What will you choose? This month, believe.
Ahhhh September. Here in NYC that means back-to-school season, and that ever-difficult getting back into a routine. I’m someone who looooooves routine. But the changing of a routine – even just trying to get back into it – is always a bit rocky at first. I’ve been anticipating this month since early August when I realized how busy it was going to be. My littlest babe is heading off to preschool where his older brother currently goes, and there’s an extended phase-in period for these pandemic babies which is super fantastic and supportive of them. But it also means that I’ll spend a good chunk of my typical working hours during phase-in being more hands-on at school, and therefore away from my desk. I also scheduled a much-needed moms-only extended weekend trip with a dear friend of mine who I haven’t traveled with since 2015. More time away from my desk. Add in a potential new project kick-off, and a conference I agreed to speak at (eeek!) and I felt the urge to just close my eyes and hide under the covers until it’s October.
But then I realized a lot of the angst was of my own making. I was ruminating on the incoming tsunami instead of making plans on a micro-level of how I would tackle it all. I was allowing myself to focus on ALL THE THINGS that were coming, rather than focus on what I could do to make it less overwhelming. I was thinking “everything will be overwhelming” rather than choosing to believe that it will all work out.
It all led me to a bit of a larger epiphany – believing is a choice. Just like how you choose to spend your time, or where you choose to focus your thoughts. It’s a choice that you get to make every single day. So this month, I’m deciding to choose to believe in my own strength and resilience. To trust myself to manage my time so I can really enjoy my trip with my girlfriend, to adjust my schedule so that I can support my going-to-school babes, and still show up on all my projects with the creativity and energy I’m used to bringing. Ultimately, I’m choosing to believe in myself.
4 years ago, founder Melissa Blum also chose to believe in herself, and M.T. Deco began. As we look at another year in business, we’re all so excited that she took a chance on herself – and us. And of course we’re bringing this intention to the forefront across all of our discussions this month. We’ll have a look at why choosing to focus on your local community can have a great impact on your strategy (more than just going viral on TikTok will), and what all you marketers out there can learn from Lizzo.
As always, our contributors are rounding out the month with some great options for you to choose from. Megan Collins of the Manicured Shelf is switching things up this month and giving you a rundown of the latest releases that you simply HAVE to read – she’s got something for everyone in this list of 8 (!!!) books. And resident DJ Lissie Jacobson has mixed up the perfect Morning Buzz playlist to make sure you’re getting up on the right side of the bed. We’ll also hear from realtor extraordinaire Mariah Mills on her path to starting her successful business – and her advice for believing in yourself.
I hope you join us in making the choice that is best for you. Maybe that’s believing in your abilities, your skills, or your work ethic if you’re feeling overwhelmed with work. Or maybe it’s believing work can handle it if you, too, take a long overdue time away for yourself. Whatever you choose to believe in this month, I hope it brings you closer to joy and a calmer state. I’ll be right here, as always, cheering you on.