When you're not quite ready to get back into the swing...

Happy Tuesday Friend,

Am I the only one who’s had a hard time getting back into the swing of things after the holidays? 

Normally I love the New Year—setting new goals and filling out my brand new planner and thinking about all the possibilities for the coming year. I usually can’t wait to get back to work after taking a break for the holidays, because there’s always so much I want to do.

But this year was a little different.

Or maybe it’s just that I’m a little different.

My focus has shifted.

You see, a few months ago, my husband Chuck and I finally bought what I can only describe as our dream house—a place that we’ve been searching for and longing for and dreaming about literally for years. It’s not even so much a house as it is a farm, out in the country, on six gorgeous acres of land, surrounded by live oaks and Spanish moss.

And we have a BIG vision for this place!

We want to create a place where people can gather, a legacy property for our kids and their kids and future generations—a place they’ll always want to come back to. We want it to be a place where everyone is welcome, a sanctuary from the world where people can be restored. 

And after talking and dreaming about it for so many years, it almost feels surreal that we’ve finally moved in.

But can I be honest? 

It’s also overwhelming.

Because while we couldn’t be more excited, there’s also so much to do.

And at the same time, I’m also busy running a business that has a lot of moving parts. 

The last few months at work have been particularly crazy, which is probably why I was so ready for a nice long “break” over Christmas & New Year’s to focus purely on house stuff—organizing the garage and all our holiday decor, creating a system for our paperwork, decorating the recently renovated guesthouse, ordering appliances, setting up my new home office, hauling furniture, hanging pictures…basically all the things.

Every morning I’d wake up eager to get started on my long list of tasks, then impatiently drink my coffee while I waited for Chuck to finally wake up and be ready to dive in. (He may have called me a slave-driver more than once!)

But then every evening, exhausted after another long day of hard physical work, we’d build a real fire in the outdoor fireplace and just sit and enjoy the flames, glass of wine in hand.

It was perfect. 

So here I am, trying to get back to work and yet feeling, for the first time in the 14 years of running my business, that I’m not quite ready.

I know I’ll get there. I love my job and I’m so excited for all the great things we have planned this year for each of our brands. 

And I’m also excited, after a long hiatus, to be writing my own personal weekly newsletter again, sharing these random thoughts and reflections, and little snippets of my own life. If you’ve been around for a while, you probably remember my old weekly newsletter, which I faithfully sent out for years.

So why am I bringing it back now, after all this time?

Well, I guess it’s because I missed it. 

I missed that personal connection, and all the emails I used to get in response each week, with you sharing your life with me. 

I missed how writing this weekly letter helped me see the beauty of the mundane, and the little life lessons that are all around us.

And I missed having a place to share my thoughts that aren’t necessarily focused on a particular brand or product, or convincing someone to take action.

Because while action is necessary, sometimes taking a step back is just as essential.

Bob Ross once said, “It’s hard to see things when you’re too close. Take a step back and look.” Along those same lines, Vince McMahon said, “Sometimes you have to take a half step back to take two forward.”

In other words? Action needs reflection to be truly valuable.

And so, my challenge for you this week, as we head into a brand new year, full of so many possibilities, is to not be so caught up in your future plans that you forget to take a step back to savor and enjoy the beauty happening in your life right now.

There will always be more tasks to add to your list, but life is happening for you right now.

Live with purpose, friends, and have a wonderful week!

xoxo, Ruth

P.S. I’d love to hear back from you! Just hit reply to this email to let me know what you’ve been up to, and what you’re focused on right now!

This week’s podcast episode…

What I’m loving & learning right now…

• This past week I took a new Instagram course by Rachel Pederson called Go Gram Grow. I’m not sure how I found it (probably a Facebook ad) because I can’t find it anywhere on her website, but it was fantastic & helped me break through some major resistance! I’ll try to dig up a link somewhere and share more on this next week!

• This sermon at my church last week was SO GOOD! Our pastor talked about starting the year with a blank canvas, and how it’s your job to paint. It was seriously the perfect message for the start of the new year, and if you need a little inspiration, I highly recommend!

The latest from my Instagram…

One of my goals this year is to be more consistent on social media, so I’ve committed to sharing at least one post a day on Instagram. If you’re there, I’d love to connect with you—find me at @RuthSoukup

What’s Happening Around RSO…