Contentment

Via

Lately I've been struggling with contentment and just being a grateful person. I always want more.  I want to achieve more, I want to do more. Not necessarily make a ton of money, though that would be nice. I just want recognition. I feel like a big greedy ingrate! 

I realize that I need a heart check.  What does contentment look like in my life? I need to allow myself to enjoy what I've been blessed with and what I've achieved, especially recently. I don't know what it is in me that feels I need to always be doing more and can never find peace or contentment. Maybe it's some deeper issues with parents, approval, etc. But that's a discussion for another time. ;-)

Please don't get me wrong - I know we have so much to be thankful for. Our beautiful house that we live in and a growing business of my own - we are blessed and give thanks daily. But I think this blog community I find myself in - the one in which I read all the blogs out there and see all the fabulous things other bloggers are doing - it can be easy to fall into this feeling of "wanting more" and it never being enough. Feelings associated with comparison. discontentment. jealousy - all these are so so dangerous. Or maybe it's just me.

Hope you don't mind me sharing some of these personal things that have been on my mind ... But I am curious to get your thoughts on the subject. Do you struggle with being content? Being thankful? If not,  please tell us your secrets! How do you remind yourself to be thankful or keep yourself in check when you start to compare? Thanks for reading today friends.

delightfully yours,

Rochelle xx

Bravery

Via

The Disney version of bravery includes fighting off bears, and fearlessly wielding a bow and arrow, but does bravery really require looking danger straight in the face while maintaining a steady, calm heartbeat? Does bravery require taking risky moves, or could simply taking baby steps outside your comfort zone be considered bravery?

We've touched on the power of fear previously my valid concerns or fears of failure, and - what I yearn to accomplish in my life. This year, after taking small steps over time to establish my own business, I've learned that with experience, things that seemed impossible once become second nature and can yield significant results, and I've been learning that if you want something bad enough, the small steps you take to break out of your comfort zone expand your horizons.

Perhaps through experience we become somewhat immune to the fear, however, I know I must remind myself to not let new experiences cripple me with fear and anxiety, but rather re-focus them as opportunities to succeed.

Via

I must remind myself that perfection does not necessarily yield success. Sometimes things go awry, and we learn from these trying moments. And under the bigger umbrella, these trying lessons only help us to grow and learn, and should not impact your memories of an otherwise positive experience. Likewise, de-valuing my work for whatever reason will only demonstrate to others that my work is not of value. Therefore, assigning fair value is the most important part of business. If my efforts are not valued, then why bother in the first place? After all, no one likes being taken advantage of. AmIright?

Delightfully yours,
Rochelle

A touchy subject

Budgets: we all have them. They are a much talked about subject not only in the wedding industry, but in life, and at times can be a bit difficult to make ends meet. More often than not, budgets aren't ideally where we would want them to be in life and for weddings. It is therefore so important when planning an event for both the clients and vendors to find the right fit. 

I wish I could make every bride-to-be's Pinterest dream wedding come true but most of the inspiration images I get are far out of reach of the average wedding budget. These are weddings that are featured on blogs as the best of the best and their floral budgets alone may be half of what some couples' entire wedding costs are. I have had a significant struggle with wishing I could accommodate all the dreams and wishes of each and every client, and honestly, I've had a bad habit of sacrificing my own sanity and paycheck to make dreams come true. 

Finding a happy ground where budget meets inspiration is an ongoing challenge, but devaluing my work and passion is not going to cut it any longer.

Today I read a great blog post discussing realistic budgets vs. inspiration images and expectations written by Nancy Liu Chin. She does an excellent job of breaking down where and how all of the money is spent on floral design and decor. I encourage every bride-to-be or fellow wedding vendor to read it in it's entirety. 

You can click here for the post. And while I'm at it here is a little pie chart from Every Last Detail that is great visual aid.

delightfully yours,

Rochelle Leigh Wall