Be True To Your Grind : A #GIRLBOSS Moment

“But then I realized, sometimes we need to take a step backward in order to see the big picture. And any step, whether forward or backward, is better than standing still.”

I’ve recently found myself needing to justify my “shortcomings” if that’s what they even are. They’re not. I’m preemptively defending judgments that no one is making but myself. Well, maybe they are. But I don’t even give them the chance to think it before I make a witty joke about having two Associate’s degrees instead of a Bachelor’s, followed by explaining how I plan to go back to school. I might. I might not.

I am overly defending why I went back to working part-time at a restaurant while I work on building my own business at home. Like I should feel ashamed for doing whatever it takes to survive so I can focus on my dreams. I’ll admit, at first it felt like a MAJOR step backward. But then I realized, sometimes we need to take a step backward in order to see the big picture. And any step, whether forward or backward, is better than standing still.

It took me a light-bulb moment to get here, but I’ve realized that no one is judging me but myself and the societal pressures I’ve adopted into my own personal conversation that I need to be “doing more”. But those things just aren’t true. There’s no shame in being 30 and following my dreams. There’s no shame in working part-time at a restaurant to pay my bills while I build my business from scratch (which by the way, has gone from zero to…let’s say a lot more than zero in the past 6 months). #humblebrag. There’s no reason to feel bad about these things.

I could’ve given into the pressures of others telling me I needed to “find a real job” when I’ve felt all along that wasn’t the right path for me. But, doing what others want me to do has never been my thing. I’ve gone through life deliberately choosing the opposite thing when I’ve asked people “Should I do A or B?” Sometimes I do go with their choices, but only because it’s what I WANT to do. I’ve learned…and am still learning…that when I make decisions about my life to make others happy, I’m only making myself miserable. And that’s just no way to live.

I haven’t quite reached my overall goal yet, but I’m getting there. I’m trying to stay focused on growth and sometimes it’s hard. (Building a business isn’t easy!) I celebrate ALL my victories, small and large. A $3000 contract with a new client? YES! A $20 sale from London? YES! FINALLY creating a social media account for my jewelry line? YES! Having time for yoga? HELL YES! Never underestimate the value of giving to your soul as well as your bank account.

So all in all, I guess what I’m trying to say is, for those of you not sure about the path you’re on; For those of you who feel like you should be “doing more”…Just make sure that what you’re doing is serving YOU. As Sophia Amorusa says in her book #GIRLBOSS, “be who you want and do what you want.” Because no one else is ever going to do it for you. Only YOU know what’s best for YOU. Life is going to be FULL of haters. So be kind & be true to yourself, and everything else will follow.