| Ever since I started working for myself, I've wanted to take December off. When I started the biz that is now Indie Shopography, David was going into graduate school. I was working from home and taking care of #cutekid, while David did tree ring science. For those first years in my business, David got a holiday break and I did not. Setting myself up to take December off to enjoy a hermit-y month at home in the winter, baking cookies and staying snuggly warm became a dream I had for how I wanted to structure my business. For years I dreamed it but I never quite made it happen. In fact, the exact opposite happened: December became my most stressful month, filled with wrapping up all my projects for the year, which usually meant more website launches than any other month. Instead of becoming my dream month of cider and carols, it became my end-of-year race. My first two weeks of December were balls-to-the-wall launches, which did allow me to wrap up my year with taking off the last two weeks of December. This happened year after year. And the stress of it all was not what I had always dreamed it would be. And though I am grateful that I have been able to have two weeks off (I have friends who still work on Christmas Eve), I do want more. And this year has been the year that I vowed to do it. Because I want to. I put it on my calendar months ago. I told everyone about it, multiple times. For months. And as of right now, I'm officially off work until the first week of January. I put in the work. I made the commitment. I restructured how my business operates to make it a reality. Oh, the sweet taste of success. And sugar cookies. AND SO THIS, this is the reason I believe that I love my job most - because I get to put a month-long vacation on my calendar, for me and my entire little family, and just make it do. Because I want to. TO-DO FOR YOU:
What do you want in 2017? A month-long holiday? A retreat? Put it on the calendar and make it do. Make your dreams come true. | 