big things

With all of the amazing and inspiring podcasts I've been listening to over the last six months, I've found myself wanting to be amazing and inspiring myself, but I didn't know how to do it. I didn't know what I might be able to do to contribute to the world and find personal fulfillment (besides being a mother -- which I definitely feel like fulfills both of those things). One day, I told Russ that I wanted both of us to think of things we were good at and/or enjoyed, and see if we could find a way to start a side hustle with them.

Some of my initial thoughts were to start an Etsy shop because I like crafting, or to try and do something with interior design or party planning since I enjoy both of those things. However, none of those ideas felt quite right for me. For one thing, I'm actually not creative. I'm FANTASTIC at copying other people's ideas and maybe even improving upon their ideas, but I've never been one to come up with the ideas on my own. And I knew I couldn't start a career based on ripping off other people's ideas. For another thing, those ideas just didn't have the fulfillment factor for me.

But when I was brainstorming, I realized that I'm obsessed with baby sleep. It dominated my thoughts for five straight months, and if we're being honest, it still does even though Ada's sleep is muuuuuch better and more predictable. And as soon as I had the thought of becoming a sleep consultant myself, I knew that was the puzzle piece I had been searching for.

It struck a chord with me that no other possibility had. And it was something (unlike the other options) that I knew would talk a lot of time, money, effort, and vulnerability (by putting myself out there as a business), but which I was PUMPED for. Usually when I know something will take a lot of work, it's unappealing to me. But although I knew this would take work, I was completely excited to dedicate myself to that.

So I applied and have been accepted to the Family Sleep Institute for a sleep consultant certification program, and I am seriously so. stinkin'. excited! to get started on creating my own business and helping other mamas gain some sanity :)


I'm not the only one making big career moves -- Russ joined the party as well! He's going to apply for a QA testing course at Dev Mountain, and work is {hopefully, probably} going to pay for it. This is going to be a big deal for us, because he'll have to do classes during the day and then work the swing shift at night. So for six weeks, I'm only really going to see him on weekends! I know a lot of people work full time and do school full time, but we've never done that in our marriage, so it will be a pretty crazy six weeks for us.

Some things I've really been trying to internalize from all my podcasts are to make every moment count, not to leave things for the future, and to maximize joy in any circumstance. So Russ and I are both committing to doing big things to grow right NOW, and we'll practice finding joy amidst the growing pains that are sure to come.

I'm so excited for this journey of big things we're embarking on :)