I break away from regularly scheduled programming to bring you the start of a journey for me.   Honestly this is a journey that started on December 21st, 2009 when MTH2010 Watercolor happened.  I spent the next few days watching Emily, Chris, Lauren, and so many more from that first class start an amazing journey for themselves and raise money for someone else to experience what they had.   I was so inspired by their tweets and their blogs, I felt fired up to get things started.  I knew it was up to me to do some of the things I had been wanting to do for so long, and figure out some of the answers that I needed to answer in order for this to work.  So in that next week and a half, I worked extremely hard to launch this new blog.  Believe me when I say that you can do ANYTHING you put your mind to, all it takes is the heart and passion to push through those tough and scary moments and just get it done.  On January 7th, I introduced this blog to everyone, as well as the Simply & Forever Facebook fan page, and my brand spankin new business cards.  That was a scary moment, and honestly it still is because my journey is evolving every single day.  But I am extremely proud of where I am right now, and for taking the steps that will build my brand even more.

One month after the first Making Things Happen, I had the chance of a lifetime to go to MTH Chicago.   I knew deep in my heart that I needed to go to this, and a week before MTH Chicago, I began to figure out how to get up there, with the huge support of my husband and my family.   And so I spent this past Friday in Chicago with Lara Casey, Jeff Holt, Melissa, Darci, Robyn and Amanda we all began a MTH journey together, a journey where each of us will forever be tied together in some shape or form.  I am so blessed to have shared this experience with extremely talented, creative and caring individuals.

There is SO much to share about this past Friday, but for now, I wanted to share some of the key takeaways…

Feel the Fear, And Do It Anyways.

Do you live your life like this?  If you don’t, you should start thinking of those things that are holding you back and by thinking and writing down those fears, you will really be able to push through that wall and find out something truly amazing about yourself and how strong you really are.

Download

Take the time out of your day to clear your head by downloading your to-do list that you have been keeping in your head.  By doing so you will clear your head of these little to-do things and leave room for more creative thoughts.  I absolutely love having conversations with people that are creative, supportive, and who may be on their own personal journey like me.  I can’t wait for more conversations like we had on Friday, and to meet some of the amazing people that are a part of this MTH journey.  And as the second leg of the journey begins, I can’t wait to follow the upcoming classes as they begin this amazing journey as well.  You have an amazing opportunity in front of you.  Go in with your hearts and mind open, and you’ll leave with such a desire to make things happen in your life.

What fires you up?

What are you passionate about?  This is incredibly important to your brand and for yourself.  Two huge things on the top of my list on Friday were Color (it is an amazing detail in photographs, decor, flowers, and so much more) and Photography (capturing real moments in life).  So much more to share about what fires me up, but I think I will leave that post for another day.

Powerful –adjective

At the end of the day before my one on one session with Lara and Jeff, we all gathered in the lobby to sum up our feelings from the day in one word.  The whole day was incredibly powerful, and so that’s what I wrote down.  I had just laid everything out on the table, with an open mind as Emily had advised me to before I left, and it felt really, really good.  I felt so strong about the possibilities for everyone in that room, and individually how I could make ANYTHING happen.  And you know what, I will.  This is just the beginning for me, so stay tuned…