One little step at a time

I love to write in any fashion…journal, blogging, jotting notes, writing some books (2 in the works now) and any way I can. I just love to write. 

With so much happening in my life, not only in my professional life, but my personal life has well, I’ve gone through one of my journals and was all sad but then my mom got me another journal!! I love it. It’s pink with a felt type feel on the cover, little birds, and leaves and a saying that is dear to my heart “Life is taking one little step at a time.” 

I think so many of us forget that we need to (and have to) take baby steps for things to happen and sometimes we need to look back and see how far we’ve really gone. I’ve gone super far lately and I’ve just now looked up and seen the progress I have made. As long as you are going, keep going, no matter what the pace. 

Today’s post won’t be long because I am gearing up for a long weird weekend. My kids have been asking to walk this “mountain” (Pulpit Rock, CO) behind our apartment complex and I finally said yes. So on Sunday we are walking to the top. I will give you the amazing story on our weekly Monday Morning Moment. 

Remember that taking baby steps gets you there as well!

A moment that stood still

Yesterday was an amazing day for my career in wedding/event planning. I got a call from the offices of someone I truly admire and respect and have followed since I was 16 years of age. This designer has been my all time favorite, used by Oprah, just recently got married to his partner, and has four (working on the fifth) coffee table books.


Well, I thought of this event for Jan 2014 and sent out an email to his team, asking for pricing on the speakers’ fee, what’s needed to get him out here, etc. I got a CALL!!! A call from my favorite event designers CEO! I was so thrilled and beyond tickled pink. He wants to come to my event…how amazing is that!!! The phone call alone got me motivated to do amazing things, to stand strong in my will and determination of my dreams. The fact alone that he picked my event to attend made me want to do and be better in my goals and dreams and my business.

I want him out here so bad, that I looked into funding, crowd funding, investors, etc. I asked a friend of mine about sponsorships, how to get them etc. I found a lovely and wonderful crowd funding last night and signed up. I am reaching out to my friends, family, and lovely followers to help with this amount and help me be able to get this speaker here at this event. Other speakers have expressed their interest and really want to be a part of this too.

So, I ask that you take a look at my Go Fund Me site and see if you are able to donate anything at all to my business, Erika Swift Events, and hopefully rock the Denver state with an incredible speaker, event designer, and all around wonderful person! If you know me, you know that for me, asking for money (or help) is really hard, however, I am so close to my dreams and goals and aspirations, that I find myself being ok with asking for help. I know having this speaker here will not only help me, but the wedding professionals here in Colorado.

http://www.gofundme.com/esedreams

Amazed

2012 was a horrible year. I hated it so much...if it wasn't one thing it was another. Well, I got to change some things around and started working on my happiness. Got back into my blog, noting and writing about my journey, looking into really wanting to help and change others’ lives, even with my own crazy story. I wanted to be in charge of my life and how I was going to handle and react to things. That is hard for me since I never have been really happy with myself, never knew how to make myself stop being so angry, and my reaction time was always 0-mad angry within seconds. So I started to change.

Yes, there have been some hiccups along the way, I have stopped trying and went back to my Debby Downer ways, or I would be the victim, instead of rescuing myself. However, when December 31, 2012 came and I celebrated it on the road with my twins as we were driving from Arizona to Colorado Springs, CO...I realized that I was happy...that I really loved me. I was on my way to making 2013 a really good year. Don't get me wrong its been a bit of a mess at some points, but hearing from people saying that they've noticed my changes, or that others let me know they are inspired by me (I know right lol) that it made me want to be better.

March to April was really tough. I felt a bit betrayed and hurt by someone I cared about and that took me for a bit of a loop on this journey. However, after much prayer, much crying, and much "Erika, just stop it." I finally have let that part of my life go. It happened, I didn't change it or speak up, and now it is done. However, the friends that I have had that have helped me out...simply floored me. The ones that picked me up emotionally, physically, mentally, and financially, I couldn’t believe I had so much love given to me.

When I decided to change my course of life in 2012, I let go of many people who I barely spoke to, people who continuously used me for their gain, and others that I knew there wasn't going to be nothing there. Instead, I started speaking more to those that were and have been my friends. A group of ladies that have helped me out with encouraging words, to my best friend for just keeping it real with me, to my mom and family just being supportive, letting me rant.

So when everything happened in March and April, I thought I was alone, but it was those friends, the ones I had laid roots with, the family that weren't blood related but still were family...they came to my rescue and I have loved that ever since.

In our life, we have people who come into our life for moments, for seconds, to be there to teach us something or for us to teach them something. We have people in our life who we believe are our friends, but turn out to be not. I named this post Amazed because I am, once again, amazed by how our life changes, how many friends I have, how things have been happening for me and working with me and teaching me lessons. I am amazed that I get so much love from the twins, amazed by my own talents, strengths, and my friends.

2013 has been rough but it has been amazing as well. I got a job after not having one for five months, I got my tooth pulled on Tuesday and on Wednesday, after work, my daughter simply came up to me and rubbed my face and goes "Mommy, how are you feeling? Can I kiss your ouchie?" How amazing is a child’s love!?!?  This year may have a rocky start, but its going to have a great middle and a fantastic end.

How have you been amazed?

wednesday

So todays idea is re-creating yourself. As I watch others through this time of resolutions, goals, etc, I see the same thing. Loose weight, stop smoking, manage money better, don't eat too much candy. Instead of resolutions, how about changing your life or recreating YOU for you...a better you for 2011?

Maybe with a little change, we'll have the same US but a different person on the inside. Start with that goal of loosing weight..how about just eating healthier, changing the amount you eat. We all don't have time for the gym but ,aybe walking a bit farther or parking farther or taking the stairs. You'll be healthier and have maybe lost weight.

Make a new you for the better and not just resolutions we can't keep past Jan. I hope this helps everyone in my Wonderful Wednesday Idea Block!