Like playground days as a kid, I was always tormented by the kids that never knew when to stop. The joke or the poke or the chase never stopped until I had screamed STOPPPP!!! on the top of my lungs and borderline of tears. It took one of those days to get me to realize I wasn't going anywhere. This was my life and I needed to either adapt or die like an animal in the Serengeti.
In my adaption process, (which is going quite well thank you!), I realized that what I was really searching for was daily fulfillment that made me feel successful. This is what my job gave me. It's not necessarily the activity that I did every day at my job, but more like the conquering of small projects, and honestly, just being able to go home at night saying I survived another day. So, my husband and I came up with a little thing that makes me take each day as it comes. Every night whether at dinner, on our dog's walk, or as soon as he walks in the door from work, he makes a point to ask me "tell me, what was your success of the day?" It's become a great reality check for me.. mainly humbling, to realize it's not always the big things, but the little things count too. It's a life tracker, which I was losing when I was running ragged in the city. One day it was September, the next day it was 6 years later and I was quitting my job. I can honestly look back on the last 7 years and say that I remember them by the bigger life moments throughout them and not what took me from point A to point B. Maybe that's just something that happens in your 20's though....
Yesterday, I had a big success. I've had a few big successes throughout my time here, but yesterday's I will share.
The past 2 months have been such a whirlwind to make my house a home. In the beginning we went thru the first two weeks without furniture because I couldn't decide on anything. Yeah, well that sucked. I had a small kick in my indecisive butt from J and then I was full steam ahead. I went room by room, leaving the two least important rooms to last - the office and the formal dining room. I rocked the rest of the house and as we entered September I found myself a few days away from completing the last 2. Listen, 2000 sq. feet is a project when you're use to living in 600 sq. ft. Not to mention I am the queen of details, hey I'm a designer, so each room had a very distinct style that I had to achieve. For the office, I had fallen in love with a pillow design that I could only find on Etsy. I love Etsy. I find excuses just to buy something on there because I think it's great being able to support an individual or small business, not to mention the products on there are insanely original. BUT, these pillows that I loved were selling for $50+ a piece. Rightfully so, I'm sure, but not in my budget. I'm no fool. I know what a margin is.. and those were seriously looking at 70%. I couldn't do it. I needed at least 2 for each office chair. So, being the ever savvy lady that I am, and I'm seriously savvy don't think I'm kidding, I googled the fabric code. I found it on this clutch fabric site, that I will keep my little secret, and bought a yard. Scary thing here was that I hadn't touched my sewing machine in over 6 years; since senior year of college. But I've sewn entire collections before, I have a degree blindly stating that I can sew, and I'm underestimating my ability to sew a pillow? Touché!
Yesterday, I sewed those pillows. I did more then sew those pillows, I rocked those three pillows. Yes, three! My office is now a dream and my success of the day? Yep.
All of this success did not come easy though. I had the embarrassing moment when I sat and stared at my Singer trying to figure out how the hell to thread the machine. I can't believe I'm going to admit this, but I even went on Youtube for an instructional video. I was 15 seconds in when in a fit of rage at myself, stopped it, and said "you have got to be kidding me! you went to fashion school, you have a degree on this, and you are letting a 14 yr old girl on youtube tell you how to thread a bobbin?! NO NO NO" It should've been like riding a bike.. that's what I always thought. And it was, but I just needed that 1 second of how to start off the thread and the rest was cake. I figured it out - proudly without youtube, and my pillows, from my inner proud parent, are so gorg. Just take a look -
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| Before |
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| After - yay! |
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