This has been a year full of transformation in our family. Through these changes, I’ve come to appreciate some of these changes and others have been very trying. I have also had the chance to learn a lot about myself and while not all the things we’ve gone through this year have been easy I feel I am leaving this year stronger than I entered it.
Professional Juggler
I think my actual career title is that of juggler. There are so many things in my work life right now that have been a challenge this year, well actually the last couple years have been an ongoing drama-fest to be honest. This area of my life has been a real learning experience and a headache to keep it all together.
Our Cottage Business
I am still working a full time job in addition to running this small business we lovingly call Dragonspit Apothecary & Crafts. I have focused a lot on our small business this year with a strong drive to eventually have it replace the need to work for a corporation. That may seem nothing more than a pipe dream most days but when I look back over the past 11 months, wow have things grown.
Running a business, even a cottage business like ours, can be stressful, time consuming and mind boggling even with the best focus on why being constantly right in front of you. The changes I’ve been able to make in my career have allowed me more time to focus on this business and do things like start this blog. That is very satisfying and fulfilling to me but it’s also extremely busy at times too.
Corporate Life
On top of that, during this past year I’ve undergone a couple changes in my corporate career work that have allowed me to stay at home rather than travel all the time. Even when the job change is one of your choosing that doesn’t always mean it will be easy.
The changes I made this year weren’t always ones I wanted or chose but some were absolutely necessary for me and my family. The changes I made this year in my work took us all some time to adjust to a new routine with me home. This was not only a change of being home but working from home too. To go from being gone the majority of the time to being home the majority of the time is sometimes a challenge to get settled in your home life.
There are times I miss traveling for work but the majority of the time I’m happy to be home, working barefoot with our lovely Golden Retriever Rosa at my side instead of some stranger in an airport.
New jobs too often come with their own stress as you learn new processes, fit in the team and find your way through the landscape. I am fortunate to be able to work from home these days but there are days that work is still … well a four letter word that can really take it out of you.
Seeing My Life from the Outside Looking In
With all of this going on this year, I have found real support and encouragement. Sometimes just hearing what someone else sees can make the entire difference in how you are feeling about how life is going for you.
A friend of mine tells me every time she sees me that I am the strongest person she has ever met in her life. I recall the last time she said this to me, I started to cry because at that time it felt like every single area of my life contained a huge pile of you know what and it was all erupting like volcanoes everywhere.
Even though she knew how messy and challenging things were for me right then, from what she saw I was handling it all with grace and doing something phenomenal. Those would not have been the words I would have used to describe how I felt I was handling it all.
Her words have stuck with me and that moment taught me something this year.
When you are in the middle of it all and can’t see anything but volcanoes exploding everywhere in your life, it can be hard to realize any progress you are making to handle it all. However, if you can develop the ability to look from someone else’s view, from the outside-in, you may find you’re actually doing ok despite all those challenges and hard moments.
I call this my own version of the forest-tree saying.
I certainly have had a hard time seeing from the outside-in at times and continue to work on this skill but I hold on to the encouragement that while all I see are the challenges and hard moments, when you see it all together from the outside, I am really a lot stronger than I know.
Support
You may not have someone in your life that can tell you what it looks like from the outside-in but I sure hope you do. Those kinds words have stuck with me for several months in this year and have been what I have used to keep pushing on.
I have also found some other support with essential oils specifically aimed at supporting you in trying times. I have been using these oils every day on my feet and under my tongue to help me stay on my center base and navigate through challenges.
Under my tongue every morning I put 1 drop of Frankincense and 1 drop Copaiba. Just put a drop of each on your pointer finger and then rub on the bottom of your tongue.
On the bottoms of my feet in the morning or night, I put 1 drop Balance and 1 drop Onguard. You have to keep your immunity up when you are under a lot of challenges. It can be hard to eat right or find time to exercise during tough times in life but we can still protect ourselves as best we can.
Doing this is simple, takes 2 seconds and is the best self-care I can give myself on a regular basis when I’m surrounded by life explosions.
Interested in more?
If you are going through life challenges or this year has left you feeling like a beat-up fighter, let me encourage you. You, my friend, are doing ok. It may not seem like it, but you are.
Including natural solutions can support you during these times and may help you develop that outside-in perspective to help you navigate to calmer waters.
Please reach out if you have questions or need help finding the natural products perfect for your health and life needs.
amyk@dragonspitapothecary.com
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