happy birthday studio! celebrating year 1
annie rodriguez pilates & barre officially turned 1 on 10/6/22, and i have learned so much in the past year - some lessons i wanted, some i needed, some i'd maybe rather not know - but if i had to sum up how i feel in two words, they'd be GRATEFUL and EXCITED.
~ i'm grateful to have the space to figure things out. grateful for the encouragement and support from clients, community, and fam.
~ i'm grateful for the space to move, and to think, and to create and make mistakes. i'm grateful that people want to read what i have to write and hear what i have to say and move the way i love to move.
~ i'm also grateful for a career that allows me time to mother and literally requires time for exercise. i thank my otherwise wayward 20-something self for thinking ahead about that one!
while i never thought that i'd ever have my own studio, when i look back at old journals of dreams and wishes, i see that i have made them real and i'm grateful for that, too.
and i'm excited! excited about my clients, old and new, and the progress they're seeing, the aha moments and strength and grace they're finding, their increasing ease and confidence in their bodies (& butts).
i'm excited about growing, getting better at running a business, at the sparkly parts of being a mamapreneur and the skills i'll hone along the way.
and above all i'm excited to move more, to go deeper, to share more energy and love with more amazing people.
takeaways
there's also been plenty of downs as well as ups and that's life - i am thankful the setbacks haven't been too catastrophic and mostly just gave me the chance to practice resilience. here's a little of what i've learned so far along the way:
you are the expert on your business/life/child/dinner. learn from others, but leave the final decision-making to yourself. trust your gut - it saves time in the long run.
don't take the bait just cause it sparkles and seems easy to reach. just because it's possible doesn't mean it's desirable and if it seems too good to be true, it probably is!
when the flow won't flow, just go to bed. i know procrastination is not considered a positive personality trait, but if it's not on fire, it can probably wait until tomorrow. you'll get it done faster & more easily after some sleep and coffee.
play the long game, if you can. in the past 2.5 years i've watched fellow fitness instructors suddenly make 6 figures in online classes during lockdown, only to lose all but one zero within another year. my own progress might be slower than i think it should be, but it's the steadiness of the progress that matters.
anyway, babes - that's it for now. just wanted to say thanks for being with me on this journey!
