Welcome to another edition of my Weekly Journal! I use this space to share about my journey from lawyer to jewelry business owner. In last week's journal entry, I gave you something to think about when it comes to finding career happiness in 2023. And in this week's journal entry, I'm encouraging you to take a risk. Bet on yourself. Life is short. If there is something you feel possessed to do, do it. You can always go back to your "old" life if it doesn't work out!

Whether you feel called to start your own business, switch career paths, or just take a completely different route within your established career path, there are no guarantees that it's going to work out well for you. Heck, there are no guarantees that any one of us is going to wake up tomorrow! At some point in time, you are going to have to take a risk and decide to go for it (or not). But here's what I want to tell you. Here's the perspective shifter. It's not about whether the business succeeds or whether the career change turns out well for you. It's about what you learn along the way and how you grow and develop as a person as a result of the experience. You've heard me say it before and I'll continue to say it again: it's about the journey not the end result. For example, perhaps you'll quit your job this year and start your own business, and perhaps it'll fail before you can even blink. But along the way, you meet so-and-so and they are starting this other new company and, when your company goes belly up, you go work for them. And at that new job you meet your future husband, etc, etc, etc. You just don't know WHY you are being called to do something when you are called to do it. Perhaps, like in my example, you'll look back and see that it had nothing to do with your career development but something else wonderful came of it. You just don't know. Don't let another year go by playing it "safe" if you have a burning desire in your heart that just won't go away. Trust it. Trust yourself. Trust yourself enough to know that if it doesn't work out, you're going to be ok and you'll figure it out. You will!

And for goodness sake, give up the false assumption that your corporate job is "stable" and "secure" and therefore not worth giving up. This is one of the biggest road blocks to starting your own business or switching careers. And it's especially applicable this year! Layoffs are going to be everywhere you look because of the economy. That corporate job does have some risk to it. Don't be fooled otherwise. Listen, I know a little about layoffs because I used to be an employment lawyer and as part of my job, I sometimes organized and approved them from a legal perspective. It pained me to know that I had a list of names of people who were going to be laid off in a few weeks or a few months and they had no idea. No clue! In a small business, where you're really part of the inner workings of the business, you might have an inkling that layoffs are coming because you know the company stats and the revenue numbers, etc. But in a big corporate America, where you are just a cog in a wheel and there's no transparency, you have absolutely no idea how the company's budget is allocated and where it's suffering, or even if it's suffering, and how the leaders are going to handle that problem (i.e. by getting rid of you and some other employees). So stop kidding yourself. A corporate job is not stable. People are blind-sided by layoffs every. single. day. So please don't use the excuse that your job is "secure" as a reason to not pursue what's on your heart. And as I said before, you can always go back if it doesn't work out (or to another corporate job - because there are millions of them)! 

I hope in this new year, you get the courage to follow what's on your heart. You just don't know where it's leading you!

If you'd like my Weekly Journal sent straight to your inbox every week, click here to subscribe.

P.S. Are you on Pinterest? I have a Weekly Journal board on Pinterest so you can easily navigate my journal entries. You can view and follow the board by clicking here. I've written so much about quitting my lawyer job to start g+h over the past few years and I want to make it easier for you to access and read the entries that resonate most!

xoxo,
Stacy

Welcome to another edition of my Weekly Journal! I use this space to share about my journey from lawyer to jewelry business owner. If you're new around here, I was a lawyer for 11 long years before I quit my job in 2017 to start grace + hudson. As you might imagine, I know a little bit about career unhappiness. I also know a little bit about how to break free! This coming February, it'll be 6 years since I made the dramatic change from lawyer to jewelry business owner. I can hardly believe that much time has already passed. If your resolution for 2023 is to make some changes in your career to find more happiness, this journal entry is for you! 

Looking back on my own experience, I can tell you there is one thing you should focus on before you make any career changes and that's this: you must change your thinking before you make any changes in the external world. Huh? Let me say it differently - you have to change your focus. If I had to bet, up until this point you have been mostly concerned with job titles, salaries, raises and promotions, correct? Where has your happiness, peace of mind, and personal sense of fulfillment come in to the equation? Yeah, that's what I thought. It's secondary or it doesn't even factor in at all.

Back when I was younger, I was focused on getting into the best college and the best law school, then I was focused on getting a job at the best firm making the most money, and then I was focused on getting a nice car and building a nice home. Everything, and I mean everything, was focused on building a life that looked perfect. My own sense of peace, joy, fulfillment? It was no where to be found. Life shifted for me when I lost my dad to cancer when I was 34 -- that's when I started to realize that life isn't about the outside "stuff" and that I had been chasing outside stuff my whole life. Hence, my unhappiness. Let me quote a passage from a book I stumbled on recently - it'll help illustrate my point:

"I'm learning that for a variety of reasons, I've spent much of my life focusing on form rather than substance. My focus has been on having my hair done perfectly, wearing the right clothes, having my makeup applied perfectly, living in the right place, furnishing it with the right furniture, working at the right job, and having the right man. Form, rather than substance, has controlled my behavior in many areas of my life. Now, I'm finally getting to the truth. It's substance that counts." -- by anonymous, as quoted by Melody Beattie in The Language of Letting Go

Does that resonate? If you're an over-achieving personality like I used to be, I bet this hits you right in the stomach. Form rather than substance. Ugh, that hurts to even read. It's so, so true. How could I have missed this? How could you have missed this? Be gentle on yourself. If you're like most people, you simply consumed the messages that your parents and society forced down your throat about work and career. 

When you change the focus, when you start focusing on joy and peace and fulfillment instead of job title, salary, and promotions, the entire world changes. You start evaluating job opportunities differently, for example. Instead of being mostly concerned with salary, you are mostly concerned with - does this workplace inspire a sense of peace in me? Can I see myself being happy amongst this group of co-workers? Do I see myself feeling like a contributor and going home most nights feeling like I made an impact by sharing my gifts and talents? Does this job make good use of my gifts and talents - the ones I enjoy using the most (not just the ones that make the most money)? This is a game-changer.

Word of caution: you may have some inner work to do before you can really embrace this idea. If you've lived your entire life striving to impress your parents with your job title or promotions, or if your entire identity is built upon this "picture perfect" life you've tried to create and portray to the outside world, you're not going to be able to easily detach yourself from the things you've been assigning meaning to up until now. If I had to guess, I bet some self-worth and self-compassion work is first on your to-do list before you make any career changes. But that's ok - it's worth it. Take it from someone who's been there. I spent a good 2 years doing this type of work before I made my dramatic career change. It's the best investment of time I ever made in myself and it led to lasting change. And I can proudly say that I have so much peace and happiness in my work life now. If I can do it, you can do it too!

I hope you're able to learn something valuable from my own experience. If you'd like my Weekly Journal sent straight to your inbox every week, click here to subscribe.

P.S. Are you on Pinterest? I have a Weekly Journal board on Pinterest so you can easily navigate my journal entries. You can view and follow the board by clicking here. I've written so much about quitting my lawyer job to start g+h over the past few years and I want to make it easier for you to access and read the entries that resonate most!

xoxo,
Stacy

Welcome to another edition of my Weekly Journal! I use this space to share about my journey from lawyer to jewelry business owner. I was inspired to write this week's journal entry from a conversation I had with a friend this week. We were talking about career choices and career trajectories, and it made me think about the reason most people end up unhappy in their careers. It boils down to unintentional career decisions. And by that I mean decisions that are made with out any intentional decision-making. They're decisions that are backed with the phrase, "Well, that's just what you do in my career field." For example, "Well, everyone who is a lawyer at a law firm eventually tries to become partner." No, no they don't. They leave for a lawyer job at a corporation, they go to work in politics, they leave the law altogether and do something entirely different. You see what I mean? But it's so, so easy to get trapped on the path that "everyone else" takes, especially when you are young and don't really know any better because of the lack of career experience. 

Think about your last performance review at your workplace. Chances are your manager discussed growth potential and possible next steps in your career, right? I hope so. But, chances are, there was something lacking in this conversation and that's what YOU want for your career. Chances are your manager assumed that you want to be promoted to the next level and assumed that you are going to take the "normal" career path that everyone in your role at your company takes, correct? It's hard to speak up, and much easier to just go along with the assumptions your manager has made, isn't it? But the absolute worst thing you can do in your career is live by default, do what's "normal" for your position or role, and allow your boss to determine your career trajectory. This is how we become unhappy at work, if we aren't there already.

Like anything in life, when you completely neglect what you want, you end up living by other people's standards or expectations. This is often a recipe for unhappiness or - at best - a mediocre feeling about your career. This is because you've had no input into the course of your career. And 40+ hours per week is a lot of time doing something you didn't intentionally decide upon. And, trust me, it feels even longer when you are very unhappy doing it.

I fault managers for this. They take a one-size-fits-all approach and just assume that everyone in Role X wants to next be promoted to Role Y, and so forth. We aren't all the same and people want different things. Why managers aren't taught to accept this is beyond my imagination, especially in this day and age when it's very common to only work at a workplace for several years before moving on. It creates secrecy in the manager/employee relationship and it leads to surprise when someone leaves the workplace. Perhaps if your manager knew, for example, that your ultimate goal was not to become a law partner in the law firm but to work for a legal department at a big company, he or she wouldn't be shocked when you turn in your resignation papers and have to scramble for your replacement. But he or she never asked and, furthermore, made it uncomfortable for you to express your desired career path by making assumptions. Both sides suffer here.

So my biggest piece of advice to you is to think intentionally about where you want your career to go. What do you want to be doing in 2 years? 5 years? 10 years? Do you want to stay full-time or go part-time at some point? Do you want to move to a different geographic location at some point - for example, closer to home to be near your parents when you start to have kids of your own? What do YOU want? Some people have never even stopped to think about it.

Once you've gathered your thoughts about your career desires, make career decisions from that point of view. Don't haphazardly take on responsibilities and volunteer for things in your workplace if they are out of alignment with what YOU want. Sure, there are some responsibilities we don't have any choice about. Some things we have to "go along with" until we move on. But I'm talking about the things you CAN change and the things you DO have input on. Don't just do things because "it looks good" and because it'll impress your parents or your co-workers. Make decisions in alignment with where YOU want to eventually end up in your career. Because if you don't - and this is a harsh truth - you will have no one to blame but yourself when you wind up unhappy and stressed out 5 years from now because you made very unintentional decisions about your career. Make your career happiness and your career goals your first priority, and take intentional, purposeful action from there. 

If you've been unhappy in your career for some time now, take a breath and think about this. Did you give up personal responsibility for your career decisions and just go along with what your boss assumed or expected of you? What intentional decisions can you start making today, to change your career trajectory? Get a plan in place - you don't have to do anything drastic or sudden. Book an appointment with a career coach if you really need some guidance. You can do it! 5 years from now, you'll be so happy you did.

I hope you're able to learn something valuable from my own experience. If you'd like my Weekly Journal sent straight to your inbox every week, click here to subscribe.

P.S. Are you on Pinterest? I have a Weekly Journal board on Pinterest so you can easily navigate my journal entries. You can view and follow the board by clicking here. I've written so much about quitting my lawyer job to start g+h over the past few years and I want to make it easier for you to access and read the entries that resonate most!

xoxo,
Stacy

Welcome to another edition of my Weekly Journal! I use this space to share about my journey from lawyer to jewelry business owner. In this week's journal entry I want to impress upon you the importance of being different when you start your own business. There are so many businesses out there. What makes yours different? Get very clear on this, or it's going to be very hard for you to succeed in the long term.

In this day and age, we have the ability to shop anywhere. Thanks to online shopping, I can as easily buy a sweater from a store across the country as I can from a store that's one mile from my home. Think about it - that wasn't always the case! That means we have a lot more choice when it comes to retailers. So, if you plan on starting a retail business, what is going to make someone choose you? The same goes for other businesses, whether you're starting a life coach business, a new doctor's office, or a business consulting group.

Too many people start businesses that copy the models that are already out there, and then they wonder why they fail after a year or two. You have to give people a reason to choose you, and you have to make sure you communicate that reason to them, whether that's with words or pictures. You wouldn't believe the number of people who forget that last step. Maybe the clothes you sell are all made in the USA. Or maybe the jewelry you make is from recycled metal and handmade by cancer survivors. Or maybe there's no bookstore within 10 miles of your home and you decide to start one because no one else has yet. You get the idea. Find something special about what you do and talk about it often, or do something basic (like open a bookstore) but do it in an area that doesn't offer it yet. Find the niche that you can fill. Don't just try to be another store offering similar items as the rest of the stores in your area. It will be very difficult to succeed that way. Why? Because you'll have a lot of competitors. The same goes for service businesses. If you're a life coach, what makes you different from the thousands of other life coaches out there? Maybe it's the method you use, or your own particular background. Point out the differences and emphasize them.

For me in particular, I decided to fill a niche. Think about the jewelry businesses out there. Aside from the very high end jewelry retailers out there, most jewelry businesses offer what I call "cool girl" jewelry. You know, it's the trendy jewelry of the moment that everyone is wearing. Right now it's gold paperclip necklaces and snake chains that were popular in the 80's and bold plastic statement earrings. I noticed there were very few, if any, jewelry brands that were very feminine and timeless. I also noticed there were very few jewelry brands specializing in bridesmaid jewelry (that's how I got my start!). So I decided to make a very feminine, classic collection that lent itself well to bridal parties but could also be worn again post-wedding.

You see, when you try to fill a niche in the marketplace, you have very few competitors. When you try to be like everyone else, well... everyone else is your competitor. Which sounds like a smart business decision to you?

xoxo,

Stacy

Welcome to another edition of my Weekly Journal! I use this space to share about my journey from lawyer to jewelry business owner. In this week's journal entry I want to encourage you not to get stuck in the mindset that you need to go back to school if you want to change careers or start your own business (or both!). That is simply not true!

So many people are under the wrong impression that you need to go back to school and invest in a new degree if you want to do something different for your career. But real life work experience is far more valuable to most employers, and there are so many things you are already qualified to do that require no additional schooling at all! You simply have to get a new perspective. You have to start looking at your skills and work experience in more general terms. I know this can be hard if you just spent a decade doing a certain job, but you can do it. Sit down with a trusted friend or family member and brainstorm how your current skill set translates into other positions.

For example, I know so many lawyers who say to me, "I want to quit the legal profession like you did, but I just don't know what I'm qualified to do." What?! Lawyers have so many transferrable skills. They are typically excellent writers, negotiators, problem solvers, and public speakers. They know how to do research better than almost anyone. And they're the most amazing critical thinkers. From day one in law school, they are taught to see both sides of any argument because, in order to win a legal case, you have to anticipate the other side's best points and know how to get around them. These days, the ability to analyze things from both sides is so valuable. Most people simply don't know how to do that. Lawyers today often have great data analysis skills too, since some cases turn on spotting small differences in digital data and digital documents. What are some things lawyers can do with these skills? Honestly the list is almost endless, but to start they can be a university professor, a real estate agent, a political researcher, a human resources executive, a CEO, or a business consultant. 

This brings me to my next point: don't get stuck in analysis paralysis. Once you get to work on your general list of skills and talents, you might become overwhelmed at all of the options out there that require those skills. There are tons of job titles out there, most of which we don't even know exist. And it can be overwhelming to look at job postings. This is where you need to engage in research. Rather than throwing your hands up in the air as you stare at the open job postings in your city, take a deep breath and pick out the ones that naturally look most appealing to you. Then spend some time doing a little research on what those positions actually do and what skills they require. This is not a five minute project. This might take you a few days or even a few weeks. But the goal is to expand your perspective on the options available to you, and to get out of the pigeon-hole of your current job title. I know, I know, it's so comfortable there. You know what jobs are available in your industry and you know in a split second whether or not you're qualified to do them. But you're a fish out of water here, exploring new jobs and new industries, and you have to expect some ignorance and discomfort at first. But don't get stuck there. Don't become so overwhelmed by all the options that you become paralyzed and give up.

If you truly become stuck in analysis paralysis, you can hire a career coach or a headhunter. These people are trained to help you find alternative careers that suit your skills so they are a great resource. Some are free and some charge a fee, so see what you can find in your area. You might even be able to consult the career office at your old university or grad school. Think outside the box and if you need help, don't be afraid to ask for it. It's better than spending 10 years in a career you find unfulfilling or completely draining. 

Sure, there are some jobs you cannot do without a relevant degree. For example, you can't be a doctor or lawyer or nurse or therapist without the required education. But most jobs don't require additional education if you are otherwise qualified and have translatable experience. So, if you catch yourself in the trap of thinking you need to go back to school, ask yourself - am I using this as an excuse to stay stuck and avoid the discomfort of a major career change? No matter how unhappy you are in your current career, changing careers can be scary and intimidating. It can feel like "starting over" and that's hard, no matter how much courage or strength you have as a person. It's simply a part of being human. So, unless you want to go from baker to doctor, or teacher to lawyer, check yourself and really determine whether additional schooling is required or whether your mind is just trying to keep you secure and avoid major change. And last but not least, do not under any circumstance think you need to go to business school to start your own business. I have quite a few friends with MBA degrees and let me tell you, they are clueless on what it takes to start a small business. People with MBA's tend to be groomed to work in higher level executive positions at existing large companies. They aren't really taught how to start a small business. So, please please please don't think you need a graduate education in business to start that bakery or catering business or book store or fitness coaching business you've been dreaming about.

I hope you're able to learn something valuable from my own experience. If you'd like my Weekly Journal sent straight to your inbox every week, click here to subscribe.

P.S. Are you on Pinterest? I have a Weekly Journal board on Pinterest so you can easily navigate my journal entries. You can view and follow the board by clicking here. I've written so much about quitting my lawyer job to start g+h over the past few years and I want to make it easier for you to access and read the entries that resonate most!

xoxo,
Stacy

Welcome to another edition of my Weekly Journal! I use this space to share about my journey from lawyer to jewelry business owner. In this week's journal entry, I'm talking a little bit about what it takes to be an entrepreneur. Not everyone is cut out for it and - honestly - you might find more happiness in a more traditional job. In writing my Journal, my hope is always to share valuable information that might save you some time and heartache, so get honest with yourself about whether you're really built to be an entrepreneur before you start that business you've been dreaming about.

Here is the number one thing I would honestly consider before you start your own business: are you an independent-thinking leader? Some of us are born leaders, some of us are not. Some of us are more inclined to go with the crowd, and some of us are more inclined to go against the grain. Some of us think differently than everyone else, and some of us adopt what the majority appears to believe without giving it too much thought. Which type are you? Get honest and here's why: when you run your own business, you need to be a natural born leader capable of independent thinking because there's no one over your shoulder telling you what to do. I know, I know, you might say, "Wow, that sounds amazing! No boss looking over my shoulder all day long!" But in reality, some of you would be completely lost without the direction of a boss. And I don't say that in a derogatory manner - I just say that from an honest viewpoint that about half of us are born leaders and about half of us are not. We are all different. And we are all suited to do different things with our lives. And what I want to do is help you recognize early on - before you waste a whole lot of time and a whole lot of money - that business ownership might not be right for you. And, even more importantly, it might not make you happy. It might stress you out, cause a lot of headaches, and be more aggravating than it's worth.

Let me expand on this a bit. Starting a new business doesn't come with a checklist, a manual, or a guide. This is quite unlike a traditional job, where your job duties are clearly spelled out in your job description and your goals or benchmarks are clearly set forth by your boss and in your performance reviews. If you want a promotion to the next level, the requisite years of experience and other required skills are usually spelled out clearly by the human resource department. If you start your own business, don't expect to find any clear documents or checklists on what to do. There is no list called "100 items to complete to start a successful business." Even if there was a checklist with 100 items, and even if you completed all 100 items with flying colors, there is zero guarantee you'll have a successful business waiting for you upon completion of the checklist. That can be daunting for someone who is very accustomed to having clearly spelled out expectations, goals, and functions. If you are the type of person who likes to know "If I do X, I will get Y" then starting your own business is likely to make you very uncomfortable.

Listen, while people often complain about their boss, most people actually need a boss. They stumble if there's no one above them to turn to for advice and guidance when stuck on an assignment. They get overwhelmed on how to prioritize tasks if no one is there to prioritize things for them. When you have no boss, you need to make all of the decisions yourself. You need to come up with the projects. You need to prioritize what's important and what can wait. And you won't have a more experienced boss to turn to when you're stuck (side note: but you can find mentors and other entrepreneurs to network with who can identify with you). So get honest with yourself and how you function at work. Maybe being boss-less is actually not as appealing as it sounds. Maybe it's actually kind of nice to have someone sitting on the sidelines telling you what to do everyday.  Maybe? Give it some honest thought because, at the end of the day, your overarching goal should be to find happiness and fulfillment at work and that's going to look different for everyone. 

I hope you're able to learn something valuable from my own experiences. My wish is for everyone to know the feeling of doing work that brings them joy. It truly is an unbelievable gift to not dread Mondays and hope for Friday's fast arrival. If you'd like my Weekly Journal sent straight to your inbox every week, click here to subscribe. 

P.S. Are you on Pinterest? I have a Weekly Journal board on Pinterest so you can easily navigate all of my journal entries. You can view and follow the board by clicking here. I've written so much about quitting my lawyer job to start g+h over the past couple years and I want to make it easier for you to access and read the entries that resonate most!

xoxo,
Stacy

Welcome to another edition of my Weekly Journal! I use this space to share about my journey from lawyer to jewelry business owner. In this week's journal entry, I want to talk about the "life checklist" that so many people chase and why it's so important to chart your own course and live intentionally if you want to find true joy and peace in your career and in your life.

What's this "life checklist," you ask? You know it well, I'm sure. It goes something like this: go to college, go to grad school, get the best paying job you can, get married, buy a house, get a dog, have 2 kids... or something very similar. So many people chase this path or some version of it, thinking that happiness is waiting for them at the end. They can finally be happy, having achieved all of these things. The problem is, happiness is not waiting at the end of this checklist.

Before I went to law school, I spent one year after college working at a big, big law firm in New York City. It was in Times Square on the 42nd floor of a big fancy building. This was one of the best law firms in the world and they therefore attracted graduates of law schools like Harvard, Columbia, etc. They paid even the youngest attorneys very, very well. One thing I noticed about these attorneys, especially the young ones, is that they seemed to "have it all" but they were miserable. I was only 22 years old at the time, but this observation made a huge impression on me. I thought to myself, these people are only like 30 years old, with huge salaries, a husband or wife with just as good of a job, a recently purchased beautiful new condo in the heart of NYC, a fancy car (even though they don't really need one in the city), a beautiful young child with another baby on the way... basically on their road to multi-millionaire status and a picturesque life. What gives? Having gotten to know some of these attorneys quite well, I think many of them felt led astray. Something to the effect of, "I have been told that if I chase these things and achieve them, I can be happy! I have all of these things now, but I'm not happy. In fact, I'm quite unhappy. And quite unfulfilled. I'm only 30-something years old - where do I go from here?" They felt very stuck. They already had a fancy car, a million dollar condo in NYC, etc... in other words, in order to afford the life they unintentionally created, they had no other choice but to stay put in their high paying attorney job even though they were incredibly unhappy. They were handcuffed to a certain salary so they could continue to afford all of the things. It's much harder to start over and rewind your life choices when you have all the obligations of a million dollar life. Never, ever assume that someone with a "great job" and a high salary is happy. Many are not. There's a reason that drug and alcohol abuse is incredibly high in the legal profession, just as one example. 

You see, we are all created differently, with different talents, gifts, skills, and destinies. It is absolutely absurd to think that all of us should follow the same path in life - that the same things that make you happy are going to make me happy. Yet, for some unknown reason, most people think that if they achieve these things on the life checklist, they will finally be happy. Happiness doesn't come from checking things off a list. It comes from living life intentionally. Ah, that's one of my favorite words - intentional. In other words, rather than go through life like some sort of robot chasing the next thing on the list, you actually take the time to think about and decide what would make YOU happy and you chase those things instead. You don't just go through the motions, but rather you intentionally decide what YOUR path to happiness consists of and you try to achieve THAT.

You're going to face some questions if you live intentionally - that's just how ingrained the "life checklist" is in our society. If you choose the job that will be fulfilling over the one that pays more, your parents might have some questions for you. If you decide not to purchase a home so that you can instead invest in your dream of starting a business, you're going to face some criticism. If you decide not to get married, people will ask you why. If you decide not to have kids, there might be some rumors floating around behind your back that you can't actually get pregnant. People on the life checklist path are so, so critical of people who are not. Why? Well, it's likely because they are unhappy themselves. People who are genuinely happy with the way their lives have turned out generally don't spend time criticizing the life choices of other people. The people who will criticize you probably bought the life checklist mentality hook, line, and sinker. They found out it doesn't pave the road to happiness, but they don't know how to start over and extract themselves from the life they unintentionally created. Don't let these folks stop you from living life on purpose and deviating from the set list of things that will supposedly make you happy.

If you find yourself in the midst of the life checklist path, and this resonated with you, the first step is to really sit down and decide what would make you happy. This might feel uncomfortable (I know it was for me the first time I did it) because we've been living life by other people's standards and expectations. We have never actually given good and decent thought to what would make us truly happy. It might even take you months to figure out. Don't expect to have all the answers the first time you stop to think about what an intentional life might look like for you. But it's well worth your time and energy. If you live life intentionally, your chances of finding long-term joy and peace in your life are infinitely greater than the folks who just go through the motions.

I hope you're able to learn something valuable from my own experiences. My wish is for everyone to know the feeling of doing work that brings them joy. It truly is an unbelievable gift to not dread Mondays and hope for Friday's fast arrival. If you'd like my Weekly Journal sent straight to your inbox every week, click here to subscribe. 

P.S. Are you on Pinterest? I have a Weekly Journal board on Pinterest so you can easily navigate all of my journal entries. You can view and follow the board by clicking here. I've written so much about quitting my lawyer job to start g+h over the past couple years and I want to make it easier for you to access and read the entries that resonate most!

xoxo,
Stacy

Welcome to another edition of my Weekly Journal! I use this space to share about my journey from lawyer to jewelry business owner. In this week's journal entry I am sharing some practical resources, like my favorite podcasts and online teachers, if you want to start your own business someday or grow a business you already have. 

If you've already started down the business ownership pathway, you know that no one can teach you how to do it. There is no manual, guide, or checklist. When someone asks me, "How did you start your own business?" my mind almost goes blank. There is so much involved in answering that question it would probably take me 5 days to write about it! If you've spent 10 years working as a teacher or lawyer or nurse, you'd probably feel the same way if someone asked you, "How did you become a great teacher (or lawyer, or nurse, etc)?" While I can't tell you "how to do it" I can share some really good resources. Everything from books to podcasts to paid courses that I learned from during my business journey. 

Before I list some of my favorite resources can we just take a moment to be thankful for the Internet? I'm sure it was a lot harder to start a business 30 or 40 years ago. Just search "how to start an online business" in Google and you'll be bombarded with ads from teachers offering webinars on the topic. And, honestly, that's how I initially found all the helpful courses, podcasts, articles, etc that guided me on my business journey. You've got to weed through all the teachers and offerings out there to find what resonates with you, but it doesn't cost a dime to do that type of research and you'll learn a lot along the way. Then, when you find one or two or three teachers that resonate with you, you can consider taking one of their paid online courses. Do this if there's a topic you need to become more advanced in. For me, it was Facebook and Instagram Ads. That is truly how I've grown my business into a multi six-figure business, but you can't just jump into Instagram and start running ads. I took a 12-week intensive course on ads and I would highly recommend you do the same before wasting any money on social media ads (it WILL be a waste of money if you don't know what you're doing). Maybe social media ads will be what you invest in too - or maybe there's a different area that you will need to master to become successful. Every business is different and needs to decide that for themselves.

Ok, so here it goes. Here are some of my favorite business resources in no particular order:

B-School by Marie Forleo
My business ideas/plan looked VERY different before I took Marie Forleo's B-School course, which wasn't cheap but the hands-down best investment I ever made in myself and my business. But before you consider investing in her course too, check out all of her free content. It's probably easiest to start with her video series on YouTube. She has a podcast too (which I think is the video content turned into audio). Her website is https://www.marieforleo.com/

Jenna Kutcher
She offers a ton of great content online, in both video, podcast, and blog format. She also offers paid courses. I took her Pinterest for Business course and I thought it was well done. Her website is https://jennakutcher.com/

Amy Porterfield
Amy is one of the original "online business" teachers. I've never taken any of her paid courses, but I've listened to some of her free webinars, courses, and podcasts. She is great at teaching you how to build an email list (and why that is so important). Her website is https://www.amyporterfield.com/

Beth Anne of Brilliant Business Moms
I'm not a mom and you might not be either, but don't let it deter you from checking out the offerings of Brilliant Business Moms. The owner, Beth Anne, is far more practical than any other teacher I've come across. She knows what it is like to run a small business because she runs one herself. (Side note: yes, yes, believe it or not, there are teachers out there who have NEVER tried to run their own small business but profess they can teach you how to do it. Watch out for these types!!!!) 

I took Beth Anne's Facebook Ads Intensive course and I would highly recommend it to anyone wanting to scale their business using Facebook and Instagram ads. Just be aware that this is an intense program, just like the title says, so if you aren't committed to learning this topic, do not sign up. Here is her website: https://brilliantbusinessmoms.com/

Kaity Griffin
Kaity is a Google Ads teacher and she knows what she's talking about because she too once had her own successful online store. She presents information in a quick and easy way. She can boil down hard topics into digestable bites. I enrolled in her Google Ads course. Here is her website: https://kaitygriffin.com/

Podcasts:
Marie Forleo's podcast

Jenna Kutcher's podcast called Goal Digger

Amy Porterfield's podcast called Online Marketing Made Easy

Rick Mulready's podcast called The Art of Online Business (don't start here first - this is more advanced)

Chill and Prosper with Denise Duffield-Thomas (a good podcast for any woman business owner)

Next Level Facebook Ads with Phil Graham

Ben Heath on YouTube (he shares information on Facebook and Instagram Ads and recently started teaching about Google Ads)

Allie Bloyd on YouTube (also teaches about Facebook and Instagram Ads)

How I Built This with Guy Raz (unlike the above, you won't learn practical advice here, but you'll learn how other businesses started and grew which is very helpful and inspirational too)

There you have it! Start with this smaller list and you'll naturally stumble upon so many other teachers and resources. 

I hope you're able to learn something valuable from my own experiences. My wish is for everyone to know the feeling of doing work that brings them joy. It truly is an unbelievable gift to not dread Mondays and hope for Friday's fast arrival. If you'd like my Weekly Journal sent straight to your inbox every week, click here to subscribe.

P.S. Are you on Pinterest? I have a Weekly Journal board on Pinterest so you can easily navigate my journal entries. You can view and follow the board by clicking here. I've written so much about quitting my lawyer job to start g+h over the past few years and I want to make it easier for you to access and read the entries that resonate most!

xoxo,
Stacy

Welcome to another edition of my Weekly Journal! I use this space to share about my journey from lawyer to jewelry business owner. In this week's journal entry, I want to talk about the power of thinking differently. If you want to make a massive change like I did - going from lawyer to jewelry business owner - you have got to think differently about career, life, money, and the stories we tell ourselves. The stories we tell ourselves around these topics shape our reality, our experience. If you believe you are destined to struggle with finances in a low-paying job, you will. If you believe you are destined to do more than that, you will. It's really that simple. It's us who complicates it. Your thoughts form your beliefs and if you start there, at the root of the issue, you'll empower yourself to make real, massive changes with more ease.

Let me start by saying it is HARD to train yourself to think differently. I hear you on that. Our brains have these little pathways, almost like roads, and we gravitate towards the ones that are well-traveled. That's why we often have the same repetitive thoughts and the same repetitive responses and behaviors over and over again. Let me give you an example. Many people are inadvertently taught to believe that we're supposed to work hard at a job we don't particularly like that offers a good salary and good health benefits until we're 65 when we can retire and finally start to enjoy life. Most people operate from this perspective, right? Even if that "story" or "brain pathway" is not clearly evident to you, it's operating in your subconscious when you make decisions. That's why your brain goes, "Wow!" when you see someone who's "broken the mold" and chosen to believe in a different path and has had great success. That's also why you jump from job to job, hoping the next one will be different, only to find that it is not. You have to change the story, you have to change the beliefs, and then and only then will you see something different show up in your reality. Until that time, you're going to see the same story play out over and over again. In this example I just mentioned, once you start to believe that work can and should be enjoyable and you can experience joy in your day-to-day (even on Monday!), and that life isn't meant to "begin" at age 65 but rather to be lived every day, you'll be open to finding a job that jives with that mentality and it won't be long before you find one. But here's the thing. The brain can't be fooled. You can't merely say that you believe work should be fun and expect to find a fun job, you have to believe it. The brain knows when your words and your beliefs are not in synch.

This takes practice. A lot of practice. In fact, I would argue that it is a moment by moment decision. We'll get better and better at it as we grow and age but - no matter how great we get at it - it's still going to be a conscious choice we need to make. For that reason, I call it a lifelong practice. It's almost like working out, right? You can't just workout for a few months or even a couple years and expect to be set for the rest of your life. Physical fitness is a lifelong habit that requires daily dedication. And although it will become easier with practice, you might still fall off the wagon from time to time. I've always wondered why our culture places so much emphasis on working out the physical body, and places so little emphasis on training the mind, but that's a conversation for another day.

If this topic is resonating with you, let me leave you with two resources. Check these out and I bet they'll spark your motivation to work on changing your thoughts. The first resource is a book by author Jen Sincero. It's called "You are a Badass at Making Money." I know, I know, this book is about money. But there is so much goodness in this book that can be applied to ANY area of your life whether it be career, relationships, health, or finances. You see, it's all about mindset, so whether we're talking about mindset in the area of money or in the area of relationships, it's all the same. Side note: that's why when you intentionally work on mindset in one area of your life - so for me it was career and money - other areas of your life also improve - and for me that was relationships. Let me share my favorite passage from Jen's book, in hopes it will motivate you to go buy it or listen to it on Audible. And p.s., if you couldn't already tell from the title of the book, she talks about this topic in a very light-hearted, funny manner. You'll laugh quite a bit! 

"Your beliefs are driving the bus. They take you where you’re going whether you’re paying attention or not. Your thoughts are the tour guide. The person up front with the microphone and the clip board. She can lean over and yank the wheel, slam on the breaks, step on the gas, flip the bus. She can do whatever, whenever she wants. She usually works in harmony with your beliefs, but she has all the veto power. Your words are the assistant to your thoughts and beliefs. Your words back them up, voice their opinions, anchor in their message, keep it real. Your emotions are the fuel. They are ignited by your thoughts, and can change your beliefs and the direction of your life. Without emotions, you're going nowhere new and exciting. Your actions build the road. They pave the path for your beliefs, but will reroute should thoughts and emotions make a change of plans and decide they want to stop at Dairy Queen or something... All members of team mindset must be on the field bringing their A game, yet it's your thoughts - and I hate to play favorites here - that are the biggest badasses of them all."

- from Chapter 2 (and this is at minute 26 in Chapter 2 if listening on Audible)

Oh this book is so, so good at explaining how the aspects of our brains function together in funny, easy-to-understand language. Jen has another book that's simply called, "You Are a Badass" which I would recommend as well. It shares some of the same principles and ideas applied in a more generic manner (not tied to money). Here is a link to both books on Amazon.

The second resource I want to share with you is a YouTube video from one of my favorite teachers, Iyanla Vanzant. You can view it here and the part I want to direct you to starts around minute 27 and goes through minute 36. She gives so many great examples of how you can turn your thoughts around. I've listed some of them below - you can fill in the blanks with the things that are most challenging to you right now:

Instead of saying "This is so hard" say "I am up for the challenge of {fill in the blank}"

Instead of saying "I can't {fill in the blank}" say "I am learning to ____"

Instead of saying "I am trying to lose weight" say "I am releasing excess weight"

Instead of saying "I don't have ____" say "I am calling in ____"

Instead of saying "I need ____" say "I am open to receive ____"

Instead of saying "I don't know how to ____" say "I am learning to ____"

Instead of saying, "I am fearful of ____" say "I am learning to trust that ____"

I absolutely love how Iyanla teaches us to turn around negative thought patterns. She does it like no one else. I find her so powerful, and yet so easy to understand. If you listened to this video segment every day for 30 days, I guarantee that you will start to recognize the ways you can turn your own repetitive, negative thoughts around to be more productive and positive. And when you look at the world in a more productive, positive way, the world around you begins to change.

I hope you're able to learn something valuable from my own experiences. My wish is for everyone to know the feeling of doing work that brings them joy. It truly is an unbelievable gift to not dread Mondays and hope for Friday's fast arrival. If you'd like my Weekly Journal sent straight to your inbox every week, click here to subscribe. 

P.S. Are you on Pinterest? I have a Weekly Journal board on Pinterest so you can easily navigate my journal entries. You can view and follow the board by clicking here. I've written so much about quitting my lawyer job to start g+h over the past few years and I want to make it easier for you to access and read the entries that resonate most!

xoxo,
Stacy

Welcome to another edition of my Weekly Journal! I use this space to share about my journey from lawyer to jewelry business owner. In this week's journal entry, I'm writing about money. I've written quite a few journal entries on money because it's the number one thing holding us back from pursuing a dream of a more fulfilling and satisfying career. In the last 7 years or so, I've had to do a lot of work on my beliefs around money in order to quit my job as a lawyer and go out on my own as a jewelry business owner. And I mean a LOT of work. Through sharing my work and my experience on this topic, I hope you will change your perspective on money too.

Let's clear something up right out of the gate. Why do you want money? Think about it for a minute. Is it because you want to save a lot of money in the bank in order to feel secure before you quit your job to pursue a dream? Is it because you want to travel the world? Raise a large family? Retire from work altogether? Buy fancy cars? Buy multiple homes? Why? Why do you want money so badly? We get so caught up in dollars and cents and bills and financial goals, that we sometimes lose sight of why we actually are working so hard to earn money. When you really sit down to think about it, you'll come to find out that you don't actually want the money itself. You want the things money will bring into your life or help you achieve, right? What would happen if you started to focus on those things more and stopped focusing so much on the actual dollars and cents? Better yet, what would happen if you started focusing on the feelings those things would bring you? For example, what if you focused on the feelings you would have if you pursued your dream of owning your own bakery (or boutique, or consulting business, or whatever it is you really want to do)? You'd feel so much freedom in your work to do your own thing and set your own hours and, most importantly, spend the minutes of your life doing what you want to do rather than what some boss or large company wants you to do. That is true, beautiful freedom right there. There is also so much stability and security in living life on your own terms - in pursuing your purpose through the natural given talents and abilities you were born with. When you have this type of mental and emotional stability and security, you begin to see that stability and security do not come from a paycheck and do not come from having a large savings account. We all know plenty of people with large sums of money who are by no means stable or secure, right? Just look at the world of celebrities. 

You see, we are taught by society, or our university, or our parents to strive for the best job with the best salary we can obtain, when really we should be taught to strive for the feelings we think that salary would bring. What would those be? Namely, they are freedom, security, and stability (and maybe a few others personal to you). And the truth of the matter is, freedom, security, and stability are NOT found in money and they are available to you regardless of how much money you make. Huh? There's a lot to unpack there, I know. But it boils down to this: there is a huge disconnect when you think you can only get freedom, security, and stability through money. 

Let's unpack this with some examples. Is the new career or job you're dreaming about going to be more fulfilling, and therefore bring you more joy and internal peace? That's stability right there. Mental stability. And mental stability is a lot more valuable than boatloads of money in the bank. For one, you can't buy mental health or physical health. Health is arguably the most valuable form of abundance.

Here's another example. Is the new career or job going to make use of your God-given talents and gifts which you aren't using in your current job? If you answered yes, that's security right there. Let me explain. When you use the talents, gifts, and skills you were born with, you are working from a place of service (i.e. how can I best serve the world with the special skills I have?). This is the opposite of working from a place of "I need a paycheck." When you build a career around the gifts that come naturally to you, you're going to excel more quickly, more easily, and face less risk of layoff. And even if you do face a job cut, you're likely going to gain a new one quickly. Job security doesn't mean "I have a job with this employer forever." No, no. Job security means "I naturally excel in this field because of my God-given talents and skills and therefore even if my employer goes bankrupt through no fault of my own, I will find a new job in this field quickly because I'm naturally great at it." That's security right there.

Now here's the kicker. Ironically, when you approach career and work from this perspective, the money follows! It's amazing. Almost like magic. It doesn't happen overnight and some patience is needed, but when you commit to work that's in alignment with YOU, the money follows naturally. One of my favorite teachers, Iyanla Vanzant, once said money is "My Own Natural Energy Yield." You see what she did there? Money is a currency, an energy. And it's simply what comes back to you when you put good energy out into the world in the form of sharing your skills and talents through your work. I just love that.

Let me leave you with a passage from one of Iyanla's books called One Day My Soul Just Opened Up:

Most of my life I thought I wanted money. I believed that if I had money to do what I wanted to do, when I wanted to do it, I would be deliriously happy and free. As a child and as an adult, I have often heard myself say, "Boy! I wish I had a million dollars." I thought that would be my ticket to freedom. One day I woke up with those same thoughts floating around in my mind, and by the end of the day I had $1.1 million. It was a short time later that I realized it was not the money that I actually wanted. My true desire was for the freedom I thought the money would bring. It was too late! I had the money and all of the obligations that came along with earning it.

So what are you chasing today? Is it paychecks? Or the feelings of stability and security and freedom? Always prioritize the latter. The money will take care of itself. Trust me. I am living proof of this through my decision to quit my 11-year career as an attorney to start grace + hudson.

If you'd like my Weekly Journal sent straight to your inbox every week, click here to subscribe. I hope you're able to learn something from my experience and also my mistakes!

xoxo,
Stacy