Happy New Year everyone! Great to see you here at my new website where all my talents and passions are in one place.
The year 2017 is here and we all get another 365 days to make choices and decisions moving forward while reaching back.
I'll admit, I'm not a big first of the year resolution maker, but I do take some private time to deeply reflect on just what happened the year before, what worked for me, didn't work for me and what would I have added or deleted. More importantly, I ask myself why I did what I did!!! It all comes back to me ultimately. Right.
For sure, I grew, I expanded in many areas at warp speed. I mentored more widows than ever and I heard from some of these ladies who were my first clients 2-3 years ago. I was in awe hearing the incredible news of their own brave new choices that led them straight to the lives they imagined post loss.
I also reunited with a wonderful design client from Nashville who is wanting to 'give a facelift' to a residence I designed 15 years ago. We'll keep the same house, just freshen up and undate the interior. I'm so excited for to be visiting Nashville more often. This is a first "facelift" for me even though I've been an interior designer for over 25 years.
Then, there is the nonprofit Modern Widows Club, my part time passion and advocacy job. We served nearly 22K widows face to face and online, raised a record number of funds ($75K) and grew from 11 to 17 chapters with more launching in the first quarter of 2017. The need is so great and I plan on speaking up at lots of events to bring even more awareness in 2017.
But on a personal side, I recently realized that although I was confident in all my talents as a designer and widow mentor, I was slipping a bit on not being a good enough believer in trusting others in general.
Let me explain a little more.
In order to survive and thrive through any life major life change, we all need people. People sent to us, people we meet haphazardly, people we intentionally seek out. For me, specifically, people I could trust and rely on. Whether that's for business, within my family or out in the dating world. Across the board, I am constantly determining who I can trust and basing this on the development of our connection and actions surrounding that experience.
My good friend Renee helped me review some of my past life choices and because she's a financial advisor, my finances as well at the end of December. She's that great friend I can be brutally honest (scary) with because she knows all my secrets anyway! Yeah, she could take me down, but instead, she loves me to no end.
She stopped me in mid conversation and said "Do you know how many stories you tell me about your collaborations and how people have stepped up in your life because they love and care for you so much?"
I had to stop and think. And she was right....a lot!!! I made a list and I'm so blessed to have built and rebuilt a life surrounded by some really extraordinary inner circle, middle circle and outer circle friends.
But, I've been challenged in the area of "Trust" in 2016 because of all the growth and need to give away some of the responsibilities and duties that I felt only I could do. I was carrying a heavy weight around and not realizing how it was affecting me. But, I was wrong, because when I open up to giving people the chance to partner with me on anything or an idea, I also give them the opportunity to develop their own confidence in being trusted.
My plan is to excavate exactly where I can improve internally where trust is related and ensure my actions externally represent that progress. Giving it and receiving it from God, friends, family, business and any new relationships I'm blessed with. I want my own talents and passions to shine, and I want yours to as well. Let's do this.
Wiser, stronger & empowered,
Carolyn