Operation Celebrate Life

Hey lovely sugar pops.   Molly here.  Grab a cup of tea and hunker down for this long post!

I want to try something a little different today, so hang in there.

I want to try being completely transparent, instead of adopting my “I’ve got all my ducks in a row and am incredibly happy and pulled together and that’s why you should listen to what I have to say” blogging expert voice.  I’m not going to give you 5 steps to whatever or present a hot new happiness tip today.  I’m just going to write about my life without worrying about what anyone thinks.

Honestly, I’m a little scared.  But such is life, I suppose.

Like I promised in my pre-vacation post, I did some hard thinking about Stratejoy while lounging on the beach and mopeding around the rice paddies. I thought hard about how I was showing up in the business and how I was living and embracing the “authentic happiness movement”. I came to some conclusions that I need to share with you…

I am on the same journey you are on.  The one called life.  Some days I feel fabulous, like nothing can hold me down. Like I can conquer anything I set my mind and creative talent upon.  Like sunbeams are lighting the path with certainty of success.  Like I am truly kicking ass and taking names.  Like I’ve got it all figured out.

Oh, how I love those days.

On the other hand, some days I feel like shit, like I have failed and I’m flailing about. Like I’m faking you all out, because I definitely don’t have it all together.  Like everyone must know something I don’t.  Like I’ve got nothing to offer and I can’t possibly show up with a smile on for another day.

Those days are hard, and unfortunately, those are the days I’ve been battling lately.

My relationship with the Big Man is struggling as we face the very big messy question of marriage and kids.  We’ve been together for such a long time and share so much love, it’s really hard to question each other and our future together.  He’s been my rock and my support in this last year as I’ve launched Stratejoy in a sinking economy, and I know this business would have been impossible without him.  It’s massively sad to be considering parting ways and completely scary to contemplate being on my own after 4.5 years.

And then there’s Stratejoy.  My baby.  I am enamored with Stratejoy– the coaching, teaching, writing and speaking I’ve been able to do this last year. I believe deeply in the message we’re trying to spread: defining your own success and living life on your terms.  I believe even more deeply in my clients, my “girls” who are out there tackling life and new adventures and true self acceptance.

I know deep down in my gut that all you have to be is be yourself.  That all you can really do is love your life by embracing your quirks, your goals, your strengths, your fears.  That we should all celebrate life and not take things so seriously.  That we should strive to live in the moment, but also chase the big bold dreams.

That we need to remember happiness is an inside job and the journey is the bulk of the fun.  To breathe.  Dance.  Run around barefoot.  Eat peanut butter like it’s going out of style.

I know that that authenticity, listening deeply to hunches and possibilities and being gutsy enough to show up as you are– these are keys to  happiness. That pushing past boundaries, having total faith in your calling, loving hard and fast– these are the stepping stones to fulfillment.  That embracing the messy bits, practicing gratitude, being gentle with yourself– this is the path towards joy.

Meaning is born from the twinges of excitement that you act upon, the ways you give out, the compassion you embrace, the wisdom you seek.

I believe in all of it.  I do.  Stratejoy is my philosophy on life and one I’m trying to embrace every single day***. The events and courses that I offer are my attempts at sharing my philosophy and experience with you in a very real way.

I’m immensely proud of the workshops I’ve created, the community we’ve produced and the online course that has launched.  It’s amazing what you can produce with nothing more than passion and an insatiable hunger to learn, share and change lives.

Too bad all those sexy adjectives don’t pay the bills.

At least right now.

I’ve lasted as long as I possibly can, but I’m now faced with the reality of having to get a “real job”.  Having to job search in this economy is freaking me out something fierce. So unless 100 of you purchase the online course this instant, I’m off to update my resume.

(Um, and that’s not actually why you should purchase the course.  I mean, I would totally appreciate it and love you even more, but you should make the investment because it’s going to change your outlook…  Because it’s going to teach you some pretty incredible things about your self and your true desires…  But that’s a whole separate blog post!)

This post wasn’t meant to scare any of you, I just felt like I really needed to be honest with what’s going on in my own life because you all share so much with me. It’s life, right?  It’s a journey and we’ve got to accept all the different stops along the way.

And don’t worry– Stratejoy’s not going anywhere.  I believe too strongly that with the right set of magical factors, it’s going to explode into the success I know it can be. We’re offering something that women need- camaraderie, inspiration, accountability, clarity.  We’re having fun, laughing loudly and dancing in our seats while we explore our definition of success.  We’re having honest conversations, learning how to listen to our intuition, and building up faith in ourselves and our abilities.

We’re learning to change what we can and graciously accept what we can’t.

And that’s something that we all need, myself included.

***This image is the first page in my new journal/sketchbook that I’ll be sharing with you: Operation Celebrate Life.   I have no idea what it will turn into, but it’s part of my attempt at some seriously self care and discovery this year.