We've had the most amazing weather the past few days here in Nashville, and I'm loving the cooler temperatures with lots of sunshine! I'm seeing a small glimpse of the upcoming Fall weather, and I can't wait for those pumpkin spice lattes, hot apple ciders, colorful leaves, and of course football games!
I had coffee this morning with my wonderful friend and talented business pal, Molly of SimplyMPhotography. Molly has been one of my longest, dearest friends, and I've been blessed to share a lot of life with her by my side. We schedule regular coffee dates to discuss business, life, love, and the pursuit of happiness. I cherish these talks so much, and this morning led to yet another good chat!
We shared that we both desire to live more intentional lives... making time for the most important things and cutting out all the "unnecessary." As I was driving home from our coffee date, I reflected on how I've been living each day and how I want to change some things so that I can live more intentionally. As a designer and entrepreneur, I'm always thinking of ways to build things, improve things, and beautify/make-over things - it's in my nature, I just can't help it. And while this is a good trait in many ways, it sometimes leads me to feeling discontent with the way things currently are. I want a bigger house with big closets and big bathrooms and a big studio for my business, I want a new wardrobe, I want to lose weight so I have more self-confidence, I want more friends, I want more work functions & events to attend, I use to want more retail stores to carry my stationery line, the list goes on. This world constantly tells us that more is better. But what I'm finding to be true is that I actually want less.
Don't get me wrong, some of these things are not all bad - especially when they are held at a healthy level of importance and when they are used to glorify our Father. But these desires become toxic when they totally consume our thoughts and make us ungrateful for all that we already have. I've been praying a lot to find peace and contentment in the here and now. I want to soak up these moments and appreciate these times and give thanks for my blessings without asking for more. I really want to simplify my life and my business in order to make time for the most important things and the most important people. I don't want to be complacent, just content.
So I've started making a list of the ways I want to simplify my life. A few action items include going through drawers, closets, the attic, my office, and other areas in our house to de-clutter and get rid of the unnecessary "stuff." Do some overdue yard work and touch ups around the house to better love the home that we are currently blessed to own. For my business, this sparkly new website is one of the ways I've attempted to streamline and simplify, but there are other steps I need to take that will allow me to better serve my clients and spend more time with my family and friends. I guess better get to work!
I've been developing my professional and personal growth by attending conferences for creative entrepreneurs, and while I don't wish to spill my guts or over-share on my blog, I do think it's important that I give you a taste of the real Beth Hart from time to time. I'm far from perfect, and my business is far from perfect... and hopefully I can connect with you and inspire you by being transparent and confessing my struggles. Thank you for reading, and I look forward to sharing more "real life" with you!
I'll leave you with a few lyrics from a song that I consider to be a really good reminder of how to find contentment...
