Often times at the end of the year, I jump on the social media bandwagon of “best most liked photos of 2019” or “a year in rewind”.  This year, I wanted to acknowledge and pay it forward by sharing some gems that really helped me this year to manage the stress of entrepreneurship, changing family dynamics (aka homeschool!), and grow in my faith.

I have always loved following entrepreneurship accounts, self help, and encouraging podcasts.   This year in particular, I got a little bit burned out from all the “business advice”. 

I’m not proud of it, but when the whole world pivoted last March, I had a realization that no one truly knows what they are doing.  Life is full of trial and error. 

There was no book for how to survive business in a global pandemic.  It wasn’t written.  There weren’t any podcasts. 

Sure, I had followed and listened to the advice of those brave enough to start a business during the recession of 2009…but the whole mask, social distancing, and varying rules from state to state really confused everything from inventory to freight, hiring to trimming, and to say I felt “ill-equipped” would be stately it gently.

I had to make some really tough decisions last year.

But, thankfully -- my friends on Instagram opened my eyes to a few new ways of doing things and shared what worked for them.

They took a minute on their platforms to be vulnerable and share what they were doing to manage the stress.

And it really changed my year.

Here are a few of the many tricks I used to realign myself into a peaceful headspace in 2020 (thanks to all of you for introducing me to these things on your social media platforms!!):

 

1. Dharius Daniels — Dr. Daniels is the most entrepreneurial pastor I have had the pleasure of listening to.  He speaks to you like a good friend and is soooo reliable each week to post his Sunday sermons on Tuesday on Youtube.  He interprets and communicates scripture in a way that actually makes sense to my Bible 101 ears.  Committing to listening to his sermons each week was a much needed reminder that each of us are designed with specific gifts and for a purpose.  His YouTube channel was a huge blessing in my life this year to combat anxiety, fear of the unknown, and grow in my relationship with God.

 

 2. Meditating Chimes — I found these on Amazon and they were worth every penny for three minutes of pure bliss.  The random chimes always sounds so calming and remind me to take a couple of minutes to reset.  It basically skips me to my favorite part of every yoga class (when you lie in the corpse pose on the floor in the darkness with the beautiful sound of chimes).

 

3. Cloisters on the Platte — I attended an Ignation retreat a few weeks ago and I cannot recommend enough a few days of silence and nature!  I’m so appreciative that my family and team support me going off the grid for a few days (no cell phone, email, instagram).  It is incredibly designed by various architects and interior designers across the country to invoke peace, beauty, and a quiet background to connect with God.

 

4. Getting in Water — One interesting thing I learned from my entrepreneur friends this year is how beneficial “getting in water” can be if you are a water person.  For me, this is buying a day pass at a local recreation center and swimming laps for an hour.  Having quiet time in the water without a phone or distractions often times gives me the solutions or inspiration I need to get back to work in a great mood!

Andy and I squeezed in time to canoe for the first time as a married couple this summer and oh boy did we learn quite a bit about each other on the river. LOL. I hadn't been canoeing since a teen and he had never been...needless to say we tipped our canoe 15 minutes into the day long paddle...at 8:15am. I lost a shoe, Andy cut his foot, found a hat...wonderful, hilarious memories were made.

(My daughter Vivi and I -- she did her own make-up complete with neon jewelry for a quiet New Years Eve at home)

 5. Cooking — Maybe it was a control thing — control what you can’t control?  But, I really found peace in cooking this year.  Before the pandemic, it was always something I felt like I had to squeeze in between going to work, appointments, movies, get togethers, school activities…but when everything kind of stopped, dinnertime became a time I looked forward to.  Some of my favorite recipes that we have tried to perfect this year include:

Serious Eats Risotto — we add bacon!  My husband and I make it together (he loves to shred cheese while I prefer chopping shallots).

Rigatoni Broccoli Bake — quite possibly the only way I will eat broccoli.  An alternative to pasta night…with more pasta.

Carnitas — thanks Williams-Sonoma for this gem of a recipe.  Fresh orange and beer make for an insanely delicious taco.

Jambalaya — best leftover food.  For some reason mine always tastes better the next day.

Homemade Pizza Dough — once you do homemade you can’t go back!  Andy loves substituting honey for the sugar and I’m super spoiled that he loves kneading this by hand.

Thanks for being here for the last three years -- Andy & I are so grateful for the Amethyst community and we are praying for lots of good health and blessings for each of you this coming year!

Love,

Monica