Sitting here sipping my green tea this morning, I’m having a little moment.

Tomorrow is a big day for me, although I feel shy to talk about it.

Tomorrow marks the day that I started this little business of mine, 2 years ago. April 11th. The day that I became an entrepreneur. A one-woman show. With a deep rooted mission to help as many people as possible feel better, eat healthier, simplify the process and free up their life. To show them how easy it can be to do so. To change their relationship to food. And how see how life gets so much better when they do. Even in just the tiniest glimpses.

One tall order for a 5′ 3” lady, if we’re being realistic here. And a giant leap of faith. Add a dash of craziness too, if we’re being honest.

I’ve been having these daily thoughts the last few weeks, as I think about  how lucky I am to be doing this work in the world. To hear stories [daily] about people who have been inspired by my thoughts and ideas- friends, family, in the community, and from those I have never even met.

The ones about 87 year old grandparents starting to drink green smoothies, the husband that never ate a single vegetable to the household’s kale salad maker, to the diet coke addict that has converted to kombucha and convinced her friends to do the same. Freaking amazing.

To the clients I’ve been blessed to have met. The soul sisters. The picky eaters. New York. To San Francisco. Georgia. And Vancouver. The ones who wake up one sweet morning and decide to stop dieting.  To stop the craziness. To know deep down that there has to be a better way that isn’t so exhaustive, negative and overwhelming to fit into real life.

The ones that are ready to be empowered by food and their relationship to it, instead of being controlled.

The ones that realize just how much their food affects the rest of their life: their sleep, their mood, their energy, their productivity and their relationships.

That there is no shortcut, no magic pill, no cleanse or quick fix that will change the way they think, choose and how their body processes food. And that they only have this one life to live. And wasting it on the things that don’t really matter to their happiness and quality of life is just not necessary.

To the ones that finally decide that eating healthy is just how they want to live their life. But still enjoy it. And get surprised over and over again on how much easier  it is to do than they originally thought.

To them, for trusting the process. For the ability to start over. To begin anew. To let go of all the things they thought they knew, and become more present, at ease and connected to their life.  The ones that let me start with their food, but that take it and roll with it. And never look back.

To those that help me spread my message far, far, far and wide. The guest blogging, the speaking, the cooking demo’s and workshops. The offices, companies and people who let me in to their world, their homes, and let me peek into their lives. To my fellow business owners [Seattle based and beyond] that rally behind my cause.

To the questions. The emails. The readers, the lovers and supporters in big ways and small.  To the amazing people that share, that like, that comment, that retweet and send healthy love. That let me into their inbox each week, and encourage others to do the same. The light givers. The spirit lifters. Because to give inspiration, you have to receive it somewhere else first.

 

To my meal planners, recipe testers and friends who give me their grace and trust. For letting me in to your kitchens, season after season. To your families. To your real world. And letting me try to expand it. Crack it wide open. To get the dust and cobwebs out. And better food and routines in.

And to those that help me in those nitty-gritty and behind the scenes moments: my mom, who helps me sous-chef, chop and prep before every event. My sister, who helps me edit and filter out any weird posts I attempt. My dad, who books me for every office food and education function. Kristin, who is my design and branding angel {more on that coming soon]. Carina and her incredible skill behind the camera.

Trish, who pours over my meal plans with the eye of a hawk. My sweet friends and handsome angel of a man who endure my odd cooking experiments and over-analyzation of every project, idea, success and total failure [Kelley, Lindsey, Katelyn, Jenna + Lauren, that’s you]. Traci [and her entire team] who’s been there, supporting me every single step of the way, and telling everyone about it.] People who give to so much to me, so I can turn around and give to everybody else.

Yes. To say that it’s been an amazing 2 years doesn’t even cover half of it.

But it’s not always easy.

And if I’m being totally honest, I’d tell you that it’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.

And that there are many times that I get frustrated, feel stalled, worried, am so hard on myself, or completely and totally overwhelmed. And days I’d rather just go back to bed and hide under the covers. That I tell myself that I must be crazy to be doing this. And unlike my first year, I have patterns to look at. And expectations. And way more ideas and dreams than I physically have time to do.

It’s been a year of growing. Of change. Of shifts, amazing and unwanted at times. Much like life, I guess.

So. A little roundup today of the things I’ve learned being a 2 year old. From running a business that is my life, that is my soul, that is my true love in every sense of the word. In case it inspires you as well in other areas of your life. To keep moving, keep going, and keep growing each time you’re given the option.

The Life Lessons Of a 2 Year Old [Business] [the unedited version]:

1. Feeling in a funk is a normal thing. It will happen, and is unavoidable at time. Learn at least 3 ways to get yourself out of it and start over [mine: go on a walk, stop and let it out for 5 minutes [aka breathe, think + let go, stretch it out, write it down, etc], drink a green juice/green smoothie or kombucha, call a sister or read something wise + inspiring to you]

2. Only work and collaborate with people that you intuitively jive with. That get you without a lot of words. That make you feel at ease immediately.  Soothed. Calm. And not anything but that.

3. Celebrate. Things big. Things small. Appreciate where you are at. The journey, and not just the destination.

4. Say yes to most things. Especially if you’re scared. Especially if you don’t feel ready. Especially if you’re excited. But never if you’re not.

5. Learn more. And never stop. Read books, blogs, magazines, articles, events, and from other people. Boring and self important are people who don’t.

6. Not everyone will like you. That’s ok, because just as many people do. And the way you phrase it in your head means more than you think it does.

7. To be creative and get the best ideas, you have to be actively participating in the world. Travel, observe people, try new things and don’t feel guilty about it. It’s a part of being human and is a great way to push yourself to grow.

8. When in doubt, get some sun and drink more water .

9. Google it.

10. When you feel stuck, give something away for free that has a great value to someone. Tangible or otherwise.

11. No one is going to magically “discover” you at the “right time”. Ask for what you want.

12. Failures are a success in their own way, and a thing to even be celebrated at times. If you’re not failing enough, you’re not taking enough action. Share them. Be honest about them. Open up and let people in. It’s always a good idea.

13. No one likes a’ “networker”. Be yourself.  People will want to do business with you based on who you are, not the fastest to push a business card into someone’s hands. It’s way more intriguing not to.

14. Listen. To your body. It is ALWAYS talking to you, it’s just a matter if you are listening. Listen to your clients and to those that know you best. Ignore the rest.

15. If it brings you joy, do it.

16. Food [or wine] when you are stressed will always make you feel worse, not better. When you feel happy, it will always digest much differently.

17. Get clear on what you really want. And why it’s important to you.

18. Don’t eat chocolate at night. Your sleep with thank you.

19. Break your usual rules on food if it feels right in your bones [including chocolate at night.]

20. See your time in the kitchen as a forced time for self-love and appreciation of food’s role in your life. Even if you don’t feel like doing it. You’ll always feel proud and feel better physically than the alternative.

21. Be grateful. For windshield wipers. For people who love you no matter what. For tiny bouts of inspiration, however small. And for how good you really have it.

22. If you want to be reminded of your lack of control in many areas of life, grow a garden (from seeds). Appreciate all that it takes, and the uncertainty that follows, even if you do everything “right”

23. Bright, happy flowers solve a multitude of things. Not matter the season, And even if they are fake and from ikea.

24. Don’t know how to do something? Learn. Teach yourself. Be curious. Believe in your ability to figure things out. And everything is figure-out-able [cc: Marie Forleo]

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Simply Real Health, Inc is a healthy lifestyle company on a mission to educate, teach and inspire others to live their happiest + healthiest life. Read more about Sarah here.

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