Finding Gratitude As A Small Business Owner

Every Thanksgiving there is a surge in gratitude…and rightfully so. It’s a time we come together with family + friends to reflect on this season in life. Sometimes it feels cliché, but when we truly stop to think about what we’re grateful for, it impacts us. Sometimes I think we take gratitude for granted and just rattle off things. Just because we have things we’re grateful for, doesn’t mean life is perfect. However, it does make the hard things or tough times easier when we can truly be grateful in our hearts.

As I’ve had some time to reflect this week and really think about things I’m grateful for, I realized how much some of these things have shaped my life or impacted me in some way.

My Faith

2016 has been my year of Faith. I realized quickly that my drive to make it on my own was never going to happen without faith. I needed to believe in God, myself and those around me to support me. My faith in God has taken me farther than I ever imagined and I have immense gratitude for that.

My Community

My community in Los Angeles is a big one. It’s overflowing with people and that’s not to sound like, “I have so many friends! I’m so popular!” No. I say that because community, a tribe of people is hard to find, especially one overflowing with goodness. Maybe I don’t share my deepest secrets, or all my successes + failures with everyone, but they’re still my circle. And I have so much gratitude for each and every individual in my life. Each person impacts me in different ways, leads me to different connections and opportunities. Community has always been important to me, not only personally, but also in business. I believe in community over competition and encouraging one another along the way. Life was never meant to be done alone and I’ll push to make sure people aren’t doing life alone.

My Family

Family has always been extremely close to my heart and I come from a big one! I was lucky enough to grow up with all my cousins, Aunts + Uncles on both sides of the family. My family has been there as a constant support. Whether I wanted to live abroad, move to LA, start a business or go on crazy adventures. With the addition of a little one to our family and my first niece, love hits you differently. Who knew you could love another human being so much in this way! She doesn’t know it yet (she’s only 5 months), but I’ll always be her biggest cheerleader, no matter what.

My Business

There’s a lot that happened to bring me to where I am today. I’m extremely blessed to be able to work from home and run my own business. I have so many dreams and goals that sometimes, I don’t know where to start or how to get there. Sometimes, I feel like I just want it all to happen NOW, but I’ve come to realize that good ideas, good things must take time. They take effort, they take collaboration, they take reflection and advice and wisdom from others to come to fruition. The journey and the process can be one of the most exciting parts of it all.

Feathered Arrow has come further than I thought possible in 2016 and I can’t wait to see it come even further in 2017. We have some MAJOR goals + dreams, and I’m going to push full steam ahead. One thing is to ramp up the charity aspect of my business, as it’s one of the reasons of why I do what I do. (If you didn’t know, the core of Feathered Arrow is to give back to a nonprofit with each client I work with). I want this industry to make an impact in our communities locally and around the world. So, next year, I’m going to be the girlboss of ‘action’.

My City 

LA isn’t for everyone and definitely not for the faint of heart, but this city is special to me. It’s the place where I’ve meet lifelong friends who have become like family. Where I had my dream job out of college, and where I decided to start a business. This is the place that I get to call home. Even though there are things I don’t love about LA, (I won’t go on to name the obvious list), the things I love outweigh the bad. I mean we have the beach, the mountains, and desert all within a couple of hours from each other! This city is full of dreamers, of doers, of crazies (both good and bad), and of extreme talent. I feel like here I can reach for the stars and they’re not out of reach. LA supports the dreamers and welcomes it with open arms and I’m just happy that I get to be one of those people.

There are so many other things I have gratitude for, but I won’t keep going. Thank you to those in my community, my tribe. I have an unending appreciation and love for each and every one of you. Take some time this Thanksgiving to share one or two things that you’re grateful for and why. Those deep heart to heart conversations with friends + family are good for the soul. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!