Hello 2021! Are you staying on the sidelines or jumping in?

It’s now 2021 and I’m currently sitting in my studio watching a couple who just purchased a cast iron, claw foot tub from the vintage store across the street. I’ve never seen two people spend so much time discussing how to load something. They have a pick up truck with the gate open but it’s pretty tall and the tub is super heavy and well it has feet so there are those extra few inches to lift up. 

Watch or Help?

There have been a few attempts at lifting it. There seems to be a big discussion (according to the hand gesturing I see going on) as to which side of the tub they should each be on and whether or not they should try to lie it on its side. I’m now standing at the window so I can get a clear view of how this will play out.

I’m torn between helping them and watching to see if they can pull it off or if the tub will crash down on someone’s foot. 

Suddenly I see the women lean over the tub and say something to the man. He turns looks across the street directly at me and waves. Busted! They caught me spying at them so I decided to go help… So yes, I saved the day.

There are so many times in life where we have to make a decision if we are going to stay on the sidelines and watch or if we are going to roll up our sleeves and get involved. My tub lifting today cost me nothing but a few moments of time. There are other times where we spend so much time worrying about how something will go that we miss an opportunity to be part of it.

Try something new in 2021 -Podcasts – A great way to be inspired during a walk

Perhaps you’ve listened to podcasts for years. Or you’re like me where you’re still fairly new to them. I like to listen to podcasts when I walk Lucy. My favorite walking place these days is around WSU. We have a loop that is just over 3 miles providing great exercise for both of us.  On our most recent walk I was listening to The Rachel Hollis podcast. The topic was “How to get Unstuck”. She had 4 main points that I took the time to remember and write down.

If you are feeling stuck it may be because –

1. You are doing the same thing – makes sense. We need to grow, mix it up, seek out new ways and/or experiences
2. You aren’t surrounding yourself with people who inspire you – This can be your friends, family or the material you read and or listen to. As a business owner who works alone I often feel frustrated that I don’t have a team to work with to bounce ideas off of etc. Podcasts, friends and good books can help with that.
3. You have “fallen down” and you use it as an excuse to stay down. At this point in my life what immediately came to mind was my foot issues. I could have used the pain as a reason to stay off of my foot but I decided I had to find ways to stay active for my own sanity. Of course this can be applied in any number of ways especially during the pandemic. Jobs, finances, health, friendships are all being affected. We have to find ways to continue on because with our without us life is happening each day. We just have to find our way the best we can. 
4. Do you let fear lead your life or creativity? This one really struck my heart. So many times I think of something I would like to do business wise. My job is to find ways to get my business known and make it desirable to others. If I can’t do that I won’t have a business anymore. Many times when I have an idea my next thoughts go something like  – “no one will like it, I can’t afford it, I will look dumb, others do it better than I can, I’m not sure where to start…” and it goes on and on. I like the message here. I need to learn to stop the negative (fear) voices in my head and take a moment to be creative (and brave).

Each of the above items spoke to me. I could see how keeping them in mind could be helpful as I forge ahead into 2021. I hope you can find some inspiration there as well. 

If you are podcast person I recommend “The Rachel Hollis” podcast she shoots straight and I like that.  Here is a link to see what some of her latest topics are. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-rachel-hollis-podcast/id1245763628

What does 2021 look like for me?

One of my goals in 2021 is to become more involved. I’m not sure where or how yet and as long as this pandemic lasts it will make it tricky but I am committed to not using that as an excuse to just watch from my window.

Also there will be lots of hiking! We started the year off with a 7 mile hike up Bell’s Mt on the 1st. I’m excited that they have opened up some of the trails in the Gorge which were closed due to the fire 3 years ago. So many trails to explore!

And of course, I am planning on lots and lots of photography!

Snow – Yes Please!

Today, at the studio I cleared out all of the Christmas decorations. My initial plan was to put up Valentines decor.  But that just felt like too much. I took a more subtle approach and decided to go with a snow theme for a few more weeks. I am really hoping for snow and I’m starting to get nervous that it won’t happen at my house this year. We shall see.

Atomic Habit by  James Clear

The beginning of 2021 seems the perfect time to read this book. Atomic Habits has been on my to read list for awhile now. An inspiring read where I definitely gleaned some helpful information. My two main takeaways are

1. If you want to add a new habit attach it to a current habit
2. Make the habits you want to go away very difficult and the habits you want to develop very easy. 

5 stars

There you go – all of life’s problems solved.

Thanks for reading this weeks blog!

Shelly