By skyforbes 
LESSONS + CHANGES COMING
With growth comes challenges and with challenges come change.
In 2017, I surpassed my goal of booking out 3 months in advance and working with 9 branding clients (again, pinch me!). This meant a full project schedule and more financial security than I’ve felt since I started my business. Being able to more accurately predict my income from month-to-month and pay myself a consistent salary has been a game changer!
But I also ended up in a state of constant hustle.
I worked A LOT of hours in 2017. Many of them were spent on projects for dreamy clients, which is why I had a hard time saying “no” when opportunities came my way. This led to too much work, not enough play. Too many nights in front of my laptop and not enough quality time with my new hubby. Too much energy spent on keeping up with the “shoulds” and chasing perfect, while not having enough energy left over to give to my loved ones and myself.
When my mastermind met in December to reflect on the year and think about what 2018 will bring, it came my turn to share and I tearfully started with, “I’m just so…. tired.” (Melanie and Kayla — y’all are the best for dealing with me!)
Not good. This way of living is certainly not aligned with my values. My actions weren’t reflecting what’s in my heart and it’s not how I want to look back on this time of my life. I was out of alignment and not taking enough time to breathe and reflect on what I truly want my days and weeks to look and feel like. I didn’t feel the FREEDOM that I wanted in running my own business.
If you follow me on Instagram, you know I’ve been sharing pretty openly about this topic and I’ve been on a journey to making positive changes in my life.
So… what does 2018 look like for me?
SIMPLIFYING + REMAINING FOCUSED ON WHAT’S MOST IMPORTANT
In the fall, I was a part of Amanda Beilke‘s Wholehearted Living coaching program which helped me gain so much clarity surrounding where I’m heading, what success looks like to me, and the mindset blocks that are in my way. In addition to having an emotional and transformative experience during a visualization exercise when we “met” our future selves 20 years from now (ask me about it sometime!) and naming my inner critic to better identify when she’s making an appearance (it’s Regina George, by the way), I also developed a personal purpose statement that will remain at the forefront this year:
I want to live a heart-centered life that allows me to give my energy to what’s most important, give myself and others grace when we most need it, and infuse joy and connection into my relationships.
This is what it’s all about, my friends.
I will continue to approach my client collaborations with intention, a bright energy, and a whole lotta heart, but I can’t do that -AND- love on my husband, family, friends, and myself (!) the way I want to if I’m constantly working and full of anxiety.
So, I’ll be simplifying and refining. For me, this means:
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Working with less clients to better serve every one of them, and better serve myself and my creativity.
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Booking branding projects by quarter (as opposed to making myself available to schedule projects 6+ months in advance). This gives me more flexibility and freedom with my schedule, so I’m not tied down with project after project, month after month. I’m getting off the hamster wheel!
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Refining my processes to maximize my time and make it easier to bring people into the AllieMarie design world. Building a big team isn’t in my future, but I’ve been taking steps to get the design production, bookkeeping and admin help I do desire!
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Finding a morning routine that works for me and finding my flow (thanks to Tiffany Han’s 31 Days to Flow class)!
SEEKING HARMONY OVER HUSTLE
That all being said, there will always be seasons of busy. I know I’ll need to put in the extra hours to make things happen when need be (especially with the upcoming launch of my mini-courses… stay tuned!) and I’m more than happy to do that because I love what I do.
But I’m committed to “hustle” no longer being my norm. Instead, I’ll be seeking HARMONY. Complimenting those long work days/weeks/months with seasons of rest. Putting up even better boundaries of when I work. And, perhaps most importantly…
Being EXTREMELY aware of my energy and where I’m spending it.
Cheers to a wonderful, heart-centered year ahead!