The end of the year is upon us and this is the time where a lot of people reflect back to what they did or didn’t accomplish.

For me, this year has been nothing but a life changing whirl wind both positively and negatively. I road tripped all the way to the Grand Canyon, had a cancer scare and been to the doctors more times then ever, I stopped my portrait business to pursue my art, taken on different styles of artwork, I lost old friends, gained new friends, met my amazing man…

It’s crazy what can happen in a year.

One of things I’ve noticed however is so many creatives work themselves to the ground so that their work gets out (regardless of the mountains of things on their list). We really don’t get to sit down and just ask ourselves “How am I doing?”

Speaking for myself, there are days where I am just not okay.

I have days where I just cry for no reason and feel super insecure about myself and my work. And then there are days where I’m incredibly happy and living in utter bliss.

I know I’m not perfect. I work myself to the bone and put a ton of things on my plate. I’m very impatient when it comes to my work and constantly think that things have to be done now. I rarely go to the gym to exercise. Sometimes I substitute junk food for dinner because I’m too lazy to cook. I barely go out of my home. I have trouble sometimes saying no to people. I know these things about myself and it can get crazy.

It grew to a point where I barely saw the people who love and support me that I began to just feel upset and depressed. Sometimes I would even see that I would juggle so many things and I couldn’t get the work that I really wanted to do done! And it got me thinking:

“Holy crap what the heck happened to me!”

Safe to say that I needed to go back and figure out what was going on. And after taking days off to reevaluate everything, I’ve come to realize that I have the power to change and alter things. That it’s never too late to take control of your life and your goals. That I can say NO to things and focus on what I truly want to do without feeling bad about it.

Instead of thinking back at the things that I didn’t accomplish, I look at the things that I can improve on and take action now. Not until next year starts, now! And to always take some time to make sure that I am okay.

Because if you are not align with yourself and who you truly are, it will definitely show in your work. And in order to make great work that matters, we have to make sure that we (meaning you!) are a-okay with who we are and the work we have.

So I ask you: How are you doing?

How are you holding up? How are you ending your year? Are you reaching your goals? What can you do now to get back on track now?

Let me know in the comments below! And if you like this post, please feel free to share it with your friends.

Now go out there and live ! 🙂

Til next time – keep creating,

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