Today is Thursday, October 6th. It is ONE MONTH prior to my first pageant.
I have wanted to sit down and start this series for months, but I just didn’t really have (let’s be honest – didn’t really MAKE) the time!
I first started considering doing a pageant about 3 years ago after my friend, Dianna Klein had done one and raved about the personal development she went through – going from a self professed “tomboy” to a woman who exuded confidence.
You see, we often see ourselves for the rest of our lives based on our life experiences from early childhood. I was always “smart, hard working, an achiever.” I wore those words like a badge of honor. They BECAME my identity. (Where are all my Enneagram 3’s?) But those badges of honor also meant, success at all costs, achievement at all costs, work harder if things aren’t working out, and so on and so on…
When I left corporate finance to launch my first barre studio on 2010, it was one of the most exciting times of my life. I was blazing a new trail. Barre was still very unknown and I was “making a market” in health conscious San Diego. It was fun, exciting, and a new challenge. As we added programming to include yoga, pilates, cardio dance, and more as we grew with out clientele – there was something new every day.
The studios had almost a million dollars in revenue – so there was lots of room for learning along the way, and Mike and I were able to live a pretty amazing life. Although, even in the midst of success, you find yourself slipping back into old habits. I was running two studios, creating a full coaching program, launching a consulting business, and still helping Mike in his real estate business. It was a fabulous time, but I was slipping back into workaholic tendencies.
No matter how good I have it, No matter how big I build it… I always feel PULLED to MORE achievement. MORE tasks. MORE income streams. MORE responsibilities.
When we sold everything and moved to Vegas in 2017, I was so ready for a break. I swear, the first 6 months, I coasted on my consulting business, didn’t do any marketing, didn’t do any prospecting, didn’t do any content creation. And it was glorious!
Mike and I slept in most days. We sat with our coffee each morning and watched The Today Show and chatted. We met with contractors for things we wanted to do on the house.
We built a pool.
We built a back yard oasis.
We booked 2+ weeks to Cabo (frequently) and just sat by the pool drinking umbrella drinks and reading personal development books. (Well – the umbrella drinks with personal development books was all me…)
But I tell my clients – what you do today to market your business is what will show up in 3 months, 6 months, 9 months. And after a while – I had to get back to marketing, prospecting and getting new consulting clients!!!
I threw myself back into work and for the past few years vacillate back and forth between balance and burn out. Vegas is a funny place. The world is your oyster here! The dining, the entertainment, the opportunity, the ease of travel – everything. We moved into this fabulous house, with a wonderful yard – away from the strip, and away from the traffic. As we both worked from home – I had times, even prior to COVID, that I wouldn’t leave the house for a few days at a time other than for Junior League or Leadership Las Vegas events.
Then once COVID hit – I feel like I NEVER left the house. During COVID, Mike and I instituted LONG days Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays – where we’d work until 8 each night and “regular days” the other days of the week – often including Saturdays and Sundays. And again, I slipped back into my workaholic/achiever ways.
Fortunately, I had ordered a Peloton Tread just a month and a half prior to COVID, and I had a way to stay somewhat active during the day. But for me – nothing is as effective as a group class with an instructor and a community. In a group fitness class, you often feel like you’re operating as a team (especially as a past studio owner and instructor). The energy of one person can affect the energy of all people – so you show up and you give your best for the entire crew! So to make a long story short – my health and weight just weren’t where I wanted them to be….
So, back to the pageant… One of the things that I try to do each year is to set ONE really big goal. ONE way to shake up my life. In 2021 it was giving my. In 2022, I decided that it was the year that I was going to commit to doing this pageant. So here we are 30 days out. And I’ll tell you the truth, I’m not ready. At 46, I don’t lose weight like I did in my 20’s. My body is absolutely shifting thanks to Pure Barre Las Vegas (More on this in a future post). I’ve been working with MULTIPLE coaches for walking, for make up, for interview, for style – pretty much everything! You see, I believe that if you TRULY want to do something you’ve never done before, you find someone who has gone before you and you hire them to help you!
This year has been a whirlwind, and I’ll tell you more as I use this space as my “journal” for the next 30 days prior to the pageant. I want to take some time to share with you some of the things I have done. What has gone well. What hasn’t. Some of my behind the scenes thought and prep as I go through this process. But really – I want to dive into WHY I did this and how it “turns out” in the end.
But for now – that’s it for today. I have two business trainings to watch and implement (facebook ads I’m coming for you), and I have an 11 am barre class at Pure Barre Las Vegas in a couple of hours.
If you come with me on this journey – I hope you enjoy it! It’s going to be a WILD 30 days!
xoxo,
Amy