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Featuring Margot Craig: Financial Advisor at Paradigm Wealth Management

March 12, 2019 by Kelly Nash Leave a Comment

Margot Craig is someone I came to know by going to an event I almost didn’t go to. My friend, Bettina, had asked me to go and after a long, stressful day at work, I wasn’t necessarily up for it. But something in me told me to go and I am so glad because I would have never met Margot otherwise!

As I began talking to Margot, I came to learn she was a career girl just like me, trying to make her mark on the business world. She currently works at Paradigm Wealth Management as a Financial Advisor and is currently a candidate for CFP® certification. We instantly clicked and we ended up exchanging business cards to get in touch. I immediately began thinking of the possibilities of how we could work together as we had a lot of same goals and values that I realized just from that one initial conversation.

And soon enough the “Making Your Mark on Your Financial Goals” event was born! I am so excited to be partnering with Margot and her company, Paradigm Wealth Management, on this event.

Margot in particular has worked in the financial services industry for 10+ years. Prior to joining Paradigm Wealth Management, she worked as a Financial Planning Associate in St. Louis for a boutique wealth management and estate planning firm. She also has experience preparing income tax returns for families and small businesses. She is a graduate of Georgetown University, where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and a minor in French. 

In her spare time, Margot enjoys running, skiing, scuba diving, and traveling with friends and family. Margot is also fond of the arts and fuels her creative side by painting with acrylics on canvas. Check out Margot’s story and why she is so passionate about helping individuals navigate their finances and prepare for retirement!

Margot Craig, Financial Advisor.

KN: Margot, thanks for joining the “Shine On” series! Can you share a bit more about yourself and how you got to be where you are today at Paradigm Wealth Management?

Margot Craig: I landed a job at Paradigm because I said yes to a women’s networking event that, to be honest, I wasn’t particularly excited about attending. At the time, I hadn’t developed the skills that make networking events more enjoyable and productive; I was still just a babe learning the “art” of networking. But once I was there, I met an incredibly talented business woman, Peg Quinn, who was hosting the event (and is now my colleague) and she introduced me to the owner of Paradigm Wealth Management.

After that networking event, I attended all of Paradigm’s subsequent events, including a lecture series. I also said “yes” to every invitation to get coffee with Peg and attended a small company dinner. When I was first introduced to Paradigm, they weren’t looking to hire anyone for my position; but once they decided to grow their Chicago office, they offered me the job and I accepted it without any hesitation.

KN: I love that – sometimes we don’t really want to go somewhere but giving ourselves that push can open up doors of opportunity. Sounds like that’s just what happened with you! What would you say has been your best career decision? And what’s been the toughest?

MC: Believe it or not, my best decision was to take time off from my career. Ironically, it was also the toughest. I went through a phase in my career where I was really struggling with feeling burnt-out from company politics. I have always loved the work that I do: providing my clients with a sense of financial security. But I wasn’t sure I would be able to find a company environment in which I could thrive. However, the burn-out alone isn’t what made me decide to take a break from my career. The biggest catalyst to taking time off was the turmoil I was experiencing in my personal life, and taking a break from pursuing my profession gave me the time I needed to heal.

My time away from wealth management, and how much I missed it, reinforced my love for this work. I used my time wisely: I said “yes” to every networking event and follow-up meetings. I got coffee with anyone who was willing to meet with me, including an accountant, a fireman, a cookbook author, an artist, and the list goes on. I felt inspired by all of them, and I realized that there are limitless possibilities in this world, including the possibility of doing what I love with colleagues whom I respect and admire. That conclusion was solidified after I became acquainted with Paradigm Wealth Management, but it still took me a year to convince them to hire me!  

But in between those networking events, I did a lot of hard work on myself: I focused on actively improving my health in four main areas: emotionally, spiritually, physically, and financially. Becoming fit in each of those fields has made me into the woman I love today. Yes, having a career that thrills me is fulfilling, but it would be nothing if I didn’t have the serenity that results from taking care of myself on a deeper level. Even now, I continue to check in with my accountability-buddies regarding those aspects of my life, because it’s really easy for me to get off track. And when I let myself slide in any one of those areas, my overall sense of wellbeing starts to lessen (and that hurts!), so it’s really important for me to surround myself with people who hold me accountable and keep me motivated.

KN: I think how you felt speaks volumes to what a lot of women feel today. It’s inspiring that you took that time off and really focused on yourself. Now that you’re back on the job, what excites you most? What do you find the most challenging?

MC: Many people’s path towards financial independence can be scary, confusing, and/or intimidating, and I’m honored to lead people down that road. I have yet to meet someone without any financial fears or problems. I love my job because I get to show my clients that there is an attainable solution to most, if not all, of their goals. Yes, it may involve sacrifice, but it often only involves better organization, better investment decisions, and a reprioritization of goals. Watching my clients start to experience the freedom and excitement that coincides with knowing they are becoming financially fit is one of the best aspects of my job.

The most challenging part of my job is learning to turn it off. When I’m not addressing concerns for my current clients, I’m usually trying to develop new business or work on improving my own expertise in the area of financial planning (I’m currently studying for the CFP exam, which I’ll sit for in this month). I’m still struggling to find the balance between developing a thriving career and giving my friends/family the love and attention that they deserve.

Margot Craig stands in a European city.

KN: I have that same problem! It’s tough! How do you balance life and work responsibilities?

MC: Ugh. That’s very tough for me! I’m slowly getting better with detaching from the stresses of work and studying, but it usually takes a concerted effort to do so. I have blocks of time that I set aside each week to mediate and be with people who are also committed to improving themselves. But if I’m honest, I probably need to take more breaks like that.

KN: I hear ya on that. Can I ask what has been the biggest challenge in your career or in your life and how did you push through it?

MC: In 2014, I went through some major health challenges. That was a very scary time for me. Prior to my diagnosis, I didn’t have many friends and my support network mainly just consisted of my immediate family. Walking through that experience has taught me how to open up and ask for help from others, how to handle pain with grace, and how to not just believe in a higher power but also rely upon it. The support network I started growing in 2014 is still behind me today, motivating me to grow, change, and patiently improve. I’ve learned that life is really hard when I try to go through it alone, and it gets a lot easier when I “woman up,” get vulnerable, and share my fears and troubles with friends who want to see me thrive.

KN: I think that’s so great you had a support system you could lean on during that difficult time. Which brings me to my next question….who has inspired you over the years and why?

MC: Warning: this is going to sound incredibly trite, but my Dad the most inspiring person I know. His work ethic and zeal for life is unmatched by anyone. In his 20’s he learned how to heal people with medicine and in his 60’s he learned how to heal with spirituality. I’m enamored with his ability to squeeze the fun out of life, to take daring adventures, and to engross himself in foreign cultures. I’m not sure if he has ever told himself “no, I can’t do that” or if he just discards the thought as quickly as it arrives… that’s a question I’ve yet to ask him, but I’ll add it to the list!

Margot Craig and her father stand in front of a fountain.

KN: He sounds like one amazing man! I like to ask every woman I interview what they attribute their success to. What’s your answer?

MC: Optimism. Grit. & Faith.

Optimism gives me the courage to say “thank you” to my Higher Power/the Universe/Whatever-you-want-to-call-it when a challenge comes my way. By saying thank you, I’m acknowledging that it’s time for me to learn and grow, and that I can use this obstacle to become a better, stronger version of myself… but don’t get me wrong… I have my off-days! At times, my first reaction to problems is to curse and moan, but eventually I wise up and become grateful for the opportunity to improve myself.

And then there is faith. Faith that I’ll find my way, even when I don’t know where I’m heading. Faith that I can do better tomorrow. Faith that I’m right where I’m supposed to be today, learning the lessons I’m supposed to learn today, so that I can succeed when future opportunities come my way.

And lastly, grit. Grit keeps me going when I’ve exhausted my optimism and faith. It’s tough to keep going when I feel stuck in my current situation and there aren’t any doors opening. But thankfully, when my grit-tank is on empty, I have people in my life who are capable of re-inspiring me until it’s full again. I’m reminded that success stories are full of failures and bad decisions; they just look like success stories because the heroine doesn’t give up when she’s down.

KN: Those are incredible answers and I can agree with them wholeheartedly! This goes along with a lot of what you’ve just touched on, but what keeps you motivated?

MC: I don’t have one thing that keeps me motivated… it more like a basket of things. I meditate, I reach out to my mentor, I schedule lunch/coffee dates with supportive friends who keep me accountable, I run outdoors because nature grounds me, and I meet with a spiritual recovery group on Saturday mornings. On any given day, I don’t know what will motivate me, so I keep doing all of them. The same thing that inspires me on Monday won’t move me on Wednesday, so it’s important for me to have an arsenal of ways to refocus, get grounded, and remember that I’m capable of achieving my dreams (which, for me, is frightfully easy to forget)!

Margot stands in front of an eye wall mural.

KN: I always like to find out from professionals how they get involved in or out of their industry. Is there anything that you do?

MC: I love working with kids, especially middle school girls. I was fortunate to have attended an all-girls middle school and high school, where my teachers expected me to perform, so I did. Unfortunately, many young girls today are overlooked in the classroom and they’re often given unintentional subliminal messages that they aren’t expected to succeed in school.

I’ve worked as an arithmetic tutor since 2015, and I’ve had the enormous pleasure of working closely with two young women since I’ve been in Chicago. Both girls were experiencing their parents go through a divorce, as well as the insecurities that often accompany middle school adolescence. And it was such a gift to be able to show them the coping skills I’ve only recently developed after my diagnosis in 2014. To watch their spirits lift and their confidence grow as their emotional (and arithmetic) intelligence grew was such a joy.  I’ve had to take time off from helping young women over this past year while studying for the CFP exam, but I really look forward to getting back to helping the next generation develop both academically and personally.

KN: Helping young women find their confidence is something I admire and aim to do with Lipstick & Ink too. If you had one piece of advice for those young women or fellow career women, what would it be?

MC: I think I would dare her to fail, to take a risk so big that she might not succeed. Because it’s my failures that have taught me the most about myself and, ironically, brought me closer to my end goals. And who knows, she just might succeed and how beautiful would that be?

For a long time, I lived life expecting myself to succeed at every moment. And I if I failed to reach my goal then I, MYSELF, was the failure. But I’ve learned to stop looking at life like that… thankfully! Because that kind of thinking kept me from taking the kinds risks that result in the greatest rewards. Now I feel free to dream big because I’m no longer scared of the self-criticism that used to accompany coming up short. Today, if I set a goal and don’t quite reach it, I forgive myself for being human. And then I try again.

Margot Craig stands in front of a graffiti wall.

KN: Any parting thoughts?

MC: I’d like to thank you for these thought-provoking questions! It’s been a while since I’ve thoroughly looked at where I am today and where I want to go, and I appreciate the chance to do that with you and your readers.

You are so welcome, Margot! To connect with Margot or find out more about Paradigm, check out the links below:

    • Paradigm Wealth Management Website: http://investpwm.com
    • E-mail: margotcraig@investpwm.com
    • Paradigm Wealth Management Facebook Page
    • LinkedIn
    • Instagram: @margotcraig
Kelly, Founder of Lipstick & Ink
Kelly Nash

Kelly Nash is a Chicago-based writer, speaker, career advisor, and founder of Lipstick & Ink®. In addition, she works full-time in technology as a Success Manager at Salesforce and has over 10 years of digital marketing experience. Kelly has been featured in Thrive Global, International Association of Women, General Assembly, Salesforce, SheFactor, and Six Degrees Society. She is also in the process of writing her first book.

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Filed Under: Shine On Series Tagged With: goal-getters, shine on, shine on series, women who inspire

About Kelly Nash

Kelly Nash is a Chicago-based writer, speaker, career advisor, and founder of Lipstick & Ink®. In addition, she works full-time in technology as a Success Manager at Salesforce and has over 10 years of digital marketing experience. Kelly has been featured in Thrive Global, International Association of Women, General Assembly, Salesforce, SheFactor, and Six Degrees Society. She is also in the process of writing her first book.

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Kelly, Founder of Lipstick & Ink

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Kelly💋 Career Advisor & Writer
I was in a meeting when Adam texted me, telling me I was in a meeting when Adam texted me, telling me to check Twitter with a screenshot of a tweet: "The US Capitol is now on lockdown." Immediately, my heart started to race and my first thought was, 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙬?
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Just when we think we're taking two steps forward, we take one massive step back. We all know what we saw yesterday. And the reality is that our country is still divided over what to even call yesterday’s events. 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐝, 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐲, 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐰. My loss of control feeling then resurfaced, something I've certainly grown accustomed to these last 10 months. The utter shock spiraled me into checking my Twitter feed and watching the news for 𝟷𝟸 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝. I couldn't fall asleep until 𝟹𝚊𝚖.
⠀
I woke up this morning wondering how I was going to get through the rest of this week. 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘺? Here’s what I came up with:
♡ 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹. Minimize the news and social media you take in. I'm distancing myself and dialing in on protecting my energy.⠀
♡ 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗿. I recently started writing morning pages (thanks to @juliacameronlive), where you start the day writing 3 pages of long-form writing about anything. I wrote about how I was feeling in today’s pages.⠀
♡ 𝗚𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸. Adam and I went for a walk before work to get fresh air, & clear our heads.⠀
♡ 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸. Don’t pretend it didn’t happen. Check in with others (including people you work with) and connect by sharing your thoughts and feelings too. If you need time to process, be open with your manager and ask.⠀
♡ 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹-𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴. Take breaks during the work day. End work at a reasonable hour and do something that gives you joy. I plan on doing yoga to calm my mind & lose myself in a book. {continued in comments}
My goal in 2020 was to complete my book's manuscri My goal in 2020 was to complete my book's manuscript. As you probably know, I didn’t come close to reaching it since I'm still working on it. And #itsokay. Old me would have dwelled on it, beating myself up for not accomplishing it. But I now know this: 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭.
⠀
I wrote my 2020 goal down and pinned it on the wall in front of my desk for me to see every day last year, to push me to put my vision into action. It was my 𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳, a reminder to myself to keep going, even on the days I was discouraged. It led me to get serious about my goal, hiring a book coach, and 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯.
⠀
While I didn't finish in the timeframe I had originally hoped, I myself know how much thought, time, and dedication went into attempting to achieve my goal. Looking back, there was 𝑺𝑶 much progress.
⠀
January, as we know, is a time to set new goals for the year ahead. I'll be thinking about mine and writing them down this month once again to keep me motivated throughout the year. My reminder to you (and me for that matter) for the next 12 months is as you work towards your goals is to 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺.
⠀
𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐬 -- 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞💋
[𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗕𝗟𝗢𝗚 𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗧] I [𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗕𝗟𝗢𝗚 𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗧] I love NYE - not for the parties, the dresses, or really even the ball drop. I love it because I treat it as a day to look inward, to quiet my mind, and reflect. Every NYE since middle school, I've taken time to write in my journal and reflect on the year, to acknowledge my growth, to accept what didn’t go as planned, and to appreciate the life I am creating. The past few years, I've shared a lot of those thoughts on L&I. This year though, I went back and forth as to if I still wanted to share a recap given how intense this year has been. 2020 was taxing for so many and I wanted to be sensitive to that, especially when the end of the year recaps can cross into “𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦!” territory.
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But I sincerely believe 𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙠𝙚𝙮 𝙥𝙞𝙚𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙩𝙝. It's important that we take that time to look back on our year and celebrate, especially before we rush into the goal-setting madness that accompanies a new year. We learn a lot about ourselves when we reflect, and write down and share our wins and our shortcomings. Not only that, we learn a lot from each other when we read these type of reflections. This year especially is important to recognize our growth because of the hardships we endured.
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Despite how challenging 2020 has been, I do believe 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙩𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙪𝙨 𝙪𝙣𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙪𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨. I want to share those lessons and things I personally learned about myself, because this year will be one that we’ll never forget. In my newest post on L&I, I share:
⠀
☆ What Went Well⠀
☆ What Didn't Go So Well⠀
☆ What I Learned⠀
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You can read it all via the link in my bio! I hope that you too use the last day of 2020 to take a moment and reflect and truly appreciate how far you've come. Because damn, it was a 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐭. 𝐖𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐢𝐭. Wishing you a healthy, safe, and prosperous 2021 ahead ♥️
Living through this year has been challenging on a Living through this year has been challenging on a number of levels. There’s no doubt about it. Between the pandemic and the upheaval of our lives that’s come along with it, to the racial injustice many of us had our eyes opened to, to the ongoing political strife and divide, to the deaths of our loved ones, it has been a 𝐋𝐎𝐓.
⠀
It’s been a common refrain ever since March to wish 2020 𝙖 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙗𝙮𝙚. I certainly don’t blame anyone for it. But even in the darkest of moments, it's important for us to not be consumed by it and instead seek the light. Find the good, find the lessons, find the realizations 𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴.
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Which is why I asked the L&I community – 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮?
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Swipe to see some of the top responses that were shared. You can also see the rest of the responses in a new blog post on thelipstickandink.com, via the link in my bio. Perspective and perseverance will always see their way through💋
As women, we are faced with 𝙖 𝙢𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙤𝙗𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙘𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙨. And with those come a 𝕔𝕙𝕠𝕚𝕔𝕖:⠀
➸ Those obstacles and challenges can either define us and hold us back from being our most authentic selves⠀
ᴏʀ⠀
➸ We can break free and rise to the women we want and are meant to be.
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Each of these obstacles and challenges I've listed are ones that I've personally faced. Throughout my 20s, I allowed them to consume me, lower my confidence, and ultimately chain me down. I limited my potential for years without even realizing it. But in these last few years in particular, I've learned what it means to 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫. And with that comes making an active choice to let go of what holds me back.
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I bring this up because 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘐'𝘮 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐'𝘮 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨. Revisiting the memories and emotions and writing out these experiences is helping me realize just how much I've overcome - and still am overcoming. I'm in no means past all of this as I feel I'm a constant work in progress. But it feels empowering to reflect on how far I've come and have the opportunity to share that with other women. I can't wait to reveal more about my book in the coming weeks. There will definitely be more to come.
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Now, I want to ask you - what do ʏᴏᴜ want to break free from? Are you currently releasing anything that's been holding you back? Let me know in the comments!💋
I’ve seen a quote all over IG & it’s one that I’ve seen a quote all over IG & it’s one that I slowed my scroll to pause and take in: “𝙸 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟶 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚢𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝙸 𝚐𝚘𝚝 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍. 𝙽𝚘𝚠 𝙸 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟶 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚢𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝙸 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎.”
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While living through this year has been challenging on a number of levels, one of the things I hope we can appreciate is the 𝙜𝙞𝙛𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙚 🎁. I’m not referencing the physical 6 foot distanced space we’ve grown accustomed to. (That part has been hard - I really miss hugging my mom 😭.) I’m talking about the 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 we’ve been given - 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚, 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙣, 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡, 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚. Through the gift of space, 2020 has been a year in which we’ve learned what we need, what adds value to our lives, and what depletes us.
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For me in particular, 2020 made space for:⠀
🎲.Play and connecing with my inner child⠀
💭 Reflection and journaling⠀
🙅🏻‍♀️ Boundaries and learning to say no⠀
💬 Tough conversations on racial injustice, science and politics⠀
♥️ Connection with others, even when it meant virtually⠀
🌳 Getting outdoors and enjoying every walk and hike I took⠀
🤔 Curiosity into learning more about myself through astrology, human design, shamanism & mediums⠀
📚 My book, a dream of mine since I was a little girl⠀
🦋 Being present and learning the power of slowing down and tuning in
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It’s been a common refrain ever since March to say 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘣𝘺𝘦 𝘵𝘰 2020. And it's crazy to think it will pass in just 24 days. The new year is going to come regardless, but 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 2021 𝙗𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪? What lessons can we carry with us from 2020 to shape it into the year of freedom and possibility that we are hoping for? How can we continue to 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 even as our schedules inevitably fill up, our offices open, and our lives go back to a sense of normalcy?
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I'll tell you what, the space that 2020 created is something I'll certainly be holding onto and ensuring I maintain💋
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