What I’m Grateful for This Year

by Michelle Ward

I’m grateful for the love I receive every minute of every day from my sweet, funny, kind, intelligent, handsome husband. I’m grateful that he asked me to be a part of Team Awesome for the rest of my days, and that I took his name so the world would know it. I’m grateful to be his wife and will forever remain proud of the man that will always stand beside me.

I’m grateful for the wedding of our dreams that happened just 10 short weeks ago - the amazing vendors, the lack of rain, the family and friends that went above and beyond. I’ll think of that day every day and will be filled with love, happiness and gratitude.

I’m grateful to my family, who just keeps growing - whether through marriage, babies, or friendship.

I’m grateful to my Mom, who remains my best friend even when I sometimes (mistakenly) think I don’t want her to be.

I’m grateful to my clients, who give me the honor & responsibility of being their coach, as well as the opportunity to become a more kick-ass one each and every day.

I’m grateful to my coaches and teachers for infusing within me both personal and professional knowledge.

I’m grateful to Julie Bestry, who has unselfishly made me her pet project and allowed me to really clear my mind - figuratively and literally - so that I’m able to, yes, Grow Up.

I’m grateful for this blog and for all of those who read it. You’ll never know the thrill I get with each and every (non-spam) comment I receive.

I’m grateful for all of those who believe in this business and my worth as a coach and a friend. It’s given me both confidence and motivation to make this dream come true.

I’m grateful to Opening Doors Theater Company, who has opened the door for me to work with an amazing group of people who are committed to producing fun, wonderful, quality shows. Thank you for keeping that door open so I can allow musical theater to be a part of my life.

I’m grateful for my day job that gives me the financial support I need.

I’m grateful for being able to live in the greatest city in the world - one that’s full of possibilities, energy, and good times.

I’m grateful for my friends, who personify the meaning of “friendship” every day.

So……what are you grateful for?

*If “Sorry-Grateful” from Company started going through your head when you read the title of this post, you get 10 Sondheim nerd points.

Happy 1 month anniversary to Freakin’ (Great Links) Friday! I know it’s not much, but as a newlywed who is still celebrating monthly anniversaries it seems like a lot!

Here’s the stuff I loved this week (& last, as two of these links got left out of installment 3):

• The Perfectionism Monster plagues many of the creative types I know. But did you ever think it could plague someone like Michelangelo? Mark McGuiness explores this topic - while providing really interesting background on this genius - in Lateral Action’s Why You Don’t Need to Be a Genius to Achieve Creative Success. Alternate: Words post It Doesn’t Have To Be Perfect works hand-in-hand under this umbrella (-ella, -ella, hey, hey, hey).
• I might steal this question for a Tough (Question) Tuesday, but if you read More in You’s What Would You Regret? please forget that you saw it. I just loved what Laura wrote around it I had to include the post in it’s entirety.
• Christy at Shine Your Light is a coach that created the ABCs of Achieving Your Dreams. So elementary but so smart and inspiring!
• Mark McGuiness of Lateral Action does it again by coming up with The 3 Critical Characteristics of the Creative Entrepreneur. I honestly belive that creative types are well suited for becoming successful entrepreneurs, & for those of you out there looking for a new direction don’t be surprised if you end up working for yourself!
• Freelance Switch was extremely vulnerable and brave this week with her post, Friends with Structure. With my mini-breakdown last week I can relate to the feeling of overwhelm she describes, especially with such “simple things to do.” It’s tough to own up to the fact that “simple things” might end up being “simply impossible things” for you.
• Woody Allen said it best when he said “80% of success is about showing up.” The Creativity Coach expands on that in his post, A Simple Formula for Creative Success.
• And last but not least, some shameless self-promotion: Luke wrote a beautiful post about me being a kick-ass actress in Ah, My Wife, which makes me happy because I thought he just told me I was good in that showcase to get into my pants. And over at CastleBride Couture, my veil designer featured Luke & I (& my veil!) in photos here (& please note that the link is called Meet-Beautiful-Michelle-Solomon. That’s my favorite part).

Have wonderful weekends everyone! I’ll be back here on Sunday baring my heart. Seriously, it’ll be juicy. Not my heart specifically, but - you know what I mean.

I want to start by apologizing for dropping off the face of the earth! I was so proud of myself for following through with the commitment I made to not just be wedding-focused the week before the wedding, and for posting that I’d be slower with my blog entries. It was such a big step for me, who always thinks I have to be Superwoman and do it all. So I put up the post, let myself off the hook, and….disappeared. It was halfway through my honeymoon that I realized I left y’all hanging! Since my last post, I got married and went on a 2-week honeymoon to Hawaii and San Francisco. It was the most amazing time, and I can not wait to start my new life standing next to the best man I have ever known.

I could take this time to beat myself up for not posting in three weeks, or I could tell myself, “It’s OK. You needed the space and the time, and you took it. Everyone will understand - you didn’t let anyone down. You did what was right for you. There’s nothing wrong with that.” But that voice sounds hippie dippy to me, so I’ll just say:

“Sometimes, I have to put myself first. Everything else can shove it.”

Yeah, that sounds like me.

In the last few weeks, I’ve committed myself to writing 3 blog entries/week. I was hoping to continue this until my September 14th wedding, but I’ve realized that, even though I have the time, my brain is so fuzzy and wedding-focused that I can’t think of anything to write here! For example, I just sat down to write a stimulating post, and even though I have 8 different ideas in draft form, none of them called to me. Not only did they not call me, but my brain can’t even separate my thoughts right now! My head is a blur of vendor contact lists, timelines and the CD we need to make for the DJ.

So I’m going to practice what I preach and step away from this tonight - and maybe a bit more frequently until I come back from my honeymoon in early October. I’m also going to categorize this post under “balance”, as that is exactly what I’m giving myself!

But, in case you DO want to read about weddings……..here are my favorite wedding blogs:

Etsy Weddings

Manolo for the Brides

The Unbride

Offbeat Bride

Brooklyn Bride

See you later this week!