Happy New Year

raleigh nc blogger niki mcneill brown

Photo by Glory Rose Photography

This is the first year that I can remember that I honestly have had a hard time remembering the actual date. Since 2020, 2021, and 2022 seem to be one blur of a (somewhat) bad dream, they have all fused together in my mind as one, which makes it incomparable and has actually begun. Can you relate?

Let’s recap what all went down for me:

  • 2020 - I got married on the day of the stay-at-home shutdown order and so we went home and avoided COVID-19 for the rest of the year.

  • 2021 -our baby girl was born and my life again was forever changed

  • 2021 - I rebranded my interior design business after 3 years to McNeill Brown Interior Design

  • 2021 - we sold our home, purchased a new one, and began renovating it from the roof to the crawlspace.

  • 2021 - my husband was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and began cancer treatments

  • 2022 - we continued through his journey to recovery and somehow I doubled the revenue of my business at the same time. Craziness!

When I read that summary, even though I know it is all true, it doesn’t seem real. There were many, many days and nights when I was on autopilot and not truly present. There is so much that I left out of that recap because I don’t want to focus on all of the things that I had to sacrifice just to make it through. At the end of 2022, I felt this odd sense of being worn down and accomplished at the same time.

Entrepreneurship is hard. Marriage is hard. And motherhood is hard! But with God’s grace, I have become a better woman and made it through it all. This year when I thought about my “word of the year”, I wanted to lead with an intention that is the opposite of stressful. To me, that is the word PLENTY. It gives me comfort and overflow all wrapped up into a bow and that’s exactly what I want 2023 to be for me and mine!

Plenty of rest.

Plenty of help.

Plenty of laughter.

Plenty of resources.

Plenty of inspiration.

Plenty of self-care.

Cheers to 2023 and having plenty!

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