THE WEEK

What a crazy, crazy week it’s been. Since the year started, I’ve been trying to get things super organized with my businesses, finances and taxes because next week, Joey and I are starting our Palm Springs vacation home hunt.

It wasn’t fun getting 3 separate sets of taxes filed early, taking on extra projects and sometimes staying at the office until 3 am but it’s all a little easier when you have a goal in mind. Yesterday night, I finally got the call I’d been hoping for after sitting on the phone with my bank all week…we’re pre-approved and I have an offer letter in-hand!

Getting the call was a massive sigh of relief because I’d waged all my bets 3 years ago, leaving a well-paying, stable agency job to start over on my own. In the beginning, I had plenty of ups and downs and bad days where I questioned what I was doing because it’s so much easier to just show up to someone else’s company and collect a steady check every 2 weeks.

I knew I wasn’t cut out for that path, though so I kept showing up to my office, doing the work, sharing stories about that transition on the blog and knowing that if I gave it my all, everything would eventually come together.

Working for yourself and getting pre-approved for any loan isn’t a cake walk so making it through the first few hoops on our path to buying our PS pad feels like a huge victory.

Starting next week, we’ll be touring places, getting an idea of locations we like and of course, I’ll be taking plenty of photos to put the finishing touches on my PS travel guide (so much stuff has opened since I was last there that I felt like it would be a disservice to post it now — I’ve got a list of new, rad places to visit and show you like Customs Coffee!)

Three years ago, when I decided it was time to go out on my own, I had plenty of people close to me show concern and I get it because it’s hard. They wondered, wouldn’t it be easier for me to hang on a little longer? The thing is, if you give into that mentality, you’ll be “hanging on” forever.

You do have what it takes and if you’re looking for excuses to transition into doing what you think you’re meant to do, you don’t need them. You get one shot at life and there is no magic switch that suddenly flips, making you ready. You just have to take the leap.

I’m sitting in my office, starting out the window as the sun is shining and feeling so excited that Joey, Rocky, Chubs and I are going to be opening a new chapter of life soon. Whether we find a place next week, a few months from now or at the end of the year, I’m looking forward to the adventure that comes along with it and bringing you along for the ride.

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” —Unknown

Photos of Caliente Tropics and Moorten Botanical Garden in Palm Springs, October in 2015 taken by me.

THE LINKS

• This is such a great read about the most important part of building your business.

• 15 ways to delight your clients!

• What typeface are you?

• Tim Ferriss explains how to get busy influencers to share your stuff.

• If you need to say no to past clients you no longer want to work with, give these 3 scripts a try.

• Here’s what you can learn after spending 36 hours with a group of the world’s most powerful women.

• 42 great free handwriting fonts.

• One place in Palm Springs that I’m dying to visit is Korakia Pensione. So beautiful!

• 7 ways to stop feeling overwhelmed and get things done.

• Feeling bored? Change up your face with the Masquerade app. Haha!

• We’re more honest with our phones than we are with our doctors.

• Build your knowledge quickly with Design Facts.

• If your elevator pitch is falling flat, read this.