#SAVETHEEARS

WOW. We.Had.No.Idea.

When we started cutting and distributing mask hooks a short two and half weeks ago, we anticipated making a few dozen, or possibly a few hundred to give to our local healthcare workers. We are overwhelmed at the positive response and demand for them!

Attaching mask elastics to these hooks alleviates pressure from behind the ears.

We have now shared these hooks across the country with thousands of healthcare and essential workers to help alleviate pain caused by extended wearing of protective masks. As of this writing, our distribution count is over 4,800 hooks. We continue to receive emails and DM’s every day, asking us to send what we can and we’re thankful that we have been able to meet the need.

Due to the overwhelming response, we are now asking for your help to keep these hooks 100% FREE for those that need them. The cost of packaging & shipping throughout the U.S. is adding up quickly. If you’re able and willing to make a contribution toward our efforts, you would be helping us to get these into the hands of the healthcare workers that need them. We’ve made it as easy as possible for you to do so; you can donate via Venmo: @BWS-charity

A sampling of the packages getting shipped daily to healthcare providers across the U.S.

100% of donations will go directly towards material and shipping costs. We are working hard to keep production going and will continue to do so for as long as we can.

Thank you for your help; your contribution means the world to us.

With love,

Lan & Cathy

P.S. If you are a healthcare worker (or know of one) that could use one of these mask hooks, please email us at cathy@betterwithsisters.com and we’ll “hook” you up ??

PIVOT (part 2)

It’s hard not to pay attention these days. With changes nearly every day coming down from government officials, we’re paying a lot of attention to developing statistics, guidelines, and stories. In addition to the official news, there are a LOT of testimonials from people around the world, sharing how Covid-19 is affecting them. Some of those stories are inspiring, some are heartbreaking, but all of them have served to help us better understand the world around us.

As you’ve probably noticed as well, there has been an ongoing conversation about PPE (personal protective equipment) for healthcare workers. We kept seeing testimonials and images showing healthcare workers dealing with terrible bruising and in some cases even open sores caused by wearing masks with behind-the-ear elastic straps for extended hours, shift after shift. As if the job itself isn’t hard enough, they’re dealing with completely unnecessary discomfort! We realized, while we can’t provide PPE, we can absolutely do something to help them with this problem! You see, with our new business creating consumer pieces, we have some pretty cool equipment at our disposal. And, we’ve decided to put that equipment to use as we address this newfound need.

USING WHAT WE HAVE, TO DO WHAT WE CAN

We reached out to our local hospitals and have now provided our first 300 “pieces with purpose”, specialty mask hooks, to the most deserving people we can think of: our healthcare providers. And, as things often have a way of doing, in the process of our first outreach effort we were contacted by another group in need. We have consequently also designed, developed and donated an additional 300 modified mask hooks to our local fire departments. These are being used to secure surgical masks to patients’ faces. Just this morning, we received a request for 300 hooks at a second hospital in our area.

HOOKS FOR ARROYO GRANDE HOSPITAL HEALTHCARE WORKERS
HOOKS FOR SANTA BARBARA COUNTY & MARIAN MEDICAL HEALTHCARE WORKERS
HOMETOWN HEROES PICKING UP MASK HOOKS

We have no doubt the need for these hooks will evolve and possibly grow in the weeks to come, and we’re grateful for the chance to support our communities in any way we can.

The moral of our story thus far? Well, we’re flipping our original plan upside-down. Our new purpose is to give back first and serve customers later. And we’re 100% OK with that pivot.

With sisterly love,

Lan & Cathy

P.S. If you are a healthcare worker (or know of one) that could use one of these mask hooks, please email us at cathy@betterwithsisters.com or lan@betterwithsisters.com and we’ll “hook” you up ??

The One Where We Take Ross’ Advice

So, we’re pretty sure everyone can agree that 2020 is NOT going how we thought it was gonna go! To put it mildly, this last month has been one of incredible upheaval and we’re feeling it, too. We had 2020 all lined up…plans for our podcast, plans for family trips, and BIG plans to launch a new business offering products we were sure people would love! But, then…but, then…

FREAKING COVID-19! A pandemic?! Who knew that life would look like this: mandatory social distancing, economic uncertainty, a health crisis resulting in (currently) a QUARTER of the world’s population to be in some form of government mandated lockdown? Are we getting Punk’d?!

It would be easy to succumb to the stress and anxiety of it all. It would also be easy to stay in our grief, mourning all the things we can’t do and can’t plan for. And, in full disclosure, there have been some seriously stressed out moments. BUT, and this is a HUGE BUT…you know what’s been awesome? The unexpected and incredibly inspiring GOOD we’ve witnessed these last few weeks.

We’ve seen teachers adapting to unheard of demands to suddenly switch to distance teaching. We’ve seen grocery workers elevated to hero status for working ungodly hours just to meet the demands of scared patrons. We’ve witnessed parents rising to the challenge of juggling full-time childcare with working from home, if they even have the fortune of keeping their jobs. And more than ever, we’ve witnessed healthcare providers adapt to an unprecedented (in at least 100 years) pandemic that’s stretching the system as they know it to its absolute limits. Each and every one of these people are living examples of a credo we stress all the time: do WHAT you can, WHEN you can, HOW you can. You know what they’ve done incredibly well? They’ve pivoted.

They’ve encountered roadblocks in their paths and chosen to adapt their actions and attitudes to move forward anyway. And that’s exactly what we’re doing as well. That new business we had hoped to launch this month? Yep, that’s tabled…for now. But, that’s ok. Because we’re taking the most important part of our new business – our mission – and pivoting with it instead.

Wait, what’s that mission we’re talking about? Well, to put it simply, it’s to make Pieces With Purpose.™ We believe in doing things on purpose, with purpose. Our purpose in 2020 was to curate a business that would allow us to not only fuel our love of creating, but also afford us the continued flexibility to be with our families. Our customers are also our purpose. We want to provide custom pieces that serve to help you celebrate, commemorate, or grow – for whatever YOUR purpose is. Last, but certainly not least, we have always believed that one of our true purposes is to serve by giving back. From the beginning of our Better With Sisters brand we’ve made it a part of our business model to support charitable organizations that we believe in. Our plan was to continue that with our newest venture; for every purchase made, a portion of the proceeds would be given back to a charitable organization or under-served segment of our community.

With Covid-19 posing a serious roadblock to us executing our original plans, we’ve decided to pivot our business while staying true to our mission. Figuring out how to do that required a little time, but we believe we’ve found at least two ways to do so. Stay tuned for our next post… we’ll share exactly how we’ve pivoted and continue to move forward!

(PIVOT Part 2 coming tomorrow!)

IT’S OK TO NOT BE OK

You’re not alone if all the recent upheaval of normalcy has you feeling uncertain, uncomfortable, anxious, or otherwise just NOT OK. ??‍♀️We’re all processing and coping with so many changes being thrown our way, and the changes keep coming by the minute. ?So, if you’re doing your best to stay positive but find yourself feeling upset anyway; IT’S OK.

Please reach out to friends and loved ones (via text, FaceTime, phone call, email, carrier pigeon…whatever you have available to you!) and share how you’re really doing. Let them support you during this strange time and more than likely, you’re going to be helping them in return. Because connection is more important than ever, and by reaching out you’ll be strengthening your relationship during a time of literal isolation.

You can also ALWAYS reach out to us; we read and respond to every e-mail and will support you in any way we can. Together, we’ll get through this and be OK again. Promise.?

Be well,

Lan & Cathy

Focus On What You Can Control

It’s a strange time for the world right now. Fear, panic, anxiety and so many other emotions seem to be running rampant because we don’t have clear answers to some very big questions like “How bad is this going to get?”, “How many people have the virus?”, “Will the economy be able to withstand this?”, “Am I going to have a paycheck?”… and the list goes on.

There’s quite a bit that seems out of our control and that can be disconcerting to say the least. While it would be nice for us to offer some concrete answers to ANY of these, just like you, we don’t know. But, we will continue to do what we preach: focus on the things we CAN control. And for the most part, those things have not changed:

  • We will focus on our own actions and words, offering calm and measured responses to our friends and family who come to us with concerns.
  • We’ll continue to do our own due diligence in reading verifiable reports and statistics so we stay informed without buying into the panic of sensationalized blog posts and the like.
  • We’ll focus on doing our part in the efforts to maintain social distance for the greater good of our communities (and consequently the world at large).
  • We’ll continue to nourish our bodies with physical activity and a balanced diet (staying healthy is more important than ever!).
  • We’ll ❤️ on our family members by checking in on those who can’t go out (our elders and immune-compromised).
  • We’ll enjoy the unexpected blessing of extra time with our children and appreciate that we get to have them close to us and safe.
  • We’ll focus on the good we see around us and try to spread that joy.
  • We’ll allow ourselves space to address our own emotions and stresses, and then encourage each other to move forward.
  • We’ll practice kindness and grace for ourselves and others alike.

These things are what will get us through the days and weeks to come. We hope you’ll practice a little of this as well and remember that we’re in it with you and are here for you, always.

With sisterly love,

Cathy & Lan

Headed For Splitsville?!

We’re a little more than a month into the year, and I don’t know about you, but it was a LONG month! At the same time, I’m left wondering – where has the time gone! Are we really 1/12 of the way through 2020? How can that be?!

If you, like me, started off the year with big plans and serious goals – how are you doing with them? I’ve found myself doing a couple things this week that I invite you to do as well:

  1. Honestly evaluating my progress on goals set (ugh, it can be brutal)
  2. Deciding how to refine or adjust my course to actually reach those goals!

I’ll share one of my own goals with you (who knows, maybe this will help me with some accountability?!)… but first, a little back story to my 2020 mindset!

I’m not a huge fan of the “new year, new me” line of thinking; no judgement for those who find it motivates them, but I believe it’s the same me, year after year. I’m on a constant journey of growth and learning, so while I know there’s plenty of room for improvement, I don’t feel like I’m trying to completely make myself over every time a new year begins. In fact, some of my goals actually involve trying to go BACK to versions of myself that I miss.

Which brings me to a 2020 resolution I want to share with you. It might seem a little silly, and I’m (almost) embarrassed to share it, but I want to be able to do the splits this year. YEP, good old fashioned splits.? My 10 year old giggled, too, when I shared this particular goal on Dec 31, but hear me out – this has nothing to do with the idea of being a twisty, bendy teenager again. I’ve begun to really feel old in my body, which seems like a ridiculous thing to say, but it’s true! I wake up with an achey back and stiff neck more mornings than not, and my muscles feel so tight most days that in the last year I’ve been to the chiropractor for more visits than I care to count.

When I started to consider WHY my body has been feeling so tight and uncomfortable– I had to acknowledge that I’ve become so sedentary that I’ve lost a ton of the flexibility and strength that I used to have. So, I made a promise to myself that 2020 would be the year I got serious about regaining those two things, and that would mean both diet and exercise would have to be addressed.

And, if you’ve listened to our podcast episode about setting goals (Episode 5 – click here for a listen) you know both Lan and I believe in getting SPECIFIC about our goals. Too broad, and there’s room for excuses or failure. Too lofty and non-descript (i.e. I’m going to be super-fit!) and youor goals feel more like dreams than tangible milestones. We believe you need to get specific and set goals that are measurable. In my case, one of the measurable goals on my journey to being stronger and more flexible is to be able to do the splits without tearing a muscle (or 5).

SO, how am I doing? Not gonna lie – it’s not going well! I started off strong, exercising a lot (for me) the first week and a half of January. Then, life happened. *Cue the excuses* I just “couldn’t” fit in the time for myself to focus on this stuff. Or so I told myself. Sound familiar? It’s so easy to let yourself off the hook when the only one who really cares about the outcome is you. But, as we’re always preaching: self-love means actually putting forth the effort for yourself, even when it’s inconvenient.

So, what hasn’t been working? For me, it’s a couple things – I keep saying I’ll work out in the evenings after the kids are settled for the night. Alternately, I’ve been saying I need to join a class or gym to make it more fun – but in the meantime, I’ve been excusing myself from at-home stretching/exercising – and there’s just no valid reason for those excuses!

How am I planning to adjust the course? Starting tomorrow, I’m going to wake up and stretch – I’m committing to start my day off strong. This means, before I’m going to allow myself coffee, phone time, etc., I’m going to discipline myself to stretching and warming up my body. I’m also going to fit in my workouts while the kids are at school – in between phone calls and e-mails. There’s time IF I CARVE IT OUT. No more excuses that truly end up amounting to laziness. (Ugh, that’s brutal to even see in type) Later in the day, when I’m mentally drained and feeling REALLY unmotivated, I can rest a little easier knowing I’ve already done something good for myself.

Small steps, right? I’ll keep you posted on my progress. In the meantime, what are some of your goals or resolutions? How are you (really) doing with them? How are you going to adjust YOUR course, or are you already smashing goals? I’d love to support you with them – so share in the comments or e-mail me at cathy@betterwithsisters.com !

Stay strong & stay motivated –

Cathy

How does YOUR garden grow?

For those of you that don’t know, Lan and I are super fortunate to live on the Central Coast of California. The weather here is generally mild and sunny for most of the year; this is in large part WHY so much amazing produce is grown here. In my little neck of the woods, there are several U-pick farms that offer people a chance to go and pick their own fruits right off the trees/vines to bring home and enjoy. During the summer months, that means we get access to incredible organic berries like the ones you see here.

We’re well into October now, which means strawberry season is all but wrapped up, and blackberry & raspberry season ended several weeks ago. So, why aren’t I sharing photos of pumpkins or something? Because the picture above is what’s happening in my garden. For whatever reason (maybe it’s how we water, maybe the sun hits the yard a certain way), all the fruits in my yard have decided to show up late and my plants are continuing to produce. The blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries in that bowl above were picked yesterday…so much later than the pros’ products. And I’m more than just OK with that; it reminds me that in my garden, with my limited skills, my plants will thrive in their own time…if at all. They’re mine and they bring me so much more satisfaction than any box of berries I could buy at the farm-stand or the grocery store.

Why am I bothering to share this with you? Certainly not to brag about my gardening skills! Case in point: my current social media feed is all apple picking and homegrown pumpkins while my own garden boasts shriveled up squash vines that somehow got nuked by the sun…I can’t seem to grow pumpkins to save my life! *sigh*

So, why, then? Because when I think about this humble little bowl of berries, I’m reminded yet again how important it is to maintain perspective. I could despair looking at my garden and seeing all the plants that aren’t thriving. I could scroll through Instagram and be jealous that my neighbors have so much better luck growing their pumpkins. OR, I could think “wow, how lucky am I that my berry vines are still going strong?!” as I pop said berries into my mouth. I’m gonna choose that last option, in case you’re wondering.

You see, so much of our happiness is a matter of choice. Every day, we have opportunities to compare our lives and our circumstances with what we see around us and what we have envisioned. It’s extremely easy to get discouraged when that comparison leaves us feeling like we’ve come up short. I’ve felt that discouragement before and I’ll likely feel it again in the future. But today I choose to focus on what’s going well in my garden – and I’m not discouraged or sad at all. This little bowl of sweet sun-ripened berries makes me happy. And that’s enough for this brown-thumbed girl.

Hoping you find your happy too,

Cathy

Why Your Words Matter

It happens often… you’re having a conversation with someone and you just can’t seem to get the words out to express yourself. Sometimes, it happens in casual conversation; no big deal! Other times, the stakes are a little higher (i.e. you really need to work through a problem and get your point across!) and it’s just plain frustrating that you can’t express your thoughts the way you’d like. In those moments, you might be wishing you were a more effective communicator. You’re not alone – we’ve all been there!

The reality is there are few individuals capable of saying exactly what they mean, the way they mean to say it, in every conversation. However, there are some people who are more effective communicators than others, and if you are someone who wishes they were just a little better with this particular skill, we have good news – there’s hope! We’re sharing 5 practical tips to help ANYONE become a better communicator.

Everyday chit chat is easy enough – but when you’re trying your best to get your point across, whether for a personal matter or in a professional capacity, the process can be challenging. Effective communication in these scenarios is vital! You can’t get what you want, or what you need if you can’t clearly and concisely communicate that need or want. People cannot read your mind! Every successful relationship between two people requires the understanding gained from an open dialogue in which both parties are actively listening and understanding eachothers’ needs and wants.

One example of a relationship that absolutely REQUIRES effective communication:  marriage! If you’re married yourself, you can probably attest to the fact that your happy days are not a result of dumb luck. Marriage can be really hard work. When we say work, we mean it’s hard to communicate on a constant basis with someone that you love, in a manner that is respectful and at the same time, gets your needs across and met. And at the same time, understanding your partner’s needs and meeting those needs. Communication, when it’s effective, makes that work a little bit easier. But it’s still work in that it requires awareness and conscious effort. It requires respect for your partner and a lot of self-control, because by nature, it’s a personal thing. Controlling those emotions and staying clear in your message is what makes communicating in your personal relationships manageable.

On a professional level, whether you’re talking with a service provider, like calling your cable company to complain about something, or you’re talking with your boss or a colleague, there’s a level of communication that is required. If you want something done, or a problem solved, you need to be able to effectively communicate what the problem is and what the outcome is that you’re looking for…and it has to be something that they can actually do to work with you to accomplish. A lot of people are intimidated by these types of conversations. They don’t like conflict or asking for what they want. They don’t like being the person that’s seen as aggressive or assertive, because it’s uncomfortable.  We want to take the discomfort out of the idea of talking to someone effectively. It’s a much easier skill than people realize.

Being an effective communicator isn’t always a natural talent. It’s something you become with practice, and that practice begins from the time you’re a baby learning how your sounds and body language help you navigate the world to get what you need to survive. As you grow, you learn vocabulary that enables you, when you use it, to become more efficient in expressing yourself. As an adult, there’s no reason this growing and evolving should ever stop! As you experience life and navigate different interpersonal situations, you realize there are common threads in the way people speak and behave. You see the patterns in how people respond to you when you choose certain words, tone, and body language. If you’re paying attention and are willing to learn from each situation, you’ll be able to hone your skills as a communicator in every scenario going forward.

Equally important to the ability to speak clearly is the concept of listening and trying to see the whole picture. It takes a lot of self-restraint and mindfulness. This is an integral part of being an effective communicator. Part of being a good communicator is hearing what the other person has to say. You need to process that information, and then share with them what you believe you heard. While you’re not always going to agree with the points being made, showing that you understand the other party shows your level of respect for them. When people feel respected and understood, they are much more likely to meet you in compromise and understanding of YOUR needs and wants.

In discussing effective communication, it’s really important to acknowledge that our body language is a form of communication. Non-verbal communication is also a skill that is developed, because if you don’t recognize that you do it, you can’t develop it. Controlling your nonverbal cues is so much a part of conveying whatever message it is you’re trying to get across. If you’re not aware of how you communicate your feelings and your thoughts with your physical signs, you could be doing harm to your relationships and to your situation. For example, if two people are having a conversation, and one person is rolling their eyes or crossing their arms or leaning away from the other, they’re conveying PLENTY without saying a single word. While they’re technically giving the other person a turn to speak, they might as well be interrupting and saying “NOPE!”. Those nonverbal cues are every bit as important to be aware of and to control as the words that come out of your mouth. That takes a lot of restraint and self-awareness to learn control of these non-verbal cues – but you can do it!

So, how exactly DO you hone the skills required to become a more effective communicator? Well, we’ve got 5 simple tips for you. We encourage you to take these tips and apply them to your day to day interactions. With practice and consistent effort, we guarantee your life is going to be so much easier.

  • Know Your Message: Knowing what you’re going to say and why is possibly the most important part of communication. If it’s not clear to you, how can you possibly make it clear to anyone else? Know what you’re trying to convey… and if you’re going to be asking for something, whether that’s understanding, or compromise, or change of any sort, know what your “ask” is before you start speaking
  • Stay Clear & Concise: If you’re talking about an issue, don’t bring up other incidents or irrelevant details; it dilutes your message. Keep on point about your topic. That makes it easier for the other person to understand what your needs and wants are. Consequently, you’re more likely to accomplish your goal.
  • Listen, Listen, Listen!: And when you’re done listening, listen a little more. Communication is a two-way street, every time, without exception. If you’re not hearing what the other person is responding with, you’re not effectively communicating, you’re just talking. Chances are if you’re just talking, you’re not going to accomplish what you’re setting out to communicate.
  • Be OPEN To The Dialogue: Again, communication is a two-way street. Process the response you’re getting and be flexible with your opinions and your position. There may be information you were previously unaware of that could change your point of view, or other perspectives you hadn’t considered. Treat each communication as an opportunity to learn and to grow.
  • Don’t Be Afraid To Assert Yourself: Having conviction about what you’re speaking to is not a flaw. Knowing what you want and being willing to have the conversations required is a strength. Stay strong in your convictions when communicating with others. But, do it with respect because having a discussion doesn’t necessarily mean conflict. Don’t shy away from having the hard talks. Sometimes, that’s where the real growth happens. You might even be surprised at how easy it can be to accomplish your goals when you know what you want and you aren’t afraid to talk it out.

Communication helps us connect. It helps us grow. It helps us get things done. Whether in our personal relationships or in our professional capacity, our ability to effectively communicate our thoughts is essential to our success. We hope that these tips will help you become a more effective communicator.

With Sisterly Love,

Lan & Cathy

P.S. Check out Episode 21 of the podcast HERE ; we share our own experiences with bumbling through conversations (and teaching our kids how to grow into effective communicators in their own right). 

Back To School: Celebrate It or Hate It?

It’s that bittersweet time of year when summer draws to a close and we send our kids back to school. This summer we’ve been fortunate to make a lot of new memories with our kids traveling and playing through the long warm days. Whether we were enjoying a simple bbq with friends and family in the backyard or schlepping luggage through airports to see new sights, the goal was the same – to create moments that the whole family would remember.

That’s the thing with parenting, right? You’ve heard the cliché warnings – “oh, the years fly by so soak in every minute!”, “they grow so fast, don’t blink!”, “cherish every moment, they’ll be gone before you know it.” We’d be lying if we said we didn’t feel the pressure of time running out ourselves. There is truth in each statement. And, between us we have kids aged 8-20, so we’ve literally got ALL the feels these days. From elementary school lunch packing to college apartment move-ins, back to school means completely different experiences for us as moms.

Typically, there are two types of parents when it comes to school going back in session. Those who are super excited about it (Team Celebrate It!) and those who are just sad to see summer end and their kids go back to school 5 days a week (Team Hate It!). We know, the names could use some work… but you get the idea ?. No matter what team you’re on, it can be stressful just the same. For many parents, the summer schedule of having kids at home EVERY DAY can definitely be a strain – especially if schooltime usually doubles as childcare while the parents are at work (earning what’s required for those trivial things like shelter and food). Or, if your ears are bleeding from the 800 times a day your kids: ask for snacks/ say “I’m bored”/complain about their siblings – you might also be on Team Celebrate It! at back to school time. No judging here; these are all valid reasons to feel the way you do!

Over here, we’re teetering just a little bit over onto Team Hate It!’s side, and here’s why: we ARE looking forward to having our regularly scheduled days back. Having those set hours from 8-2 Monday thru Friday means scheduling meetings, getting work done and not juggling the kids’ needs at the same time is a relief. But, we’re also fortunate enough to have the type of work schedules that allow us to be flexible when that’s NOT the case, like during summer vacation. So, our kids don’t have to go to daycare, and we don’t feel that extra financial and emotional burden over summer.

Now, if you’ve talked to either of us in the past about the notion of “lucky” – we’re not huge fans of describing our lives that way. We work really hard at every aspect of our lives (relationships, finances, personal growth) to be able to live a certain way, so we don’t like the notion that it’s all down to luck that we get to do what we do how we do. All that said, we know that we have a lot to be grateful for, like an extended family that we genuinely enjoy. From siblings to in-laws to cousins and their families; somehow the different personalities and ages just gel when we get together. Of course, there are moments of miscommunication and misunderstanding from time to time, but they are minor and typically too brief to even remember. When you get to enjoy a summer filled with family time that isn’t stressful, it’s difficult to celebrate that coming to an end!

Whichever team you find yourself on when it comes to back to school time, we get it, truly. Because at the end of the day, we’re all on the same team for our kids… the one where we are doing our best to love ‘em and raise ‘em right. So, Happy Back to School to all of you! We wish your kids a healthy, successful year of learning and growing. And we wish YOU a year of patience, sanity & all the hugs from your little (or not so little) ones.

With Sisterly Love,

Lan & Cathy

P.S. If you want to hear more about what our summer and back to school experiences REALLY were like this year, check out Episode 18 of the podcast HERE. It’s definitely not all sunshine & sandy toes… there might have been a painful glacier hike and some anxiety sprinkled in there, too. ?.

The Myth of Instant Results

Picture a growing child…”Wow, when did you get so big?! It seems like just yesterday you were a baby!” That experience is growth in its purest, most basic form. The incremental changes that are happening every minute, every day are so hard to see! But, give a kid a year, even just a few months or weeks, and the changes can be drastic, right?

Now, think of your own journey and challenges in this way. Are you beating yourself up over goals you haven’t reached yet? Successes you haven’t realized? This is your reminder to STOP. Give yourself a little break. Because change is rarely apparent overnight.The idea of that is sure seductive, though, right? Ask anyone who’s been on a weight-loss journey, attempted a fitness challenge, or started a new business venture. There are a lot of very enticing “see results NOW”, “make $$$ in 30 days!”, “feel better than ever in less than a week” promises out there. And, we’re not questioning the appeal. It’s so easy to buy into the instant gratification mentality and start judging ourselves with unrealistic expectations.

As we can attest through personal experience, those promises rarely pan out. If you’re undertaking a new challenge or endeavor – that’s your “child”. Would you expect it to grow up overnight? Probably not. Because, you know that’s not how life works. Changes happen like a child’s growth. Real, lasting changes in your personal journey will happen over time, typically as a result of constant and continued efforts.

If you’re building your business, of course you’re celebrating the big milestones. Frustration when profits aren’t rolling in just yet is normal; but tweak your approach and move on. Use the hurdles you encounter as lessons to help you grow as opposed to evidence of failure. If anything is true, it’s that giving up is the surest way to fail.

Which is why we encourage people to take the time to celebrate the small victories. If you’re on a weight loss journey, focusing on the end goal can feel intimidating, especially if you have a large amount to lose. If you’re working on bettering your fitness habits, celebrate your personal records. Taking note of every time you make a choice to treat your body better is a victory. Each half pound loss is a step in the right direction.

Instant results are rarely (if ever!) instant, so we challenge you to do this: reframe your idea of success. Results really mean change, so start celebrating the small changes as success in your journey, instead of waiting for the END result and being disappointed in yourself and your efforts along the way. What if you could view your progress as success? Every step forward is an improvement from where you once were, and improvement (or progress) IS success!

Don’t believe us? Consider the most “successful” people you know, or know of. Are they wealthy? Well-traveled and highly-educated? Healthy? In seemingly “perfect” relationships? They likely all share something in common BEYOND their success. That common factor? Their journey is on-going!

Wealthy people typically don’t STOP making money; they always want more money. Travelers are always seeking new experiences and exploring new places. Relationships are constantly growing deeper and stronger. The educated are always eager to learn more and expand their knowledge. In essence, the bar is raised and the journey continues. In their efforts to keep growing, successful people stay focused on the daily steps needed to help them grow. They just happen to be further along on their journey than others!

Success isn’t a fixed end-point. It’s a series of goals or milestones reached over time. In reframing the way you view success, you can allow yourself the grace to stumble and learn along the way without succumbing to false and unproductive feelings of failure. You’ll also be able to see just how successful you already are – and that’s worth a lot.

With Sisterly Love,

Cathy & Lan

P.S. We’d love to hear from you; what journey are you focusing your efforts on today? Share with us in the comments below and let us celebrate your milestones with you!

Want MORE on this topic? Check out Episode 16 of the podcast; we talk about reframing success and how we apply this concept in our own lives as well!