, like, standing out amongst—Mm-hmm.—your competitors. You don't stand a chance of, like, captivating your ideal audience and captivating your ideal customers when you are just acting and creating and doing things like everyone else. Mm. She's on fire. Smells my—ah. Man, it's so true—oh.—and that is just how you burn out. It's so exhausting when you're constantly trying to keep up and be like everyone else. Yeah. I mean, I think at the end of the day, we know that this community is full of creative and visionary people, and I think the fastest way to kill your creativity is to try and conform constantly. And it's not to say that you can't leverage certain things that are working, AKA maybe you do want to create reels because you know that that is going to get you in front of more people, but maybe you go about it in a different way. Maybe you don't follow a specific formula. Maybe you just use your creativity, uh, 80% of the time, and then, you know, other times you could test other things. I don't think it's a coincidence that literally our best performing reel of the entire year uh, was just released recently by Jordan, and you literally created a story set. You were speaking about something that you were passionate about, and then you created, compiled that together, turned it into a reel. It's our best performing reel of the year, and there's no formula you followed. You were just speaking from your heart, and I felt something on it too. I was like, that is so powerful. And it wasn't because she followed a formula. It was because she was speaking from something within, a conviction within herself, and you can feel the difference in content when you come from that place. That's so true. Uh, like, we say that, uh, all the time. Like, "People can smell fake from a f—from a mile away." And it's not necessarily that I think people are trying to be fake, but I think that when you're not operating out of your unique power and your strengths and your skills, then you're not being authentic to yourself. Mm-hmm. You're not being authentic to your own creativity and your own creative process and your own vision, and that's where you slip over into that zone of, like, you're kind of like—I don't know. Not saying that people are fake, but you kind of—I—it's like this, uh—it's just not authentic to who you are. Yeah, it's a watered-down version of yourself. Yes, and I'm like, "No more of that." Oh my gosh, I'm—no more. We're leaving that behind in 2024. Yes. Like moving into the new year, I'm so feeling that. Like, I personally am feeling it. I'm feeling it for our community. I'm like, "Y'all, we gotta step into our power as like—uh, be ourselves, be so authentic to who we are, and let that shine. Like, let it rip. Let it go. Let it—let the whole world see it, 'cause it's like—" Woo! 'Cause I'm just so—I'm sick of it. I'm sick of all of y'all—conforming to all—whatever. Yeah. But yeah. We're here to do things differently, so. Yeah. Let's do it, people. One of my big takeaways, um—I kept seeing this, like, graphic over and over again. I saw it on Instagram on my Explore page, and then I found it on Pinterest as well, and it's just this quote graphic that said, "Trust the seeds you're planting," and I kept seeing it, and I kept seeing it, and it just stood out to me so much probably because of the theme of w—my word for the year was harvest, and I really—like that just—it, it like pulled my attention so much that I was like, "Hmm. Like there's something—there's something on that." So, I just kept reminding myself of that, uh, 'cause I felt like I needed that reminder that like I need to trust the seeds that I'm planting, like in the business, for instance. Like, the work that I'm doing, even when I have a bad day and I feel like, you know, this is all for naught and, you know, I just like—I—I'm just in my own frustration and anxiety about it all, even on those days, we have to like trust that the work we're doing is moving us forward and preparing us. Like that's kind of what I feel like the whole thing was for me with the word harvest. Like I was being prepared for something more. It's like I needed to trust the seeds that I was planting and even, you know, adding onto that, I feel like I really needed to learn how to find contentment with where I was at in the present moment and this present season of my life that like we can always want more. I don't think that that's a bad thing. But when you are not content with where you're at, I don't think you can get to the more of what you're wanting. You know? Like I don't think you might be ready for it yet. And I'm speaking to myself here 'cause that's—that's how—I was feeling that so much. Like, I needed to feel content in the present season of my life. And I think I needed to find that contentment before I could even get to something new—Mm-hmm.—to get to what I wanted, so. Yeah. I think that just reminds me of the fact that quite often we're chasing for the more, not really for the more like in the physical form of like money or status or the house or the car, but we're chasing a feeling that we really want to have now. Mm-hmm. And you think that that thing is going to somehow bring more of that feeling into your life, whether it's peace or it's abundance or it's space or trust or contentment, right? You think that all those things are gonna create that feeling within yourself, but actually, you have to practice finding that now. Otherwise, when you get there and you get the more, you're not going to feel those things. You truly are not. Mm-hmm. Like we both—I mean, we're still very early on in our journey, but like, we both have experienced goals, you know, fulfilled that we thought would bring something, and you get there and you're like, "This is not what I thought it would feel like. I mean, I'm proud of myself, but like, ah, this is not what I thought it would feel like." Mm-hmm. Yeah. Um, and so, if you're chasing and chasing and chasing after the more because you really want to experience a feeling, practice feeling that thing now. Oh, yeah. How can you feel the contentment now? How can you feel the peace now? And practice that. Mm-hmm. Practice leaning into that, so that as you do achieve more, there's more fulfillment there, and you're actually fulfilling your purpose in a sustainable way versus burning and churning to try and hit the goal for the sake of it. God, that is so good. That is so good. I feel like that is—like I didn't even think of it that way, but I feel like that is kind of what I was wanting. Like when I wanted more in the business, I really just wanted like more peace of mind. And like, I feel like I've been, uh, feeling a lot of like anxiety and stress the past couple years and it's just kind of built up and built up so much, and it kinda came to a head this year, and I feel like luckily now I've kind of moved through a lot of that. I mean, of course, we can also deal with stress and anxiety, but it's just like way less. Mm-hmm. And I feel like I have so much more peace, and I am learning how to be patient 'cause I know that's like—that's not my strong suit. I'm just—I want to like get to the next thing. I feel like that's kind of part of my nature as a person, but I feel like I just probably was really chasing that feeling of like peace and contentment. But I'm like—I think that now I've sort of unlocked that in my present where I feel like I am—I am so content. You know what? Sometimes I think we can want so much that like we forget about the current blessings in our life. Mm-hmm. Like the blessings in my life right now, I have pretty—I feel like I have everything that I need, you know? Mm-hmm. I h—I'm good, you know? Like—I—I want more but I'm—I have so many things to be thankful for, and I think that I got really lost and swept up in—in, like, a state of victimhood, uh, where I just felt like, you know, I want to be, like, further along or, like, why am I not here yet? Like, why can't I have this yet? Just like a whiny little baby. And I was not raised to be like that, okay? Like, I—I know better, you know what I mean? And I feel like I caught myself doing that so much and I was like, "That's not okay." Like, I need to find contentment where I'm at. I need to trust that—Mm-hmm.—the seeds I'm planting, the work I'm doing is—is good and it is helping me grow and it is helping me get to the next thing, it's preparing me for the next thing. But I have to, like, find contentment through—through that process. It's like, you know, I—I was thinking about it, it's like, you know, uh, thinking about, like, actually planting seeds, like you're on a farm and you're planting those seeds or whatever. You don't just sit there and, like, stare at the seeds and, like, wait for them to grow. Like, you go busy yourself—you go busy yourself with something else. Like, you have other work to do on the farm, you know what I mean? Get to work, my friend. Yeah, yeah. And I think that, like, uh, everything—I was just having a conversation with our mom the—this past week or so and she just said this most profound and simple statement. "Life is work." And when she said it, I was just like, man that was so good because everything is work. Work is work—Mm-hmm.—relationships are work, motherhood is work. Uh, every aspect of life is work and I think that I've really come to a place where I'm like, I'm accepting that. That like, I can, uh, plant a lot of seeds with actual work stuff and—Mm-hmm.—you know, believe that they're gonna grow but I also—I need to be doing other things as well. Like, I need to, like, uh, plant some other seeds in other areas of my life and, like, busy myself with other things because I think when you're, like, obsessing over something that, like, you really want to happen, it's like—it's like a watched pot, never boils, you know? Yep. Like, you can't just watch and sit there and wait for—for it to grow. Like, you gotta be doing some other things. You gotta busy yourself with other things—Mm-hmm.—you know? Yeah. And just be content where you are, you know? That's so true. I feel like some people listening, like, you have convinced yourself that, like, when you reach X, Y, Z, that's when you're gonna start living your life. That's when, like, life is gonna happen for you, that's the destination, that's when it's all gonna come together, it's all gonna be amazing. That's where your life is. It's on the other side of that fence, you know, the grass is greener over there type of mentality. But, like—Mm-hmm.—this is it. Yes. This moment right now, this is it. This is your life. This is the work. This is always what it's going to be. Mm-hmm. This is always what it's gonna be. It's just like, uh, the only difference is, like, what goals have you achieved and like, what are you working on next? True. And it's not to perpetuate this idea that, like, you always have to be doing and doing and doing more, but I do believe that we were created to create and work and pour into something. Whether that is, like, you are a stay-at-home mom and you're pouring into your kids or you're building a business from the ground up. Like, we were meant to pour into something. Like, we are natural creators. We're meant to put our hands to things, we're meant to put our minds to things. This is it, like right now. Like, this is always what it's gonna be. So, we have to rewire the way that we're viewing life and work and fulfillment, because if you're waiting to get there to feel happy, you're never gonna feel happy. You have to find it now. Amen. That is so good and that's something that I feel like I've been slowly learning throughout the year, is that, like, all we have is the present moment. Like, we plan for the future and that is a good thing. You should absolutely plan for the future but don't worry about it. There's a difference. You plan but you don't worry. But, like, all you have is today. Mm-hmm. You know? So like, for example, if you want to, like, start working out, you better do it today. You—all you have is literally right now in this present moment and I feel like that's something that I've really been learning is, like, being more present, plan—like laying plans for the future but, like, really taking advantage of the day that I have. Like, the day right in front of me. Mm-hmm. Like, getting to work, going on a walk, doing things that bring me joy but also, like, putting my mind to—to my work and, like, getting things done and making moves and, like, every single day is a new opportunity. Mm-hmm. And you gotta, like, take it. You've got to, like, take that opportunity and run with it, and you can't just, like, sit here and always, like, be, like, daydreaming about the future and fantasizing about, like, this some—like, this fantasy of, like, "One day, I'm gonna get there, and one day, I'll have peace of mind. One day, I'll have contentment. One day, I'll have joy if I just reach this goal." I mean, that's just not the way it works. You have to really find that within yourself right now where you're at. That is just so good. Mm-hmm. Oh my gosh. We're preaching. Yeah. We're freaking preaching right now. Preach it. Preach it, Sister. And I think that does tie into one of the other takeaways I wanted to mention, which is just the importance of remembering what really matters to you, and I think that's something that keeps you going in the process, like, in the trenches, in the weeds of the process, where you're trudging through the mud, and you feel like—"Oh, woe is me!" "Where's the fruition and the harvest?" Why did I become an old man? It's like th—my goals are taking forever. Like, honestly though, people ask me all the time, like, you know, "What do you do when, like, things feel like they're taking forever?" Which, by the way, our forever is like, "Oh my gosh, it didn't happen this quarter." "Oh my gosh, it didn't happen this last 365 days! Uh, but like, I need to hit that goal. That was my goal for the year." And it's just like, this is so—Hey, I'm that person, so like—Mm-hmm.—I'm making fun of myself right now, but—this is how we think, and—and we're like, "Oh my gosh, it's taking so long," but is it? Is it? Mm-hmm. Is it really taking that long? Do you know how many people have done great things that literally chipped away at it their entire lifetime? Hmm. So, how connected to your vision are you? How committed to your vision are you? And if you aren't, that's okay. We need to go back to the foundation of like, why are you doing this? What is it for? And I know something that happened to me this year, and I fully believe this happened because I transitioned to being a mom, and I think when you go through a life-altering change like that, it makes you question all sorts of things. It was the first year ever that I was like, "I do not feel connected to my business right now." I thought that giving birth, I was gonna be like, "Oh my gosh, I'm having these revelations. I'm on maternity leave. Like, I have so much time off." Which like, what the heck? Girlfriend, you know nothing about having a baby. I literally was working every hour. Like, I'm producing milk. I'm, like, up all night. I ain't got no sleep. I'm crying. I'm sleep-deprived. No, I had no revelations during that time. I literally was like, "Uh, I feel like I don't know what I'm gonna do when I go back to the business." Like, I—I don't feel connected at all. And so, I think that that really shook me to the core to remember and to get, gain perspective again about what really matters to me as a person and, like, what matters to me in this business, and I finally got there. It took s—you know, quite a few months to go through that process of kind of like shedding some things that I may have taken on that I didn't actually really care about or want, and then to find clarity on the things that really matter to me. So again, like, what matters to you? Are you clear on that? Like, truly, what's the vision? I know everyone says that, but it's—it's true. It doesn't have to be like a 10-year vision. I think if you can think big, that's awesome, but like, at—and it's very, like, most simple form, you need to know why you're doing what you're doing. Like, what's the why behind it? Because when that's clear, you can get through the toughest day. You'll always get up the next morning, and you'll be back at it, because you know why you're there, and there's a sense of purpose behind what you're doing and how you're moving. That's so good. Yeah, I feel like I had s—i—I experienced something kind of similar. It wasn't in the same way, but I felt like I had some sort of disconnect with the business as well, and I—like this year, and I—now, I'm like, I'm back, and I'm, you know—we're both, I feel like, just back. We got our spark. Like, I just feel, like, a new level of excitement in the air—Mm-hmm.—and, like, electricity, like, energy. Things are happening, and, um, yeah, I just, I feel like I had to get back to my, like, core vision, and like, I don't know. Really, something I've been really thinking about recently is just, like, gratitude. Mm-hmm. Like, being grateful for, like, what we've already built so far. Yeah. And being grateful for the people in our community, and I don't know, just like, yeah, getting really clear, getting back to that vision, and just holding, like, steady with that moving forward. I'm just like, letting that be like a light unto my path. Yeah. Like, as we move forward, it's like keeping that vision just like super clear. I wish that I had brought my journal with me, 'cause I, I forgot about it, but there was this little excerpt. I was just like journaling one day, uh, thinking about like this point of like your needs take precedence over your wants sometimes in your life. That is just such a common theme I've been feeling so much recently. I kind of wish I had my journal so I could like read an excerpt from it, 'cause it just—it was so good, but there are some seasons of your life, and honestly, I would just say for like the most part, your needs typically take precedence over your wants. Like, you can want for so many things in your life. You can want to reach the next level in your business. You can want, uh, more clients. You can want to go travel. You can want to, like, have this thing or that thing, like, whatever it is, but that's something I really—I, like, experienced firsthand this year that, like, I may have wanted something, but my needs needed to be fulfilled or filled first and foremost. Like, my needs had to be taken care of before I could ever get to the things that I want. You know? And it's like, you can, you can pray, and strive, and want all these things, but like, I really feel like God will not grant you the things that you want just because you're asking and hoping and praying for it. You have to be prepared for it. Mm-hmm. You have to be prepared to carry the weight of your desires, because the bigger your dreams and desires are, the bigger the responsibility. Mm-hmm. And honestly, any dream. It doesn't have to be, like, you wanna have, like, a multimillion dollar business. It could just be that maybe you wanna have more than enough in your life. Like, maybe you wanna have—maybe you want a smaller business. Maybe you, like, you don't want some big, grand thing. But any desire, any level of desire, whether it's, like, super big or s—or kind of small, it requires a level of responsibility. It requires you to be prepared to carry the weight of that responsibility, and your needs need to be taken care of and filled first and foremost before you can get to have all those things that you want. You know? So, I feel like that's something I experienced firsthand, where I was like, "My needs take precedence right now." I might want to do this or I might want to have this, but I need to take care of my needs before I can get there. Mm-hmm. And once you prioritize your needs, I think you'll be more likely to receive those wants. Mm-hmm. Like, to receive the desires, and yeah. It's like you have to be prepared for it first. Mm-hmm. I think about it like, you know, your 5yearold son might say, "I wanna drive the car." Yeah. And it would be pretty cruel for you to say, "Okay, sure. Go drive the car." He wants to do that thing, but he needs to grow and learn and, like—true.—get older before he can actually do that thing. Or my newborn, he might want to skip a nap. But then when he—skips his nap, he can't handle it. So, he needs to rest so that he can play and he can have fun and smile. And it's the same thing with you and your dreams, and I believe that, like, God plays that same role with us. It's like, "I know that you want that and, like, I want that for you too, but you're not ready for that. You don't need that in this season. You're not quite ready, so I'm gonna give you the things that you need to work through before you can have what you want." Mm-hmm. Because if it was the other way around, it would actually be pretty cruel, right? Because you're asking for something, you're going for something that you're not quite ready to carry and sustain. And if something's going to destroy you, I don't think you actually want that thing yet. You know? You need to grow. You need to work on you, so that when you get there, you can thrive. Yeah. You might think that you're ready for the f—for the thing. You might think that you're ready to have all the desires of your heart, and I felt that way. Like, this year, my biggest example being, like, I wanted to reap a harvest in the business, AKA I just wanted to see, like, uh, the wrong kind of growth, I think. I was so focused on, like, growing our social media page and growing, like, uh, reaching all these new heights, and I was like, "Our business is gonna be booming." "Like, exploding like never before, you know?" Yeah. "We're gonna reap this harvest," and whatever. And I wanted that, but I don't think that I could carry the weight of that yet. You know? And I feel like—Mm-hmm.—I needed to be prepared first. Mm-hmm. And you might think that you're ready for the thing, but you might not actually be ready yet. Like, maybe you need, maybe you need certain things first. Maybe you need to grow first. Maybe you need to, like, grow in your skills and develop as a person. Maybe you need to go through some things. Like, I had to go through something that's kinda difficult for me, uh, to get to this point, where now I have a lot of peace and contentment, and I feel like I am entering a new season of my life with so much peace of mind and clarity. And I feel so good moving forward, and I feel like I needed to go through the tumultuous, like, season that I was in, so that I could get here. So, it's like, it might not look pretty. You know? Like, ih—n—getting your needs met first, it might not be, like, super fun, you know? Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. So yeah. So true. That is speaking to someone who's listening right now. That's speaking to someone. So now, we want to wrap by really forecasting for next year, and I want to share just some themes that we're feeling pulled towards and we're feeling are gonna be really relevant for the community, first being like, we're coming into more community and collaboration. I feel like over the last couple of years, it has, in a way, felt like a season of isolation for a lot of people. You know, you've kind of been behind the scenes of the business. You've been in the weeds trying to figure things out, move things forward. You've been problem-solving, and I think that, uh, sometimes, especially in those seasons where you're—you're trying to figure things out or maybe you're feeling a little bit down, right? Like, maybe you're feeling like, "I don't know if I can do this," I think we do tend to isolate ourselves. And I think for myself personally, with just being pregnant, super pregnant, and then having my baby, it was definitely a major year of isolation for myself, and just being with myself and my baby and my family. But I do feel like there's so much on the horizon for all of us next year when it comes to being in community, being with people, and I've even seen our clients really, like, leaning into this so much more as we get towards the end of the year, like going and being in-person with people, going to networking events, doing in-person team days, going to virtual, you know, coffee hours, whatever it might be, leaning into virtual community spaces that you're a part of, because we really are—not meant to do this alone. Like, you are not meant to do something great by living on your own island. Like, you just simply cannot do the greatest, biggest things in your life all on your own. And that doesn't mean that you need to go, like, hire a mentor necessarily. It might mean that you need help with childcare. You might need help with groceries. You, you know, y—you need help in some sense of the word, and I think even more than that, you need to be in-community, either with peers or with mentors, and that can even be people that you're pouring into as well, but we're meant to be around other people. Um, I think we get into dangerous places when we isolate ourselves and we get very in our head, and you forget that you can do this. You can do this. You can get through whatever you're facing, and having people around you that are encouraging and positive and, like, uplifting, that really, really does get you so far. So we're feeling community and collaboration for next year, and it's also something that we're really feeling passionate about for our own company, just creating more opportunities to bring the community together and to pour into you guys. Uh, so you'll definitely see that reflected in some of the things we—next year. Love it. Yeah, I feel like I—I've been feeling that a lot, too, with like, I just work at home, like, with my computer, and I'm just like sitting there at my desk, like, for m—most, like, the majority of my day. Mm-hmm. And that is isolating, and honestly, for a long time, I kind of, I think that I kinda like enjoyed it, 'cause I was like, "I just get to be by myself. I'll like put music on while I'm working," and like, sometimes it's fun, but I feel like I am kind of entering the season where I don't—I'm not enjoying that as much, and I feel like I want to have more team days with you, and like I wanna be, like, even if we're just coworking, like, next to each other or, like, we're talking about things and talking about ideas that we have and what—and planning for stuff. Like, I feel like that, I mean, I—I've always loved our team days, but I'm like, moving forward, I really want that where it's like, I feel more involved—Mm-hmm.—and, like, uh, more engaged, not just, like, with us, but even, like, in our community, and I feel like I've been engaging more, like, I don't know, for a long time, I just, like, didn't like, uh, commenting on people's, like, posts and stuff, 'cause like even if I liked it, I would just kinda like it and move on, but now I just feel like I'm like, I don't know, I just feel like this desire to, like, chat with people and, like, lift people up and, like, if I'm—if I like someone's p—like, content that they shared, like, I wanna tell them. I'm like—Mm-hmm.—"this is amazing," or like, "I love your vibe," or whatever. I just feel like I wanna be more, like, engaged overall. Yeah. And I feel like a lot of people are feeling that, for sure. So—Mm-hmm.—um, yeah. One other thing that I'm really feeling is like, and we've both been feeling this, but I feel like we're stepping into this era of radically owning who you are, and I know we've kinda talked about that. It kind of feels like this elusive topic of like, "Oh, like, just be authentic to who you are," and like, that's great, but I really do feel like getting even more specific, like radically owning your specialty and your s—unique skill sets that you have. Um, we—w—we may have overlapping skills that, like, with other people in our community, for example, but my unique skill sets are gonna be different from someone else. Like, I have a unique, like, uh, like blueprint, you know? Like, uh, different skills, different strengths, different desires, and that makes up kinda like who I am, and that's gonna be a little bit different from other people, and, uh, same thing with you. And like, one thing that, uh, I don't know, when we were talking on our team retreat, I was just, like, really feeling like we are getting back to the basics of, like, who we are as individuals, who we are as a brand, The Awakening, and we're gonna be so, like, radically owning that moving into the new year, 'cause like, like I was saying earlier, like, I'm so done with, like, conforming to what everyone else is doing. I'm really feeling that, like, just owning who we are, being so unapologetically us. Mm-hmm. And being okay with that, and finding that confidence from within, because you know, I've—I've experienced a new level of confidence in recent years, but even then, like, I have kind of wavered some where I—I look at other people, and I'm like, "Wow, like, they're—they're so good at this, and I'm just not there yet," and I f—can feel, like, down about myself and just doubt my skills, but I'm like, first off, I'm right where I need to be. Second—I have a different set of skills and I have a—I'm a different person than that person over there. And I just need to remain so focused on who I am and just keep pushing in that direction, and keep pushing towards that, leaning into that as I move forward. And I feel like we're really feeling that for our brand as well. It's just, like, owning our specialty and being so okay with that and not trying to be like any other brand out there, and just being, like, so firm in who we are as The Awakening. Mm-hmm. Like, no one can—like, I don't want anything to sway that anymore. It's like I—I want to be a firmly rooted tree, where we are not going to be swayed with the tides of, like, what everyone else is doing. It's just, like, being so firm in that—Mm-hmm.—moving forward. So. I felt that theme of, like, we're going back to our roots. Mm-hmm. Like, I think that I'm experiencing that personally, but also for the business, just going back to our roots of, like, who we are and, like, even, you know, people before us in our family line. Like, what, what—H—how are they paving the way? Like, we come from a family of builders, like, building something from nothing. And we come from a, a family that has very powerful men, but very powerful women as well, that contribute different things to the picture that make up and really have paved the way for so many, uh, things that contribute towards who we are, like a—I think our work ethic, our empathy. Like, those are things that have been poured into us that have been paved the way for for generations. So, I'm getting really deep with it, but just this concept of going back to our roots and, like, who are we? What makes us different? What are we meant to bring to the table for our community? And I think that something I see a lot of people doing, and I've done this too, is, like, we try to overcomplicate it. We—Mm-hmm.—try to overcomplicate who we are and what we do, and we need to make it sound a certain way. And it needs to be, like, this revolutionary thing. And it's like, uh, no, I don't really agree with that anymore. It's like i—it actually is very simple. Like, who are you? What are you good at? And I know that that sounds so, so simple, um, but it's so necessary. It's so powerful. I've had clients come to me before where we've been doing just some vision casting of like, what's your vision for your business? And I've had clients be like, "This is what I wrote out. Do you think this is good? Do you think this is big enough? Do you think this is"—I was like, "Wait. The—I'm reviewing, like, literally your vision. I can't tell you that." Mm-hmm. Like, if I'm reviewing a strategy for something, okay, I can tell you if that makes sense according to certain elements and things in a business. But, like, your vision needs to just be, like, your vision. And, like, your business and everything that you're building within your business, like, it needs to be you. It needs to stem from you. Um, and that's even if you aren't a personal brand. I really believe this. Like, even if you aren't a personal brand and you're building something where it ne—you aren't necessarily the face of the company, it still is an extension of your skillsets, of your differentiators as a person. And those are the things that make your business stronger, that make you stand out, that make you captivate the right people. So, this is a big thing we're gonna be speaking to a lot next year, just different ways to actually do this. And you'll be seeing us, like, live it out, trying to, you know, walk the talk as best we can, um, because we think this is, like, the overarching theme for next year. It keeps coming up in our team days, in our communities, in our trainings. But this is gonna be big next year. And so, if there's one thing you take away from this episode to really think about, really sit with, I want you to do this deeper work and reflection of who am I? What am I good at? What are my strengths and skillsets? What truly makes me different? What makes me come alive? Like, get to know that unique blueprint that you have on the inside of you, because that's the thing that you need to follow. That's the thing that you need to leverage in your business to create the breakthrough that you're seeking. Yeah, amen. It's like I—uh, you don't necessarily need a new strategy, although you can always kind of refine things here and there, and you should reflect on, on things like that going into the new year. But I think that's the biggest thing is, like, owning who you are and just, like, being so unapologetic with that. Mm-hmm. I think that's what most people need right now, honestly. I don't think you need a new strategy or a new this or that. I think it's really just, like, going inward to yourself and asking those deeper questions. And like you said, it can be super simple. You don't have to overcomplicate it. Like, literally just list out what are you good at. What are your strengths? Like, for me, I've always been pretty good at writing. Mm-hmm. I excelled in, in that in, in high school. I was always really good in English classes. It can be simple. I think y—we do really overcomplicate it, but it's like, what are you naturally good at? Mm-hmm. Write that out. Write, uh, write down your skills, write down your strengths, and also write down the things that, like, um, the things that you desire as well. Mm-hmm. 'Cause that's also a part of you, for sure. Mm-hmm. So, yeah. Yeah. That ties into this next point I wanted to make i—is that this year is gonna be more about refinement and less about reinvention. I feel like we're exiting this era of burn it all down and build from the ground up. And don't get me wrong, you might be coming out with new programs, new things. You might be doing new things next year. You might have new initiatives that you're prioritizing next year. But I just feel so strongly that we're leaning into a season of refinement versus reinventing everything all the time, because that is how we feel as though we are being productive, because we're busy and we've got a long list of things that we're, you know, reinventing. We're gonna rebrand. We're gonna rename. We're gonna do this new program, but we're gonna redo it again, and we're gonna do the marketing a whole new way. And it's just like, oh my god, we're reinventing all the time. It's like, how are you creating better and better results if you aren't constantly refining the top 3? And I feel like this is something that's so true with all the clients I work with. I'm working with a few clients now, we've worked together for, like, 3 years, maybe more if you include other containers within that. And some of the things that we're working on have been in the background almost the entire time that we've been working together, thinking about, like, selling passive income products and optimizing funnels. And people create great results through constant refinement. You get lost when you're constantly reinventing, because you're creating 50 times the work for yourself and you're never, never able to go deep to create deep results and return on investment. Mm-hmm. So I think this is a strategic move, but I also just feel like it is—it's going to do something for your soul too, to actually lean into, these are the things that I know I wanna actually be doing, and I don't have to reinvent. I don't have to reinvent the wheel. I don't have to do a full, you know, rebrand. Or I don't have to redo our messaging again, because, like, this, this is it. Like, I don't have to overcomplicate it. I don't have to revolutionize it. We don't have to revolutionize anything. Okay? Like, who's really revolutionizing anything at this point? Can I please ask that question? And I've used that word too. It's like, "We're revolutionizing this." But it's like, hasn't that already been done—like, a million times before? So—I'm on a soapbox here. Refinement versus reinvention. Give yourself the permission to go deep with the things that you know you want to prioritize in the business this year. You know, really hone in on your top 3 for the year. Do some, like, actual strategic intentional goal setting. Get focused. That's my encouragement for the creative. Get focused and let those few things be enough. Like, you don't have to be doing all the things all the time and doing more and more and more to be respected, to feel fulfilled, to have that status, to be an authority. And I've given into all of that before. It is a lie, lie, lie, lie. You don't have to do any of that. Just do the things that really matter in this season. Let that be enough and focus on refining c—versus, like, rebuilding all the time. It's just, it's too exhausting and you're not gonna get meaningful work done there. Amen. And I feel like that's so—will relieve—that will relieve so much pressure and stress of, like—'cause I feel like when you try to reinvent it all, it really just, like, it adds more to your plate. It adds—like, you feel like you're in this constant state of, like, you don't have clarity necessarily, so you're, like, trying to reinvent it all because maybe then you'll, like, see your clear, clear path forward. But it's like, I think that will relieve so much pressure and stress. Just, like, be okay with refining and making small adjustments. Like, you don't have to burn it all to the ground and start all over again. I feel like that just perpetuates the state of just, like, stressing out. It's like every year, we're trying to, like, reinvent it all. But it's like, you don't need to do that. You need to, like, slow down. Acknowledge the things that might need to be adjusted—Mm-hmm.—but just focus on the small tweaks and changes that need to, need to be made. Exactly. I wanna make one last point with that that is very, uh, just strategic for the person that's like, you wanna do all the things next year. Get your goals on paper, but what I want you to do after that, I want you to actually pull up a calendar, whether it's in a spreadsheet, I don't care, it can be on paper, and I want you to put the things on that calendar that you wanna do. You're gonna see how fast that calendar's gonna fill up. All of my clients experience this with me every single year. They're like, "Here are my 10 new things I wanna do." I'm like, "Okay, let's start applying this to the calendar." And then we get, like, 3 on there and they're like, "Oh my god, this is a lot." I'm like, "Yes, that is a lot," because you're not gonna build your whole business and all of your vision in 365 days, so let go of the expectation, put things on a calendar, and see how you can actually create results with a few solid things and just be intentional about what you're putting on your plate so you can do meaningful work. Amen. Yes. I feel like this is getting long, but, like, I had to throw that out there. Dude, yeah, that's so good. My last thing, I've really been feeling this over the past few weeks especially, I want to do more things in 2025 that promote more joy and sustainability in my life. Like, one thing I've really been thinking about a lot recently, like, this anthem of, like, we get to choose how we spend our days. Literally and metaphorically speaking, it's like, we get to choose how we spend our days. We get to choose whether we, like, you know, do a workout in the morning or the evening. We get to, like, structure our days, but we also get to choose, uh, how we posture ourselves in our days. We get to choose if we are, uh, either grateful or a whiny little baby, like I was talking about earlier. Sometimes I am like that. I'm not calling anyone out. I'm saying sometimes I fall into that too. So it's like, we get to choose, like, how we posture ourselves. Um, but one thing I really was feeling i—in recent weeks was, like, I feel like I'm a robot. Like, I'm sitting at my desk. Uh, after breakfast, I sit at my desk and I'm there for hours, and then I go take my lunch break, and then I go back to my desk and I'm sitting there for hours, and I'm so stationary and I don't like it. And I, I mean, a lot of my work I have to get done on a computer, so, like, that's part of my job for sure, but I'm finding better ways that I can, like, kind of break, uh, my own rules in a sense. Like, uh, the other day, I wanted to, well, I needed to work on something for, uh, our IMPACT report. I needed to write a piece for it, and I was having so much trouble, uh, such a hard time writing it on my computer. And usually, that's, like, how I'm really productive and, like, typing, I can type really fast, but I also find I have this problem where I'm typing and I start editing what I'm typing while I'm typing it. And so I was like, "You know what? I'm gonna sit down, uh, away from my desk and I'm gonna take my work notebook," 'cause I have a, a whole workbook. A workbook. I have a whole notebook for my work stuff and I was like, "I'm gonna sit down next to my window. I'm gonna put on essential oils, uh, on my diffuser and I'm just gonna, like, chill with some instrumental music and I'm gonna write my piece and start writing it in my notebook." And it felt like I actually had some sort of breakthrough with it where I was like, "Oh, this is what I need to be writing about." Or, like, I just, I started gaining so much clarity in my work once I, like, sat down somewhere else and did it in a different way and created this new setup for myself instead of just sitting at my computer like I always do. I changed it up for myself and it actually helped me get somewhere. It helped me be, be productive, but it also brought some joy to my day. Like, it was such a nice, it was such a refreshing thing for me to just sit down and, and write with my paper, because there is something different that happens when you write on paper. I actually was, there was, there's a, an article I was looking at recently about that and I can include it in the show notes if you wanna check it out. But there's something different that happens in your brain when you write versus when you type. Mm-hmm. Because it takes something different for you to write the, the different shapes of the letters. Whereas when you're typing, you're just clicking buttons and all the letters, they, they feel the same to your finger, you know? You're just clicking buttons and that's it. And there's, there's something different that happens when you write in a journal or a notebook or on paper or you draw on paper. So, that's something that I just wanna recommend just 'cause, like, I'm feeling this so much for myself. If you feel like you need a break or you need, like, to change things up, change things up. You get to choose how you spend your day. You get to choose if you're gonna sit at your computer and type all day or you can, like, try to write. I know that writing will take more time technically, but it could help you get the breakthrough that you're seeking. It could help you actually, um, produce a better thought 'cause I find that my, my thoughts, I, I find so much clarity writing on paper than on, uh, than typing on a computer. So, it can actually help you get somewhere. I would just really recommend that, like, journaling more, but also when it comes to your work, like, maybe write on paper. If you're a designer, like, a brand designer, maybe, like, doodle more on a piece of paper instead of doing it all on your computer, 'cause I think that it just, it loosens up something in your brain. Whereas when you're typing, you're only working on the computer, it's just like you're stuck there. Mm-hmm. And I felt like that for a long time, that I just felt like a robot. Like, I was just at my desk all day, like, I'm just this, this AI robot and I'm like, "I don't wanna be that. I wanna, like, tap into my humanity." And I'm just really feeling that like going into the new year. We get to ch—we get to choose how we spend our days. We get to decide like, you know, if you want to sit at your desk all day, you can do that, or you can not. You can write in a piece of paper—on a piece of paper. You can take breaks throughout your day. That's something I'm really feeling. Like, I want to go on like little small, short walks, like throughout my day to break it up, to get outside and breathe in some fresh air and get a change of scenery. And like that's something I'm feeling. I'm like, "I get to choose how I spend my days"—Mm-hmm.—because I work from home and I have this freedom."But what am I doing with that freedom? I'm just sitting at my desk all day. Like, chained to my desk, chained to my computer. Like, I'm not doing much—Mm-hmm.—with my freedom that I have. You know? So I'm like—I'm like, "Let's actually do more with that freedom that we have." You know? Oh my God, isn't that the truth? It's like, "Oh, I'm so excited to have the freedom to work from home," and then now we create another prison for ourselves. Like, "Oh, I have to be at my computer 9:00 to 5:00 and be oh so productive." "We got to get it all done." Why am I acting like an old person in this episode? Oh—this grandma voice. Oh my God. But seriously. We create prisons for ourselves. Yeah. Like, why do we do that? It's like we create offers we don't really want. I just had a sales call with someone, they were like, "You know, I—I've created these offers, I don't even like them." I'm like, "We need to change that." Yeah. But like, I've done that too. Again, it's like you can decide what you want to offer, how you want to run your business, you can also decide how you go about getting your work done and like just the daily grind of it all, I think it is so important to feel life on your days and like it's okay to do something a little bit different, even if it takes a little bit longer. Like writing on a piece of paper or going for a walk, even when you're at peak p—productivity in the morning, because again, it's all about the sustainable big picture. When you start thinking about it in a large—at a larger, grander scale, all of that will make sense. Like what I just said about you're not gonna hit all the things in 365 days. You're not meant to. Mm-hmm. It's all a process day over day, year over year. And when you start thinking about that and you realize like, "I'm gonna be sitting at this—at this desk in like 5 to 10 years from now." Mm-hmm. I—I'm like, "Okay, well we gotta make sure our days are feeling sustainable for you to actually continue doing this work." Maybe you're at a different desk, but you get the gist of what I'm saying. So like finding different ways to infuse like joy and sustainability and fulfillment and contentment—Mm-hmm.—into your days and like how you're approaching work. I think that's really important. Yeah. Woo! Oh y'all, this was a wild episode. I think at the end of the day when I was reflecting on like just closing out this episode, this season, this year, I really feel like 2025 is like the year of opportunity. Amen, sister. It's the year of opportunity, okay? Mm-hmm. And it gets to be simple and I think the key to unlocking the opportunities next year is so much less about new, more, strategy, tactic, trend, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, robot. Okay? And it's more about like coming back to yourself, going back to your roots, like being you, coming back to the simplistic truths. It gets to be simple. It might not always feel easy, but it gets to be simple and there's so much opportunity on the horizon for all of us next year. And the big question is, are you gonna press in? Are you gonna keep going? Are you gonna find that connection and that commitment to your vision again if you've lost it? How can you find it again? How can you go into next year just ready to bring like full, like unrestrained version of you to the table? Whether you are meek and introverted or you are boisterous, bold, loud, proud, whatever it is. Like, it's not right or wrong. It is you. Like, it is the act of being and bringing all of you that's going to unlock the opportunities next year, and that's like our biggest hope for you going into the new year. That you would lean into that and that you would just bring all of you to the table. That's what we want to see, that's what your people want to see. Amen, sister. Thank you guys for being with us for Season 2. I know, that's what I said on—cheers to—cheers. Thank you guys for being on this ride with us. We cannot wait for Season 3. We'll see you then. Bye. Bye.
