2022 - Well that was f*cking WILD!!

I’m not sure if I should be swearing in a blog post, and maybe not my FIRST one, but I did use a “*” so I think we are all good!

Hello, hi, welcome!!

This blogging thing has been on the cards for awhile, it’s just I’ve been a little busy with home educating four kids, building a 7-figure business, working on my marriage, trying to keep a house, exercise, and fit in some time just for me - it’s a lot, you know?!

But divine timing and all that, so we are here now, and I thought there is no better place to start, than, well, now.

I am currently in the “in-between”, no not a weird cousin to the ‘upside down’ from Strangers Things, but the period between Christmas and New Year when you have no f*cking clue what day it is, your mind and body are torn between “New Year, New Me” and “It’s still Christmas, pass the Santa PJ’s and another mince pie!”

And as I reflect back on 2022, the only way I can describe it is WILD!

It has been on of the hardest years of my life, but with the most MAGICAL moments sprinkled through it all. The way I think about this year is like being a parent, most days are really hard, you question yourself, you're exhausted, there’s always someone wanting something from you, you long for a break, but when all is said and done you wouldn’t swap one second of it because the moments of pure and utter joy those little cuties bring you is so WORTH IT ALL.

• But it was still HARD.
  

I created a post on Instagram recently that shares a little more context around “what you saw, VS, what you didn’t”, and you can see that here.

The reason I share this is because it can be so easy to look at everyone else, absolutely smashing it, seemingly having it all go perfectly, and get stuck in comparison, stuck in questioning why we don’t have it.

And I think sometimes we just need a reminder that we are all human, we all struggle and no one has it altogether - its kind of the point of life, to always be growing, and with growth comes lessons, and SOMETIMES those lessons seem to hit you hard across the face with a huge slap!

I’m someone who genuinely is happy every day, I’m someone who is massively optimistic and always looks for the good in every situation, and what can happen when you’re this type of person is that people assume you never struggle, that things never go wrong, that it’s never hard for you.

When in reality it’s BECAUSE I’ve struggled, it’s because things have went wrong again and again, it’s because I have done, and continue to do the work, that I am able to reframe my thoughts as quickly as I do.

For the first time since I started my business, I questioned if “it was all worth it”.

I toyed with the idea of giving it all up.

Things were working, but the lessons that I was learning along the way made me question.

As someone who wears their heart on their sleeve, takes everyone at their word, trusts deeply and always sees the best in people, it is hard when people take advantage of that.

One thing I’ve notice in business is the bigger you grow, the more people dehumanise you, they see you like a cog in a machine, they disregard your feelings, they take what they need from you then go to the next thing. And I don’t think I was ready for that.

Especially in a coaching space where everyone preaches “love, light, self-care and boundaries”.

Sitting in Dubai on a yacht (I mean what a f*cking surreal moment for starters, maybe at one point in near future I will normalise this kind of stuff, but from a girl that grew up on a rough council estate, let’s just be real - that’s pretty next level adventures!), with 7 and 8-figure business women, each person had felt the same, each person had questioned.

You see, in the beginning the drive is there, the excitement, the rush, the need…

And that powers you forward, it makes you eager, it keeps you hungry, it lights a fire in you, every part of it is worth it because you are on this wild adventure where every win feels huge!

But as you grow, as you build, as you sustain, as you succeed, the drive isn’t there in the same way anymore, so what motivates you then?

THIS is when you have to connect in with your mission, this is where you have to make it bigger than just you and your success. Because, do I really want to get up in the morning and dedicate time to social media when even going on there is a $h!t show of people tearing each other down, when I don’t “have” to, when I have enough recurring revenue coming in to not post again for an entire year?

No. The answer is no.lol.

But when I make it bigger than me, bigger than whether I want to show up or not, bigger than whether I want to make a sale or not, When I make it about that ONE person who needs to see what I have to say today, that one person who is on the brink of giving up and my post can help inspire them to keep going - THAT’S when I have no choice but to show up.

When my mission is to help people LIVE for a living, I can’t just hide when it gets hard, I can’t just stop when the excitement fades, I just can’t, because it’s then asking me not to be me.

So I’m here, and I’m thankful for it all.

Every lesson I’ve learned this year has made me stronger, every situation I’ve been through has meant I can hold clients going through similar situations with a greater depth of understanding, every part of me that has been broken has healed even stronger.

THIS is the work.

And it’s f*cking HARD.

Creating a successful business is easy (I said it, don’t hate me for it, but if you’re honest with yourself learning the strategies really is simple enough!) but being the type of person who can run a successful business is where you will be tested.

So, if you can take any lessons from my 2022 let it be:

• No one’s got all their $h!t together

• You can have a tantrum, want to give it all up, give yourself grace, then get back in the game

• You need to know WHY you’re doing what you are doing and be driven by THAT

• You’ll be kind, generous and honest and people will take advantage, be kind, generous and honest anyway

• There will be times you question yourself - I promise you ARE strong enough to hold it all

• Lean into mentorship with someone who GETS this

• The work is never done

And that’s my first blog post.

I love you all.

Now let’s go change the world by inspiring one person at a time.

Hayley ✨