All You Can Do is Your Best - PERFECTION isn't Real

Perfect - entirely without any flaws, defects, or shortcomings; excellent or complete beyond practical or theoretical improvement. Does PERFECTION really exist!? Well, of course not! But that doesn't mean we shouldn't strive to be BEST we can; It merely means we cannot stress ourselves out or run ragged trying to reach such a level of life that isn't obtainable. And go ahead and just stop comparing yourself or your life to someone else's. Focus on YOU! Be you, Be REAL! It's been a while since I wrote a "just because" blog and this topic was weighing heavy on my shoulders yesterday. I also recently read a blog from my photography friends, Luke and Cat, that somewhat related to the same thing. It was one of those days I stayed after hours at work trying to get caught up on old projects and started on new ones. I had received a phone call from another young business owner/entrepreneur friend of mine and I was telling her of things I was behind on or hadn't yet set up, things I needed to research, goals I hadn't yet met, new management practices I needed to implement......this could have gone on and on and on forever. She soon calmed me down by sharing with me things that she was still struggling to accomplish in her business, which is older and more established than mine. Needless to say, it wasn't long after that phone call that I called it a day and headed home. Now don't get me wrong, I am so very blessed to get to do what I love every single day. I literally eat, sleep, breathe and even bleed SJ (and keep in mind I also have my hands in on other business ventures). I am so inspired by what I do, the people I meet, the clients I serve, and the team I lead, that it is hard to get away. If you know me personally, even when I am "off" or out with friends, my evenings still usually consist of tweeting, answering emails, returning phone calls, etc. But something I have really tried to focus on recently is my life as a whole. And yes, my "jobs" take up a big portion and a lot of my time. However, as my dear friend Miss Emily Huskinson says, "Business exists so life can". And that is exactly correct. Without business I wouldn't have money, and without money I couldn't live. Without living, I wouldn't have family or friends to spend time with, nor fun experiences or travels to be had. Just think about it, business does exist so life can. But on the vice versa, life does not exist so business can. What I'm trying to say is I never want to be "that" business owner that is ONLY engulfed with my business. Just as it is important for me to have a growing company based upon great customer service and an empowering team of girls, I can promise you that my relationships with family, friends and Christ along with time to enjoy life and do the things I love (besides my job) are equally as important to me. I can promise you that my "To-Do" list will NEVER be fully checked off. For example, I will always have emails to answer, calls to return, loved ones to spend time with, old friends to catch up with, the inventory levels at SJ could always be better stocked, more money could be saved, more money could be made, new marketing ideas to test, new opportunities to embrace, fashion trends to research, new blog posts to write, and the list could continue literally FOREVER. But, to me, it is not worth being so wrapped up in what I still need to do or how much further I have to go. After all, life is a journey. What would the point in living be if I was to figure everything out in one day? Then what would I have to look forward to? One of my "favorited tweets" on my account says "What's the point of life if we accomplish EVERYTHING by tomorrow? Instead, enjoy being a work in progress!" So with that, one of my newer mottos in life has been "I'm gonna come to work and give it my all until the end of the day". Now I'm not saying I don't still stay late or do "work" off the clock (let's be real, I'm a business owner and that's part of how my life will always be), however I have understood that building SJ is a long term investment for my life. If I have put in and done the best job I could have today, then I can rest my head in peace at night knowing that tomorrow is a new day full of new tasks. Ain't no sense in me getting all worked up about "what I still need to do" (and please excuse my grammar from the last sentence - just imagine me saying it). I truly believe that success is multi-dimensional. And I want to be a fabulous business owner, boss, friend, daughter, sister, Christian, entrepreneur, cattle woman, life enthusiast, and the list continues. Now, it's time for me to return the 3 calls I ignored while writing this post, go turn in some paper work to the international customs department at USPS, over night a very important package to a special customer, and then I'm gonna go meet some friends out at the golf course for a fun Wednesday afternoon. I am a firm believer that time away from work (and I mean good, healthy time away), keeps me re-energized and and even more focused when I return. Plus - it's a beautiful afternoon in College Station, 'Merica! I hope everyone is enjoying Summertime! Where I'm from, it's 12 degrees cooler than it was this time last year and we have had more rain! Time to go enjoy God's blessings and spend quality time with some of my favorite people in this world that I like to call my friends! Remember - Dreams DON'T work unless YOU do! xoxo Randa :)