The Belle is Born

Finally...

I have wanted to start a blog for over a year now. I’ve talked myself out of it hundreds of times. Would I have enough content? Would people find my content valuable? What makes my story and experiences special? You can see the rabbit hole my brain goes down. It’s like an eternal game of ping pong in my brain.

This year I had the opportunity to take a girls trip to Italy with two of my best friends. This trip came at a difficult time for all three of us. We weren’t being challenged in our jobs and had a lost ball in high weeds feeling. For those of you who don’t know I graduated with a degree in Advertising and Sales. I’m a creative person, I love to write and brainstorm ideas with other creatives. Fast forward 10 years. I work in construction as a contract administrator (we’re working on the title) You can imagine how discouraging it is to work in a profession that constantly feels like you’re forcing a square peg in a round hole. I’m sure most of you all reading this and thinking, well get a new job, but, I stay because I work for a great company with an even better boss and at the end of the day I love my team and our mission. Let’s be honest, this is hard to come by. For the past five years I’ve been able to get my creative fix through Junior League but this is the first year I haven’t held a leadership role.

After divulging my life to a stranger from Russia she looked at me and said, “I know I just met you but I can tell you have a fire inside you and you have a talent because you bring out the fire in others. You must share this!” My travel partner looked back and said, “If that’s not a sign from God I don’t know what is.” I spent the next few hours spilling my guts to my friends about how I want to help other women see their worth and realize that journeys don’t have to come to an end.

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I’ve seen this in the generation of women who came before us. They spent the majority of their lives giving. They gave to their husbands, they gave to their children, they sacrificed their careers and maybe even happiness at times to provide for everyone but themselves. Where are they now? Empty nesters and possibly unsure of their purpose. This theory sparked an idea that we as women will always be on a journey of development. That’s not to say there is true joy and confidence from finding contentment but my point is simply this; be on a journey that is worth traveling and even though you might get lost or take the wrong fork in the road there’s nothing wrong with rerouting to get to your final destination.

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I am an open book, full of peaks and valleys and lessons learned with so many more to come. I’m on a journey and I want you to come with me. I can promise there will be times of triumph but I can assure you there will be moments of despair. I’ve learned over the past year that as long as you have a tribe you will eventually have a breakthrough and when you do, I’ll be here to cheer you on.

CZ Challenge

Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable

Have you ever found yourself yearning for something more yet too afraid to reach out and grab it? If so, welcome to the club. It’s normal to be afraid of change, rejection and failure but that doesn’t give us an excuse to not GO. FOR. IT! It’s a new year and with that comes new goals, resolutions and challenges. The last decade has been full of change, overcoming fears, and taking on new challenges. It’s no coincidence I’ve grown more in the last five years than in my entire life. I want you to come on a journey with me this year and participate in the CZ (comfort zone) Challenge.

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How Does it Work: Each month choose one thing to do that forces you out of your comfort zone. No matter how big or small it is the only requirement is to execute! Once the challenge for the month is complete, post on your Instagram and let us know what you did. Make sure to tag me (@bluewater.belle) and use the hashtag #czchallenge so we can look back at all the fears we conquered this year. Want to make it anonymous, that’s ok too. Email me at katie@bluewaterbelle.com with your story.

Need some ideas?

* Go out to eat alone *Apply for a new job *Sign up for a 5k *Public speaking *Ask for a raise *Go for a helicopter ride *Attend a networking event alone *Go for a walk without a course…just start walking *Tell someone you love them *Horseback riding *Plan a trip without an itinerary *Join a group (networking, social, church, hobby etc..) *Try a new hobby, take a lesson if you need to (golf, tennis, hiking, biking, swimming, photography etc…) *Reach out to an old friend, teacher, colleague etc… *Schedule a mental health consultation *Host a party *Start and finish a book *Contact a nonprofit and offer your time to volunteer *Stand up for yourself *Take a boat ride

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These are suggestions but remember this is a no judgment zone. No fear is too big or small. If you have FOMO (fear of missing out) one of your fears might be to take a nap. COOL! Get comfy on a couch and turn on the golf channel and enjoy a nice Sunday snooze. Make it fun but don’t forget to share. We need to add sharing to our list because sharing means being vulnerable but you’d be surprised that you might inspire someone else to join us.