Spring Into Your Best Self
With growth being such a huge pillar in Klein House’s morals, and Spring being just around the corner, I knew I had to touch on the topic. With each day getting a little warmer, I can’t help but feel excited for the months to come. Spring is all about refreshing and establishing sturdy ground to stand on for the coming hustle and bustle that the warm seasons always seem to bring. One of the biggest things I am looking forward to this spring is time spent back on the ranch and in the saddle. But, those long hours in the mountains take some preparation on my end so I can keep up with my upcoming busy schedule without ignoring myself all together. My day will start at 5am each day and finally come to a close at 10pm- so I have to fully utilize each hour to grow into myself while also growing a business.
I am lucky to be in a position where I love the things that take up a majority of my time, but with that I forget to live and evolve within myself. In a strange way I look at doing the things I love as a way to grow (which isn’t completely wrong), but to grow interpersonally like I hope to I have to do more than just work. Things like living in the moment, connecting with people deeper than casual conversation, and strengthening my confidence are all things that FEEL like they are growing through my work, but in reality only sets me up for needing constant reward to prove those skills are strong.
You see it in workaholics all the time- they have amazing communication skills and focus when they are in the office, but their personal relationships all lack with things that fall outside of their job description; and their confidence takes a hit when their paycheck doesn’t reflect their sacrifice of self. People are willing to give up an entire life just so they can continue with their unbalanced working habits, but the saddest part is that deep down they know something is lacking within themselves- regardless of their success and accomplishments. But it is within the life they give up that those skills truly take root and have the opportunity to fill all the gaps that they have felt all along.
The simple and mundane things of living, is what waters the seeds within us. As easy as it is to say that life is not on our side (especially through the inconveniences, judgements, heartbreaks, and shattered hope), it is putting us exactly where we need to be if we just take the time to look up from our desks. I can’t lie and say that I haven’t let the negatives take over and that to cope I didn’t drown myself in work. I spent the better part of 2022 working three jobs at once- just so I felt like I was doing enough. I covered up the truth for so long I actually started to believe that working non-stop was fixing all the things that felt broken inside of me.
But once fall hit, everything slowed down and I went from three jobs to just the ranch and Klein House, all the little shattered pieces came to the surface. I looked back and saw all the ways I missed out on opportunities because I wanted so badly to believe that work could heal anything. I starting recognizing how shut off and angry I really was because the classic reason of “life is not on my side” and I ignored all the things that could show me that I was exactly where I needed to be- I am only looking at it from the wrong angle.
So many things were working in my favor: I had a job I loved, a new truck, support from new-found friends that I could have only dreamed of, deep relationships that were filled with understanding instead of judgement, a strong and healthy body, encouragement from my family, all things that in 2021, I thought I wasn’t worthy of and would never happen. But there I was, standing right in the middle of it all with my eyes squeezed shut, replaying painful memories in my head convincing myself that things will never work out.
I had the winter to think about how I wanted to be and got to do a test season of finding this work-life-growth balance. It was a big step for me to look at myself and pick out the things I was lacking, holding onto when I should have let it go a long time ago, and see how I truly wanted my life to be and the character I would play in my own story. There were many nights I would just write out my ideal days and ideal character traits that I wanted to have as a foundation of myself. Once I finally noticed the reoccurring themes, I got to edit my character and story from an outside point of view- something I feel people rarely do towards themselves. It was a tedious and exhausting process but it is in the introspective and painful work, that you get the most reward.
I am excited to put all that I have learned (and am still learning) into practice this spring, and when fall of 2023 comes to see how I have grown.
