Let's Be Real

I’ve been trying to write this post for almost a week. I took off last week for my college spring break and only did “work” last Tuesday, but I wouldn’t really consider it work. I had a phone consultation and met with a coordinator at a venue that I adore! So, Sunday, when I came back from break I began to type up my post. I started with a few sentences about what I did over Spring Break but I couldn’t get started, writers block I guess? So, then I decided I would do a super positive post about Spring coming but I couldn’t find anything positive to talk about and it didn’t feel like spring at all, in fact, we were under a winter storm watch. As the week kept going my motivation to write was becoming less and less, my motivation in my business was going down, and I just felt stuck. So, last night, after having an unexpected phone call with my dad, I figured out what to write about.

In this industry, I’ve noticed there has been a huge push for being real and not just posting and writing about what people want or what you think they want. I’m going to be super real and this post isn’t going to be super positive until the end!

This week has been rough, y’all. No one thing in particular which I think makes it even worse because I can’t pinpoint one thing to blame it on. I’ve been discouraged in my business...big time. I see people my age, or younger who are extremely talented and doing very well in their businesses. I see people in the industry with gorgeous websites and amazing brands. I see success everywhere. It’s so rare that people open-up about failure, or just not succeeding to their own standards. I am one of those people. There are a few creative ladies that I follow on Instagram that are so honest about their struggles and when they don’t feel good enough for this industry and they are encouraging me by doing this. My dad said “be patient”, anyone who knows me, knows that I am one of the most impatient people there is. I can handle being told “no”, or that “we aren’t a good fit”, but I don’t do well with not hear “yes” or “we would be a perfect fit for each other”. I think of it like, if you don’t like me, fine but if no one likes me, not so fine, ya know? Instagram can be awesome for us in the creative industry. I mean you gain more connections with people from literally all over the world, find inspirations, learn about new products and apps to help you grow and sometimes even find out where to get that amazing lip color one of your Insta-friends wears in all of her Instastories! BUT it can also kill you from the inside out. The girl with the cute lip color is younger than you and beyond successful, the one you gained inspiration from, she has more than one successful business, the one with the new product and app ideas, she has a family, 9-5 job and owns her own business. So, I just think, “how”? These women are beautiful, smart, hard working and beyond impressive. You know what else these women are? They’re real. They waited, the struggled, they worked hard, they charged nothing before they could get to that price, they asked questions, cried themselves to sleep and had self-doubt. I, I’m sure along with many others, have forgotten those “negatives”.

We must look at the positives there are too. I have a support system that’s like an army. I have met someone, Miranda, who works for a wedding venue who believes in me and wants me to plan bride’s weddings at that venue. This connection happened because my dad worked with a young guy, that guy has a dad who owns the venue, Upper Shirley Vineyard and we took a leap and gave them my cards. Miranda has become a friend who totally gets where I am right now in this little business of mine. I also have a cozy little apartment with a roommate turned friend to go back to at the end of the day to binge watch Mad Men with.

I have the best support system there is, I’m convinced. So, last night, I talked to my dad. I got off the phone and thought about everything that has happened in the last 6 months. I made myself a healthy dinner because, well, college and turning 21 in June means that you may gain a pound or 5 since your last doctor’s appointment in May. But that is okay because I am in college and I am 21. So, I made some healthy chocolate chip cookies, sat down, poured myself a glass of my favorite Pinot Noir, turned on Grey’s Anatomy and wrote.

Comment or email me your top 3 struggles and top 3 blessings in this crazy world we live in if you feel compelled to share! Email: hannahmarieevents@gmail.com

“This too shall pass” –my dad (and I’m sure someone else, almost as famous )

Routine

I am someone who needs routine during the school/work week and wants to either do nothing or everything during the weekend. I know I’ve always liked to plan and know what’s happening when but it wasn’t until college that I realized I need routine in my life. Every semester my routine has to change, and every semester I struggle for a few weeks. My typical routine is spending most of my day in class, coming home to relax for a bit, doing homework and then relaxing until bed. This semester is so completely different.

I was excited when I realized that this semester I would have free time. I have one class on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and two class on Tuesday and Thursday. I have two online classes, which I quickly learned have a heavier workload than my on-campus classes. I HAVE to be out of my apartment to be in class for about 8 hours a week. That’s nothing for a college student. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining that I have an “easy” schedule this semester, but it’s been a huge adjustment. I’ve had to create an entirely new routine since 3/5 of my classes don’t have work outside of the classroom except for the occasional reading of a short article or creating a resume for the 100^th time!

So, my new routine during the week is a good breakfast every morning, then I go to class, then the gym for about an hour (if you know me, you know this is VERY new to me), lunch, a shower, some work for my classes and then usually just whatever I feel like doing. This usually entails, catching up on “On the Road to Full Time”, pre-blogging, binge watching a show and sometimes fixing a detailed dinner that literally will take me hours to make because I get too distracted.

My roommate is a student teacher, so she doesn’t get home till almost 4 every day. I have found that I love the quietness of my apartment when I’m home. Eating my breakfast with the TV on, catching up on a show I didn’t watch the night before, not having to worry about if I’m bothering anyone or need to adjust my time for them and coming home after the gym to no one. I used to feel like I didn’t to be around people all the time and that I couldn’t be alone but I have found peace in that quiet. The routine helps with my lax schedule and boredom until I buckle down on my assignments and finish everything in a day, sometimes two. I think this is all a part of senioritis as well, it is real my friends. I’m constantly trying to find things to fill that boredom while still trying to enjoy these last few months in college.

When it comes to the weekend, whether it’s spent at school or at home, I don’t feel the need for routine. I want to do what I want, with who I want, and when I want. The weekends are when the work gets put down and the fun happens. This fun may be visiting a winery, sitting on the couch, shopping, spending time with Huck, finding new places to visit or just running errands with my mom but for me, the routine stops on the weekend. I think we all need that balance. If you don’t like the routine you have now, but you know you need one, change it! It’s yours and to an extent you can always adjust it. If you need help figuring out what the change needs to be, whether something is taken out or added, feel free to shoot me an email! I’d love to talk routine, balance and life with you!

Happy Wednesday Friends!