One Little Word 2017

Is it weird that this post is making me feel super old? I looked back on my OLW posts, and realized that next year, it will be TEN YEARS.

Yep, that means I have been doing One Little Word for ten years. Excuse me while I go polish off my cane, because seriously I’m feeling about 102 right now.

So what the heck is it, for anyone that is completely lost right now?

For anyone unfamiliar with One Little Word that would like to read the origin and information from the original creator, Ali Edwards, click here. If you want to read MY thoughts on it, keep reading.

Every year, people make resolutions. Resolutions that have the best of intentions, but get lost rather quickly. I used to make resolutions as well, but in 2008 I STOPPED entirely. I decided to choose a word for the year, a word to focus on. This is a word that is the underlying word in most decisions and day to day tasks. It is a word that is necessary but also healing, something that will help me to change into someone that makes the world a better place.

You can read more about past words here:

2008 – Independence
2011 – Confidence
2012 – Action
2013 – Sticktoitiveness
2014 – Fearless
2015 – Thrive
2016 – Revitalize

Whew. Yes, I know there are a few years missing – not because I didn’t do them, but because I didn’t blog about them. That was a really turbulent and crazy time in my life, and I’m happy to have just survived, so I will give myself a pass.

So. 2017. Here we are, nice to meet you, hoping to become great friends with you!

I actually was really torn between two words for this year, because both of them have different meanings and places in my life. But one in particular stood out above the other, because it will actually FEED the other, which is huge!

For 2017, my One Little Word is

PROGRESS

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WHY progress? But Brooke, you’re already making progress!

Yes, I have made great strides since 2008 and am very, very grateful for everything that I have accomplished. But I really, really struggle with something that seems all shiny on the outside, but is really kind of a bitch:

PERFECTION.

My perfectionism can be a good thing at times: when I need to make sure that a boudoir post is crazy flattering, when I want to make caramel brownies that are amazing, when I need to make sure that my paperwork is done properly…

But overall, my perfection stops me from doing things that I really, really want to do. Things that would help me grow, not only my business, but myself.

Case in point: For a VERY long time, I didn’t really share much of my work because I had so much to share and it was overwhelming and I wanted to make sure to SHARE THE PERFECT IMAGE at the perfect time.

And because I didn’t know what to share and the thought of sharing something perfect was overwhelming, I shared nothing.

What. The. Actual. Fuck.

Seriously, who does that? That is just weird. Actually, I thought it was super weirdo but have recently read that I’m not alone, so instead of wallowing in my perfectionistic people, I have decided to consciously make some changes.

We have a crazy year coming up – like three moves in the next year. Ouch. The very thought of it is really, really overwhelming, but I know that it is a GOOD thing, and will be crazy positive for our family and my business. And in order to get through that alive (ha!), we need to be a team and move forward, instead of worrying about things being perfect.

I need to do the things I have wanted to do for YEARS in my business, but haven’t done them because it wasn’t perfect. I need to put myself out there in specific ways that I haven’t done before, because I was afraid that they weren’t perfect.

FUCK PERFECT.

I am choosing PROGRESS over perfection.

So what does this mean for you? Expect to see more happenings that will probably have mistakes. Expect to see programs rolled out that might not be perfect, and might be confusing at first. I’m going to ask for your grace ahead of time, and your love, to embrace me in my imperfection. To send me a kind email to let me know about a typo, instead of blasting my stupidity in a comment.

I am so fortunate to surround myself with pretty amazing people, so I don’t anticipate this being an issue… but still. The thought of releasing something that isn’t perfectly planned out terrifies me. So let’s both embrace each other in our imperfections, and realize that putting things out there, even when they’re not perfect, is PROGRESS and moving in the right direction, shall we?

I am so, so excited for 2017.

I don’t know how it will work out in the long run, but I have faith that it is going to be amazing. And if I set up an event that isn’t perfect and something weird happens like a huge cake falling over, you all can help me laugh through my tears, and we will have a story to share for the rest of our lives about how Brooke totally fucked something up but we had an amazing time.

Okay?

And because every post is better with a picture and the pretty picture above doesn’t really count, I will throw this photo in. Why this photo? Because A. it’s super awesome and I love love love it and B. it pissed people off and got me banned on Facebook and C. I love being a part of adventurous shoots that ruffle feathers and D. the stock show is here!

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Love & Adventures,

~Brooke