This week I'd love to dive into an idea that's been present on my mind for a long time now. At the heart of this is an idea I have around the kind of business I want to build, the impact I hope to make and how I want to balance that with all the other life/family things that mean so much to me too. There's this quote from Bill Murray sums it up so well (I've mentioned this many times!):

“I think the only reason I’ve had the career life that I’ve had is that someone told me some secrets early on about living. You can do the very best you can when you’re very, very relaxed, no matter what it is or what your job is, the more relaxed you are the better you are. That’s sort of why I got into acting. I realized the more fun I had, the better I did it. And I thought, that’s a job I could be proud of. It’s changed my life learning that, and it’s made me better at what I do.”

I just love this SO MUCH! So much that I have it on the wall next to me. It reminds me to relax and have fun and that I do my best work when I'm in that state. Does anyone else have trouble staying relaxed at work - especially when there's a deadline?! I have been told for much of my life that work is a grind and that having it align with how you want to live is impossible. I even break it down into something simpler- the idea that work and building a business CAN be fun. It doesn't have to be this battle to grow or become viable. I have the power to choose how I want to approach it - in a fun way where I realized what a great opportunity I have to express myself creatively through this business or a stressed out way by focusing on all the hard things I have to do just to keep it going. I listened to a podcast with the actress Kristen Bell recently and she talked about the idea of suffering vs happiness and this definitely ties into this. Do I (or you?!) want to suffer through our days or choose to think of it as fun and a joy to do the things we do. I notice myself often times going back into old thought patterns where I'll say to myself oh growing the business and getting more help, that's going to be crazy hard to do or how will I make it through the slow summer season this time. It's hard to break these loops, especially since they've been 38 years in the making but just noticing that I'm doing that helps. I think the only thing I want to say, is that yes, I do still work hard on the business, all the time but it's my mindset about it that's changed...or maybe I should say that I'm trying to change! 

One of the women I met this weekend owns her own business and schedules regular days off that she calls mental health days. Most of the time she goes to the movie theater an watches two movies in a row - she'll do anything she feels like. For most of us might have a hard time doing a whole day, but could you start with an hour one weekday morning? That's what I'd like to try for - but maybe build up to that whole day.

That's what I'm percolated on this weekend. If something resonates with you, I'd love to hear from you!

 ~ Amy