Stress, Tears, Gratitude & How I’m Really, Truly Doing
Thank you, Emma Alvarez Gibson, for inspiring me to vlog, & to you, Laura Neff, for giving me the nudge! (And yes, click on those links for their genius vlog posts!)
I filmed 3 different takes, but couldn’t get any of them under 8 minutes. I can’t help it – I’m a talker. Here’s the least rambly one. And yes, I start crying about halfway through. Whadda wuss.
And can I mention how I can’t have a more ridiculous expression on my face pre-video play? Thank God I’m a character actress & I like to make people laugh at my idiotic faces!
Stress, Tears, Gratitude & How I’m Really, Truly Doing from WhenIGrowUpCoach on Vimeo.
Related posts:
- On My 32nd Birthday: Purpose, Gratitude, Happiness, & Sparks
- Gratitude Abounding!
- Reflections on An Incredible Week (or, Tears & Showtunes)
Tags: Vocal Vlog
September 3rd, 2009 at 11:41 am
Michelle, ma belle! You are beautiful and brave. Thank you for being willing to make yourself so vulnerable, and for being willing to share yourself with us!
September 3rd, 2009 at 12:27 pm
Thanks, Emma! I filmed it earlier this week, but was nervous that it was going up today. I appreciate your kind words!
September 3rd, 2009 at 1:43 pm
Ah Michelle, this was great. Fun to see you in action (so to speak). Thanks for sharing. It is good, and healthy, to sometimes tell it like it is.
September 3rd, 2009 at 2:38 pm
Amen, Ann Marie! Why does telling the truth so scary, though? It’s interesting to think how we’ve been “programmed” to cover it up…
September 3rd, 2009 at 3:03 pm
Oh wow. I feel like I know you so much better after this Vlog! Thank you. I resonate with so much of what you mentioned. I too just moved from a tiny apartment into my ‘dream home (apartment)’ and am still feeling stressed out. Because as much as I am now living in the new place, there is still so much to be done in terms of making it a home. I think I expected to move in and automatically be able to find and afford everything I want to fill it with. But the truth is I need to be patient and pace myself.
I also know what you mean about ‘magic people’ and jinxing success as a self-employed person. When it rains it sometimes pours and it’s hard to relax and trust that things will get better or stay better. When I started blogging this winter I decided to devote half of my workday to learning blogging and sharing my purpose (helping people makeunder) at the expense of my jewelry business (livelihood/career) during one of the worst economies in history. Thankfully that extra effort and the hours after work that I put into Makeunder have not only enriched my life, but have made my jewelry business more profitable and enjoyable than ever. Though it makes no rational sense, following my purpose has actually now made me more successful at something entirely different.
I felt in March like a Super Mario jumping from cloud to cloud hoping and having faith that the next cloud would be there. Spending so much time on the blog was not what most business people would think was wise. But looking back, there always was a cloud when I needed one.
Okay, at this point I’m totally rambling and not on point. But all this is to say that I understand and appreciate what you shared.
September 3rd, 2009 at 3:38 pm
I love you Michelle! And I too will be publishing my first vlog soon…very soon :~)
September 3rd, 2009 at 3:56 pm
Jess – Thanks so much for your “rambling”, & even though you felt you weren’t on point, I did! I realized, too, that the clients only started pouring in after I put out the scholarship opportunity. I really believe now that there’s a connection to what you offer vs what you get in return. You put your jewelry “on hold” to blog for free so everyone can makeunder their life (& get your cute stuff for shipping costs!), & even though it logically would mean that your jewelry sales would suffer (since you aren’t devoting as much time as you used to), the opposite happens. Someone needs to write a paper on this! I wanna read it! Carolyn, are you out there? I have a feeling that’s a great Carolyn Rubenstein project…
Cassandra Rae – A vlog from you?! Yay hooray! You have to be so adorable that I’ll probably fall over when I view it.
September 3rd, 2009 at 4:59 pm
Thank you for so openly sharing what’s going on with you, Michelle. It was beautiful to witness!
The hubster and I just closed on our first house and it’s been super stressful. I’ve also been having feelings of being afraid to share too much of the good (so I don’t make anyone feel bad) and feeling like there’s so much good that it can’t be real and all sorts of other wacky stuff. Heh.
Sending you lots of love and hugs as you build your dream bridge. It feels like it’s so close for you!!
September 3rd, 2009 at 7:42 pm
Oh Michelle, I got goosebumps watching this!! THANK YOU THANK YOU for sharing this with us all. I love how you talked about building a bridge to your dream– I’ve never really thought about it that way. I guess that’s another way to say ‘enjoy the journey,’ but it makes it feel bigger and more positive somehow. I love it. And I love this blog and I love that you are my coach. Thank you. I can’t wait for your next vlog!
September 4th, 2009 at 7:36 am
I saw your tweet about your vlog last night (there’s a statement that would have made NO sense five years ago!), but bookmarked it so I could start my day with it (I like to have a little inspiration/food for thought lined up to fuel my day). & can I just say you just completely choked me up while I was trying to drink coffee and eat my stuffed French toast? I feel like I heard two reallyreally true things here–that we are conditioned to gloss over things (”I’m fine, I’m okay”) and that sometimes our fear/stress is greatest just before we reach a new peak in our lives.
I had an uberstressful morning and was kind of glossing over it in order to get into the swing of my day (there’s a big report waiting in my email that needs my attention), but your vlog really made me go back and write out a bit of what I was feeling: I can’t do anything about those feelings right now, but I certainly can acknowledge them and know they’re something to work through. Having done that, I feel like a bit of a weight has been lifted, so thank you for the right inspiration at exactly the right time. Thank you for sharing this and so much of yourself.
September 4th, 2009 at 8:27 am
OMG! Michelle! You rock the vlogosphere, baby!
I’m over here doing a little happy dance for you…this is AMAZING. You moved ME to tears. Your authenticity is absolutely brimming over, your truth is as solid as a rock. You’ve just inspired *so* much trust in your followers from those two things, and ooooooh YEAH are more good things coming your way! Thank you for the shout out. I’m so glad to be on this journey with you! 
xoxo
September 4th, 2009 at 3:18 pm
[...] this page was mentioned by Laura Neff (@lifeldrshpcoach), Laura Neff (@lifeldrshpcoach), Michelle Ward (@whenigroupcoach), Emma Alvarez Gibson (@ealvarezgibson) and others. [...]
September 5th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
I’m so excited because I posted my 1st vlog and wanted to share it with you :~)
http://www.cassandrarae.com/my-1st-video-for-all-of-you-who-fall-asleep-while-meditating/
September 6th, 2009 at 11:47 am
Michelle,
That was a great video blog. Thanks for sharing about yourself and how you are doing. I was looking for some good advise blogs to read instead of my usual interior design blogs that I read. I am now seriously looking at trying to start my own business and remembered the advise that had given on the Lolalina blog, so I just had to look you up again today. Sometimes it’s nice to just watch instead of read so the video was great and very inspiring, positive and uplifting and just what was needed. Your hard work is definately an inspiration to your blog readers. Good Job!!!
September 6th, 2009 at 10:15 pm
Melissa, Laura, Angelique, Jess, Leah: I am all overwhelmed & so appreciative of your kind words & comments. Literally, I cried some more when they were coming in! I just love hearing from all of you, & that sharing what I’m going through now resonated & even helped some of you. I spoke with my coach the night that I taped this, & she sent along a link to a “stress scale”, which lists 43 life events that can contribute to stress. Um, “vacation” & “outstanding personal achievement” are rated! So, if you feel guilty for being stressed for things you “should” be grateful for, you can feel validated here: http://is.gd/2YE3v
Cassandra: I’ll be visiting your vlog post tomorrow. So excited!
September 8th, 2009 at 3:27 am
Hi Michelle, I had a listen yesterday. Wow you are so brave to share via video! You come across as very warm, human and sweet. Thank you so much for sharing & for the reminder to count our blessings. I’m sure you will buy your dream apartment, you deserve it! Re Stress: When I’m stressed I like to go for a walk in nature, watch a funny movie, eat, do some meditation or yoga. Wini xox
September 8th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Thanks, Wini! And thanks for sharing your What I Do When I’m Stressed list. I love lists – we should all have one of those! I think I’ll get started on mine tonight…
September 8th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
Hi Michelle, so good to “meet” you for the first time!! Lol, you sound exactly the way I had envisioned you from our emails, better, in fact! I totally choked up listening to you stress out, and then felt really really bad that I was contributing by being a client! But then felt really great that I am a brick in your bridge to your dream as much as you are a brick in mine – hopefully our experience will open up other options for your coaching. If nothing else you will know that your inspiration is reaching all the way across the world. Thanks for sharing so much of yourself, a brave move which I hope will reap greater rewards than you could possibly imagine. That happens when you’re brave