I wrote a post in November of 2016 about the outfits I wore through all of the wedding festivities leading up to my wedding. It just so happened I had met someone who became a friend who sold Lularoe. You remember the craze of Lularoe when it came out right?

Well if you don't, think buttery soft leggings. Anyway, I just so happened to wear a lot of Lularoe at that time in my life and because I was dabbling in writing more about fashion at the time, I decided to write this post. 

Well, let's just say there is a Reddit thread dedicated to how much people dislike Lularoe and someone posted my blog post in that feed. Someone thought I was a retailer for Lularoe and posted how crazy I was to try to sell my product at my wedding.. which wasn't true by the way. 

The person I did buy my clothes from does still sell Lularoe today and you can find her website here. She is a great person who really knows her stuff about style and sizing. If you're looking for help, check her out. This isn't a place to debate whether you like the company or not, so let's not go there, please. 

The point of this post is to remind people that going viral can be very random. Things you never thought in a million years would somehow end up posted where a lot of eyes see it. It could've been something you did just for fun with no intention of anyone ever seeing it.

I know it's frustrating. I worked in marketing for a decade before I started my own business and it was always so hit or miss on what took off and what didn't. Things that I spent hours or days on went nowhere and things I posted on a whim would get the most views and engagement. It is a simple reminder that being original is the best way to get noticed. 

So to end this post with a giggle, I now rank on Google for Lularoe. That post is still my most viewed of all time and I strongly believe it is why I still get thousands of hits on this blog each month without posting anything at all. I just looked and one of my top posts viewed this month was a blog about visiting Maine back in 2014. Not too shabby for being almost 10 years old. SEO at its finest. That being said, in 2024 this blog is coming back to life. 

I know I have said that before, but it's happening. It will always be a place of adventure and wonder and will intertwine my current life shenanigans and things to educate in places I feel worthy of educating. Currently, I spend a lot of time working on my businesses which focus on marketing, social media, writing, and holistic services. I know it's a hodge podge of things that somehow fit together. If you want to see what that looks like, visit my website at Zen Between the Chaos. 

Hope to see you in the new year! Enjoy the rest of 2023!

 

I often come back to this space when things are on my mind. I always want to continue writing when things feel important. Many years ago, when I was living alone, barely making ends meet, and needing something to keep me busy, I started this blog. 

Last night as I was falling asleep I had a conversation with my husband about my stress and how I couldn't quite pinpoint what was causing it. I lay there for a few minutes and it hit me. Money. 

I grew up being taught that when you make a lot of money that means you are successful. I also grew up with the belief that you do not quit your job unless you have a new one lined up. Money was going to make me happy so I needed to make sure I was always making lots of it. 

I stayed in my first "real" job for almost 10 years. I never made enough money, but in my small town, there really wasn't much else. If I didn't decide to move, I probably would still be working there if I am being honest. 

This move is where my money stress began. Things of course did not go as planned and things became a struggle. I was chasing the money just to survive. I have worked 2 and 3 jobs at a time just to meet the bare minimum. I made many job changes for better-paying jobs with bigger titles. As I got to the top of that mountain I realized, I was not that happy. I was able to support myself, making lots of money, but the happiness wasn't there. The stress increased. What was wrong?

Often times when we get bigger titles with more money, that comes with more responsibility. Now I am not saying I don't want responsibility, please don't misunderstand, but what I do mean is I took work home with me. I always felt like I needed to be "on". I never just turned it all off to relax. 

When you don't take the time to shut down and relax, you stay in a state of fight or flight. This isn't healthy. We live in constant stress and in turn, it causes health issues, anxiety, poor sleep patterns, etc. 

in October of 2021, I quit working full-time and went down to part-time. By the summer of 2022, I made the choice to 100% quit working for someone else and to work only for myself. Almost as quick as I quit that job, I committed to another person to help out part-time. 

I continue this pattern as I continue to heal myself and the money wound I have. When I "help" people out in business, I tend to take on all the stress that I wanted to leave in having a job. This time around I have started to finally put up boundaries. I will not bring home my work because I run my own business and that is what I work on at home. 

It has been a learning curve, but it is something that I realized has limited me to succeeding in my own interests. Being an entrepreneur is a new thing but it is also something that tests you in every aspect of your life. I would never give it up for anything, but it reminds me of how far I have come. 

Every day I learn a little more about my comfort levels and what I am willing to do to succeed. I wish I could help everyone all the time to succeed in business and in life, but I realized by doing that I can't succeed myself 100%.

I am less stressed now making less money than when I was at the top of my career. I am much happier now that I realized a lot of that stress came from bringing work home and always worrying about what others would think at my job. Now I focus on the important tasks and get them done - both in my business, my client's businesses, and my life. 

I am not saying that being successful at your job is wrong, but I want it to be okay for you to feel unhappy even when people assume you have it all. Having it all doesn't always mean happiness. 

When you start feeling unhappy or stressed out in your job and it continues on with no end, it is time to get quiet and see what has changed. Allow yourself grace as you put up boundaries and make choices that may feel uncomfortable. 

If you need help in this area and would like to do some coaching or energy healing, schedule a free consultation with me and we can get it sorted out. 

Talk soon!