Some thoughts from this week
A writing update and what this month realistically looks like.
On Thursdays, I share thoughts and stories from everyday life as a female founder, mom and writer. Think: personal challenges, goals, writing, creative living and so much more.
It feels like a tiny, little miracle that I’m writing this right now. I’d rank myself a solid 9 on the exhaustion scale right now. It’s been a week. All good, amazing things — just a lot in a small period of time.
I’m writing this after coming home from a 4-hour Women’s History Month event where I hosted a table for The Foundership. It was an event dedicated to women-owned businesses — where women support women. It was such a fun night. There were so many incredible businesses and shops popped up in one place where you got to walk around and shop and chat with everyone.
I had a table set up for the Foundership (the first time I’ve ever done this!) and I got to talk to so many incredible women founders. There’s something so special that happens when you meet someone who’s aligned with where you are in life.
I started The Foundership because I felt isolated in my business. My soul was craving friends and community with other women who were navigating entrepreneurship. Women who loved to collaborate and lean on one another. And being at events like this, I’m always reminded of how many of us are searching for connection like this.
So while it was a great event and my cup feels filled, my body and mind feel completely drained. I’ve talked before about how events that I’m hosting or speaking at will leave me with nothing in the tank afterwards. All my adrenaline and energy go into the event, leaving me wiped at the end of it. The adrenaline pumps through me until I walk into my house and completely crash.
So, I’m coming to you after talking for four straight hours. And running a booth. And selling my community. And setting up and tearing down. And not eating a proper dinner. And coming home to the kids still being up.
That’s why it feels like a tiny, little miracle that I’m able to put coherent words on paper right now.
Here’s me at the event, doing my thing. And then there’s me now — in bed, sandwich in hand, eyes barely opened:
To say my mind is jello feels like an understatement. I started this week out by launching the virtual community for The Foundership and I’m ending it with as much in-person connection as I could fit into four hours. Also, spring break starts tomorrow — so I need to quickly adjust to mom mode.
Since my brain is jello, I wanted to leave you with two thoughts that are filling my head right now. Things that probably deserve their own posts full of well-thought-out, crafted words. But, right now, this is the best I got.
March is a joke
I need to set an annual reminder for myself. Pretty much nothing gets done in March!! Okay, ignore the fact that I just launched a huge component in my business and popped up at a big event. Those were two big things that actually got done.
But what I mean is: kids are never in school this time of year! Like what is happening?! My kids are out for 11 days for spring break. Then they have another five-day weekend quickly following it. The stop and go of this is so rough. I swear, as soon as I feel like I have momentum in my business, the rug gets pulled out and everything stalls as I pivot to mom life.
Over the next 25 days, I only have five working days (that are not all in a row, by the way). And, naturally, those days are already jam packed with all the things I needed to get on the calendar but couldn’t because I’d be out.
I’m semi-freaking out, but also not. What’s nice about working for myself is that I can make the call to completely go offline for the days that I need. What’s hard about working for myself is that I’m the one who has to keep things going when I’m not available.
I’ve looked back at this year and my kids have only had two full weeks of school. That’s eight weeks of them having at least one (often more) days off thanks to snow days, sick days, random days off.
So, this is me processing real-time the realities of being a working mom. I’m trying to accept that this month is a wash. I’m going to get done about 1/4 of what I thought I would — maybe.
Also, another reminder for myself — once the kids are finally back in school, there’s only about a month until summer break. So, there’s that.
I’m back to my writing (and it feels so good)
Okay, the wildest thing happened this week. Something that I didn’t see coming, but maybe I should have?
Within hours after my big Foundership launch, my body and mind were buzzing to write. It completely consumed my thoughts and it’s all I wanted to do. To the point that I stopped what I was doing, pulled up my book and just started writing.
This is coming after months of not writing much. I wouldn’t call it writer’s block — it wasn’t that I would pull my book and just stare at the screen. It was that I couldn’t even open the book in the first place. It felt like my brain could never wrap around the book.
But now I understand why. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to write. It was that my brain and energy were all focused on this launch instead. It was stealing the creative energy I needed to write my book. (Note: I don’t regret spending my time creating this virtual hub — that was a vision of mine this past year!)
It was just so freeing to have things unlock this week and to get back to my story. To re-read parts that I had already written and fall back in love with it all over again.
Okay, that’s all I got. I can’t put any more words together.
Happy March, my friend.