Lately my life has been full of tough decision making. As a first time small business owner, navigating my way through tumultuous economic times and the ever-changing world of e-commerce, I’ve had my fair share of tough decisions to make. Some I’ve had to make quickly, while others have required a ton more thought and energy, constant revisiting, and extensive consultation from friends and family. And after all of that, I haven’t always felt 100% about the final decision made. I guess that’s just the nature of difficult decisions. When I’m feeling less than thrilled about a choice that had to be made (way less), I try to keep in mind…

Everything is temporary. And all feelings, no matter how strong they may feel, will pass and ease over time. Keeping this thought close helps all of my tough decision making feel a lot less daunting and a whole lot less scary.

Happy Monday! If you find that by Wednesday, this just isn’t your week, keep in mind … everything is temporary!

*image via word boner

I had an incredibly fun and special Saturday with two of my best girlfriends. Feeling a bit “meh” lately about a lot of things, it was exactly the kind of day I needed to put me back on the positive track. After all, what could be better than a day of wedding dresses and tea houses!

Spending the day trying on gorgeous wedding dresses for the first time and having tea at my favorite SF spot, Crown and Crumpet, left me with the most amazing energy that I’m still feeling today. Perhaps it was seeing myself in a whole new light (as a bride!), or the genuine happiness my friends felt for me, or the massive amounts of caffeine and sugar we consumed at Crown and Crumpet, but the residual energy I’m feeling today is something I hope to keep up all week long. Lesson learned. Creating happy energy over the weekend can spill over to your Monday in the best way. I feel ready to take on this week!

Happy Monday! I hope your weekend has left you with amazing residual energy!

*image via you’re just not my cup of tea

Like many people, I often draw inspiration, motivation, and consolation from song lyrics. Musical artists often create incredible poetry intertwined with their catchy beats. For me, music is most often my go-to art form when I need sympathetic words, an energized kick in the pants, or the opportunity to just let go to another place. At this point, I’m in the middle of a lot of transitions in my life that require quite a bit of exploration. Sometimes, when you’re in that particular place in life, things don’t often turn out as you’d hoped they would. In those times, I like to remember some of the great poetic lyrics of one of my favorite artists, Tupac Shakur.

If things should get tough for you this week, just remember, “Baby don’t cry, I hope you got your head up. Even when the road is hard, never give up.“

* image by Jessica Wright via Design Work Life

I don’t know about you, but when I get overwhelmed by a project, I start to drag my feet. Big time. And that’s the best case scenario. Other times, if I’m feeling particularly overwhelmed by a project, I’ll start ten other projects just to avoid that one. True story. Last week I started running with Miles again. Giving some serious running time attention to the project I’ve been avoiding, and breaking it down into smaller conquerable steps, I thought to myself …

What am I running from?! I can do this! So this week, I’m going to stop avoiding big things that seem scary and get to work. One tiny step at a time.

Happy Monday! I hope you make it a goal this week to stop avoiding the “scary” things. They’re probably a lot less scary than you think.

*image via Tony Kuch

Typically I dread Mondays. These Monday Motivation posts are probably serving my own needs significantly more than they are serving anyone else’s. Though, I sincerely hope at least one of my readers feels slightly more motivated on Monday’s because of them. Last night, as I was preparing a post for another blog I write for, I was feeling pretty jazzed to continue my work today. Maybe it’s because I have a looooong list of things to do (a list I can’t wait to complete!), or maybe it’s because it’s dark and stormy outside and I’m enjoying being in my warm office with my coffee, computer, and Miles. Who knows?! But somehow…

This Monday is definitely O.K.! I hope it’s o.k. for you too! Let’s see where the week takes us…

* hand-lettering  by the awesome Gemma Correll

Typically I like to share motivating words but today (my first day back from a blogging hiatus) I thought I would share this motivating image instead.

As someone who has needed some quiet time-out lately, I find this image incredibly inspiring. Sometimes you just have to disconnect from your daily stresses. Happy Monday.. I hope you’re able to find some time to disconnect this week. It’s a good thing.

*image via Lucky

I’ve come down with a nasty case of the flu so I’m going to keep this short and sweet. On the days you just can’t give it your all, at the very least…

And yes, that goes for every day. I’m going to go crawl back into bed now… Hope you all have a much happier and more productive Monday than me. blah.

Image via we are creative people

As I’ve been taking on more projects and responsibilities in my life (not to mention starting to plan my wedding), it’s been challenging to continue to execute everything to my own level of approval. Given my perfectionistic inclinations, settling for what I consider sub-par, just to get a project done, has me re-evaluating what I can a can’t take on. For me, I’d rather not do something at all than half-ass it (pardon my language). But sometimes, when you’re trying to reach a desired result, the option to drop parts of your workload just isn’t there. So this week, rather than cut corners, I’m going to go ahead and put just that much more into each task.

It’s incredible how motivating positive feedback on a job well done can be. If you’re feeling overwhelmed and pressured by the week that lies ahead, kick those feeling to the curb quick and execute everything to the fullest. Let the positive praise your work receives be the fuel that keeps you knocking out more. All you’ve got to do is put a lil’ umph in it.

Happy Monday!

image via

If you follow me on twitter, you’ve probably noticed a whole lot of dog tweeting going on. Have a found a new passion in life? Yup! I can’t actually call it a new passion, I’ve always been passionate about pets. But the dog world is a new area of fashion and design I’m having the most wonderful time exploring. You can bet it’s adding a lot more to my already full plate. But when it’s fun, it doesn’t feel like work.

Thinking about all of the new work I’ve taken on makes me think of something my dad used to say to me when I was a kid. Looking at my workload, I think I really took one of his favorite messages to heart.

So if you find that you’re feeling bored, go create something! Anything! You can bet that having a full schedule is an incredibly motivating thing especially when it’s packed with activities you’re passionate about.

Happy Monday! Here’s to a full week without a dull moment!

*Top image found here via this pin. Bottom image via this pin.

First and foremost, Happy Valentine’s Day!! I don’t know about you, but I LOVE Valentine’s Day. For me, Valentine’s Day goes beyond celebrating the love between my fiance and I, it’s a day that I get to express my love for friends and family. Every year I have lots of fun making e-cards or photoshopping little messages over pictures of Miles to send out to all of my loved ones. I think Valentine’s Day is best spent sharing the love.

Even if you don’t have a romantic someone to celebrate today with, there’s no reason why you can’t make it about your love for those close to you. So, go ahead!

Step outside your comfort zone and do something crazy like giving a co-worker a hug! Send an e-card to friends and family! Wear something pink!

Share the LOVE today. Nothing is more motivating than that!

Happy Monday!

*art by Gordon Stevenson photo via this isn’t happiness