It's hard to believe there are only a few weeks left of 2023. I don't know about you, but this year seemed to go by exceptionally fast. And I probably say that every year, but I mean it. In our house, this year brought lots of new things: our kids rounded out their first year in a new school, we had our first real "summer break" complete with camp and a family road trip, Brett and I got to take our first international trip since 2019, and I made the decision to leave my corporate job and run this business full time.
Pictures of the things we did, including summer break, London and the start of a new school year.
This list, while significant, is just a collection of things we did and doesn't touch on the things we learned, felt, or experienced, which is what life is really about. So today, I am sharing just three lessons I learned in 2023. I hope some of these resonate with you from this year or years past, or they spark an idea for 2024. I also hope that you share something you learned in 2023 in the comments below, through a DM or think about them in your head while giving yourself a pat on the back.
Health: When it comes to health, minor adjustments make big changes.
I started 2023 feeling amazing, energized, and ready for anything. The ideas were flowing, and the work was getting done; it was amazing! Then April hit, and I felt it all drain out and was left tired, uninspired, and blah. I thought it was a bump in the road, that I needed a vacation, and then it would be all good. Fast forward to the beginning of June, and I was still in that space, dragging through my days and doing things from a place of "have to" vs. "get to ." Then, on a trip up north, I had a flash of motivation. My brain opened up, and I realized, "Duh, you're not feeling well; you've left your most basic health and wellness habits behind!". Lightening bolt. And just like that, I pivoted back into habits I know make me feel great but had somehow fallen off the bandwagon, including drinking a lot of water every day and less alcohol on the weekends, removing gluten from my diet completely (something I've always gone back and forth on), establishing a morning routine that includes working out, walking outside every day and cutting TV in favor of books and going to bed on time. These things seem so obvious and yet not always easy to do but the immediate benefits instantly made it worth it.
Our family on the way home from that trip up north where I had my "duh" moment!
Career: You don't know you're doing too much until youre doing too much.
This is a big one for me. I've run 13th Avenue Interiors since 2021, alongside a full-time corporate career with Target. It was manageable in the beginning because my workload at 13th Ave was light, just for fun, and working from home freed up morning and evening commute time so I could bookend my workdays with design work. But this year, things grew: 13th Avenue grew to take more clients and bigger projects, my corporate gig was demanding more than the status quo as retail is an ever-evolving environment, and I could literally see our kids growing and needing more from us in regards to connection, conversation and one on one time. Well, somewhere in September, sh** hit the fan, and I lost it. Yup, full-on meltdown (multiple), realizing my plate was too full. Like way too full, and it was pulling me down and making me miserable vs filling me up and energizing me. And that was it, the moment I realized I had way too much going on, and it was time to narrow down, focus, and live my values, so I made the decision to leave Target. I didn't know I had too much on my plate, I kept holding on to the "after this week, things will lighten up" notion, but the reality was it was too much, and I wouldn't have known that if I hadn't gone there, stretched myself beyond my limits and then had the self-compassion to make some changes.
Saying good bye to my Target badge, office view and the flowers my family gave me on my last day.
Personal Development: Reading is freaking awesome.
I love to binge a show just as much as anyone else, maybe more. Succession, Peaky Blinders, The Crown, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to shows I've watched and rewatched in binge mode. In years past, I've also managed to get through some books if they got me hooked in the first twenty pages, lots of autobiographies, and some series of short essays, but then this year, I found my genre. Somewhere in the midst of all that was going on, I got sucked into a book that blew my mind, and then another, and then another… and it went on and on like that for over a dozen books this year. Yeah, I'm shocked too because ain't nobody got time for that, right?!?!? Wrong. I traded in (some) my TV time for reading time, and I've gotten so much back from it. Even I am shocked at this change in behaviors, as it wasn't necessarily a goal, just something that happened naturally.
My chicken stratch list of books
I hope you can reflect back on your year and celebrate all the things you've learned, tried, done, and felt. Cheers to 2023 and all to come in 2024!
XOXO
-L
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