The world just does not want me to be productive today. Not only did daylight savings mess up the schedule I’ve perfected in the last 3 weeks, it is rainy and gross out today. Makes me want to sit in front of my space heater with a good book :)

I’ve just given into the fact that it’s going to be a dreary Monday and it’s ok to move slower than normal. How can just losing one hour throw you off so much? :)

Because my body didn’t know what time it was or what to do (due in part to the three hour nap coma I took yesterday) I stayed up reading Bread and Wine instead of falling asleep. There is something in the way Shauna approaches life, food, and community that resonates with me. It’s like we are across the table from each other and she’s speaking directly to me. Our hearts also connect in that she is one of the few people I know that reads cook books as if they were novels. Learning by reading and savoring the goodness in those pages. The stories and the lives that created the recipes.

The main thing that hit me last night was, “Start where you are. Whatever thing seems too intimidating or enormous, whatever new skill seems too far off to develop, whatever project has been hanging over your head for what seems like forever: start where you are. It takes some time to learn, to try and fail, and make a mess and try again. It takes even longer to get truly comfortable,” I just feel like those are words everyone needs to hear. Wherever you are at today, whatever is facing you just start where you are. Take one step and the rest will follow. If you are overwhelmed by life, by work, business, or wanting to be somewhere else just start. Take one step and begin moving. You can’t steer a car when it is in park and you can’t gain momentum or change directions when you are stuck. So whatever is ahead of you, begin today. Make a list of all the things you want or need to accomplish and just pick one – however minuscule it may seem and do it. Then tomorrow pick one more.

No matter where each of us are in life I feel like we all can become stuck or unhappy in different seasons. We look forward, wishing we were somewhere else or further along, but in order to get there you have to take the first step. Stop wishing for it and work for it (Autumn Calabrese).

Another huge part of this is social media. I love it and am constantly on some platform or another. But at this time last year I was feeling very stuck. I saw what others were doing or posting and was jealous and resentful. Why wasn’t I making progress like they were? Why wasn’t I further along in the process? Well let me tell you this, it’s because they were off social media and working hard behind the scenes. No one talks about the work. The nitty-gritty, hard work, nose to the ground, behind the scenes hustle. This isn’t the fun, pretty, Instagram-worthy stuff. No it’s the end product. The result of what happens after hours of planning and days of putting in the time. So, for a while I un-followed some of those people I was comparing myself to. If I didn’t see it on a daily basis it made it easier to appreciate where I was in the process. I stopped looking at others and just looked at what I was doing, where I was at, and what I needed to do to take the next step.

And you know what happened? LIFE was breathed back into my business. I remembered WHY I was doing it and what I loved about it. I launched a new brand and have grown exponentially this year. I am happy with where I am and know where I am going. I stopped comparing and instead poured into education. I learned, tried new things, figured out what worked, and started the process all over. I took lighting classes, business classes, posing, and editing classes. I restructured and rethought. And do I still have a ways to go? Yes. Am I more content in my business today? Yes. Have I spent less time on Facebook and more on photography? Yes. And even though it was just a little bit, it made a world of difference.

And now, I’ve re-followed some people and added so many more. But instead of being jealous I can celebrate their victories because I know where I am headed and am happy with where I’ve been. After all, a rising tide lifts all boats (JFK).

So if you are feeling tired, worn out and stuck. Just start where you are. Take one step today and get moving. Log off and start hustling. Stop comparing and know that everyone’s journey is different and everyone’s story is unique.

So what’s holding you back today? What is the one thing you want to start? Or the one change you want to make? Comment below! I would love to encourage you in the process :)

I want to leave you with one more Shauna quote:

“But it’s a lovely process, with not a minute wasted. If you put in the time, the learning, the trying, the mess, and the failure, at the end you will have learned […] a skill for life.”