This has nothing to do with Christmas

This post has been sitting in draft mode for awhile and I figured it was time to share.

Over the last several months I've been struggling to balance all the areas of my life. You know the cliché saying about wearing too many hats? And spreading yourself too thin? I might be guilty of that.

As you know I started my business this summer. I loved it, I wanted to run full force with it. Orders started to really pile up, and as much as I was excited about that, I was also incredibly overwhelmed. At the time I thought that, even though it was a lot of work, it was what I wanted. I was looking for a way to use my gifts to make money. After attending the Influence Conference I was further encouraged to run with that passion and do what I could with it.

And then I came home, reality sunk in, and I hit that all too familiar wall of paralysis that comes when you put too much on your plate.

See, not only was I trying to run a business, but I'm also a full time college student. Some of you might be thinking, "well, if you don't have a job that doesn't seem like such a big deal." And others may be thinking, "that was kind of stupid to start a business while you are in school."

There is truth in both of those statements. I could probably do it. I could probably work really hard and have a decently successful business and attend school, and maintain a decent GPA. But that is all I would have. A potentially thriving business and a decent GPA. All the while forgetting what matters most to me.

Peace
Joy
Family
Alex
Friends
Sanity

I've done a lot of praying lately. About the path I am taking in school, about my business, about if I'm seeking God in everything or if I am just trying to control things myself. I've discovered that I need to scale back in areas that don't align with my God given desires and that inhibit me from reaching my true potential.

One of the biggest changes (well at least for you guys) will be the closing of my business. Not permanently! Just seasonally. Obviously planners are pretty much a seasonal product anyways so this just kind of seemed like a no brainer. I'll be relaunching next spring/summer with new designs and a more organized business plan.

In the mean time, I've been trying to help support a family who is adopting two boys from Africa with the sales from my business. Since I still have lots of this seasons stock left I figured it was a good time to clear everything out and do a flash sale! If you follow me on instagram you probably saw some information about this. Right now I've got an instagram giveaway going on with a friend of mine from Topknots and Pearls Crafts.

Check out the giveaway, share the giveaway. I'm just doing it to try to help raise some funds for this family. I'll be back next week sharing a little bit more on my heart behind this and some details about the sale and other ways you may be able to help.