Working from home is a whole vibe. And I’m here to tell you all about how to journey on with me by taking it one step at a time. Being your own boss is no joke, and these last few weeks have shown me just that. Let’s talk about growing pains, learned skills, and understanding how to structure your day to work toward your best self, even if that involves stepping outside of the home here and there to see the sunlight…I see you, fellow hermit friend. 🤨

 

 

It Takes a Village…

It’s true. I’m a lover of all things outdoors, and whenever I can get my grubby little hands on a kayak adventure or a trail run in the woods, I scoop those moments up as quickly as I can. But there’s another side to me, the computer nerding-out typing away like a wild woman so I can create accountability for myself and others, like you. 🤓

This would involve me to go full vampire status, lights off, salt lamp on, patchouli flowing through my nostrils and all curtains remaining closed on what I may call the actual nicest week of the year. Figures, right?

But that’s the thing, deciding to go full-time on something you love takes work…in the dark…with 1 or 6 fur pets.

And besides having these little monsters here to witness my full vampire status, I also have you. You to help motivate me to continue on this path. You to keep showing up and showing me that what I care about matters. And I love that for us. 🫶

Each and every time I see a new subscriber, I know that I’ve found my people. We may be weirdos in the woods smiling at absolutely nothing or zombie-like creatures on a full-out creative streak in the darkness of our home. BUT. We have each other, and that makes me happy.

So. Today, I’d like to get in a short but sweet sesh of self-motivation and pour some onto this here web browser as well. Why not share the crazy along with the love, right?

The Unexpected Mental Health Boost of Being a Dog Mom

 

 

Red Bulls, Burnout, and the Truth About Becoming Your Own Boss

I may preach about the healthy living lifestyle we all crave and want, but don’t get me wrong. I’m currently on my second red bull of the day, because even a healthy living lady like myself needs a little sugary caffeine now and then. (Yes, the sugary kind).

Sure, I’ve found a bazillion replacements at this point (that I’ve totally mentioned in previous posts, psst psst) that I could replace that with, (and usually do), but today, I say Nope.

Today, we have red bull(s). 🤨👑

Like it or hate it, it hits perfect for the adhd-er in me to furiously focus on my goals and actually get things done. It allows me to open up a new creative world inside my brain that I dive into once I start burning out.

But let’s move on to the point of today’s post. Because, balance.

For years I craved the work from home life. I wanted it so badly that when I finally had it, I let it go to waste. I pretended that I was working “full-time” only to fool myself when actually looking at the results.

Spoiler alert: The results weren’t there. They were absent. Ka-put.

So, when I went back to a day job after that few month timeframe of day-drinking and being annoyed with how much work things actually take, I vowed to make that job my very last one, like ever. And someday I hoped I could get to the point once again of doing my best at working from home. (or wherever)

(That’s where right now comes in).

 

 

Let’s Be Honest: Dreaming Isn’t Doing

Therefore, there’s no fun travel post today, no extra links to travel to or maps to look at. It’s just you and me and a big pile of “let’s talk about what got us here.” Because on HB, we keep it real and real is life. Life happens to us everyday, but do we actually do anything with it?

The answer for me previously, was no. I didn’t utilize my time properly and I didn’t focus on my goals (like, actually). I spent valuable hours doing who knows what and each time I went back to a day job I was racking my brain as to why it didn’t work this time.

And that’s the thing. If there’s something you really want out of life, like, so much that it pains you to literally do anything else on the planet, you have to actually want to do it. Not just dream it.

Passive income is not passive. It still takes doing the work. Upfront, during, taking care of business after, it all comes into play when running your own little world. For whatever it is that you want to do for yourself, this is what I have to say.

Just get started. It takes SO much more effort and SO much more time than you think it will. Whether it’s learning a new skill, starting your own business, or deciding to change careers, you just have to do it. There’s no other way. There’s no short cuts. (I know because I’ve tried them).

 

 

Not Every Peak Is the Real One—But You Climb Anyway

As I was chatting with the hubs this week on our evening walks, (which I highly recommend for staying in tune with your partner and talking through your own issues aloud), I realized a few things.

1. My growth has grown so much it’s like an actual grown-up
2. I couldn’t have done these things before, I wasn’t ready
3. I need to do things in order, one *full* step at a time
4. What I want looks different these days
5. Your goals get easier the more you embrace the challenge

What these meant to me were, that I didn’t act like my own boss before. I acted like a typical employee slacking off when no one was looking. That’s the difference. When you do the work even when know one is looking, you know you’ve leveled up. You can feel it.

Once I recognized that I had to step back from a few things in life, I stopped just existing day to day and started living the life I have been dreaming of. When we remain so busy that we can’t even have time to think, we forget what it is that we actually want to do.

I can’t multi-task. I’ve tried every aspect of it. And failed. And then failed some more. I need to take one solid step, one foot at a time, and when I feel fully comfortable, then take the next one. (Just like when we hiked Angel’s Landing).

So many times I’ve tried to tackle all my problems (or goals) at once, only to stumble at the false summit. This time I’m ready, I’m organized, and I’m here to support you as well.

Working Through Self Expectations & Limitations

 

False Summit: A false summit, also known as a false peak, is a term used in mountaineering and hiking to describe a point on a trail that appears to be the summit, but upon reaching it, the true summit is still further away. It’s a misleading peak that can be psychologically discouraging for those on the climb.

 

 

 

This Is What Becoming Your Own Boss Actually Looks Like

I used to think that I wanted things-free days with nothing on my schedule. But that’s not the case. I’ve realized what I want, is simply a career path that I look forward to, a schedule that allows me freedom, and a place nearby to eat and pee whenever I want. (Yes, we went there). Don’t tell me you were never seriously annoyed that you couldn’t crunch on a cracker in the quiet workplace or get up to use the restroom in the middle of a meeting that could have been an email. I strive for the lifestyle that allows flexibility in all things, while including time to become more flexible myself. (Literally and figuratively).

P.S. I just created a bomb stretching routine that I threw up on Pinterest. Check it out if you wanna follow me there as I build out more routines and pretty things you can print out to hang on your wall. (I know I will be). 😅

The more I step back and have that thinking time, the more I am able to recognize that my goals never actually have been that hard to reach. It’s the journey that we take to get to those goals that make them seem impossible. For years, even decades, I’ve felt out of place at jobs, out of place around my peers that seem so calm and at peace with what they’re getting out of life.

I now am able to finally give myself some grace and realize that I just wanted different things, and because it wasn’t something I could learn in a 2 day training manual, it’s taken some serious whiplash to notice that the journey has always been worth it.

So embrace your dreams, don’t flee from them. You are a beautiful human being and you have the right to go after what you want. Do the hard things. Travel solo or hike on your own even if you don’t know the way. That’s the beauty behind it, isn’t it? We never know where this life will take us, but you can be damn sure I’m going to squeeze out as many awesome experiences as I can, and I hope you will, too. 💜✌️🥾

 

 

Thanks for Reading 💜

If you made it this far, you’re either on your own work-from-home journey or just enjoy watching mine unfold in chaotic, caffeine-fueled glory. Either way — thank you. Seriously. Your support means everything, and I hope this post gave you a little spark, a laugh, or at least permission to take a deep breath and keep going. We’re building something real here, one weird, wonderful step at a time.