As you may have noticed (and thank you to all who wrote in about this) I have not blogged consistently for some time and I thought I would update you all on my life in 2015. There have been some major hurdles and successes that have occurred. November is always a month where I begin to plan for the year ahead, and I would love to finally share with all of you what has been going on.
2015 has been once heck of a year personally and business wise. I became engaged to my partner of 5 years, went to Egypt and found a deeper love and appreciation for Middle Eastern dance like never before, decided to get my long term goals in gear and obtain my real estate license, moved in with my fiancé, got a puppy, had the most gigs to date, and travelled to teach at workshops all across the nation.
With all of these changes came some bumps along the road of course. Moving alone can be a major stress for one to handle, imagine all of these within the same time frame!
Moving is not the most fun process but it was a great time to purge my life of things that were simply taking up space and really only keep the things that I loved. Moving in with anyone can be a process and my fiancé and I definitely have learned so much more about each other now and have found a routine that works. He is definitely the one for me. Wedding planning coming soon!
Obtaining my real estate license came about after 2 years of deep thought and soul searching. Bellydancing full time is wonderful, makes me super happy, and has been so rewarding, and while I have been able to live off of it, I want more financial freedom and stability to supplement this passion. I always, always, always feel it is important to nurture my intellect and challenge myself and personally like to have something in case if I were to ever break my leg. A few years ago I was working for an online marketing company, and now real estate offers me the flexibility I need to run both my businesses.
Unfortunately it took several months of banging my head against the wall, trying everything I could get my hands on within realty, and some major breakdowns in the process to realize that the “department” within realty I will be happy with the most is that of an OSA, and not the hustle bustle of the normal real estate agent position most fall into.
So for the first time in months, I finally found the niche within realty where I feel like I can breathe again, and am excited to transition into this role beginning next week when I come back from Colorado woot woot! Lesson to be learned: try, try harder, and if your plan doesn’t feel like “you” once reality hits, then go with your gut and find the position that makes you happiest.
Puppy and family….I am going to be 30 before I can blink and my entire reason for all of these changes has been because of my deep need to change my life and make more time to be a human and not simply a machine. For 8 years now I have HUSTLED, built up a successful company, and have worked days, nights and weekends doing so. As I come closer to 30 I have made the decision to make weekday nights time for family and loved ones, and weekend mornings (before the private parties) devoted to family as well. I feel I have paid my dues, and now want a much better financial position and a balanced life between realtor/CEO belly dancer in Orlando and the normal goofy every day Jennifer.
The puppy has been a wonderful addition to my family. We waited 6 months for this and Fabio is finally here and adjusting to his new home and two older brothers. I see how innocent, fearless, and energetic he is and I want nothing more than to give him the best life possible. His utter fearlessness is my inspiration. He may not let me sleep all night, but I love being a mother to my boys and feel so complete with them.
My days are spent working, wee-wee pad training, teaching and dancing at night, but between all the stress and hard work, I know now I am ready to come up for air again, and I have a sharp focus on where I want to be in the next year and the year after that, and so on and so forth.
What have your major challenges and successes been in 2015 and what did you learn? What changes have you made to get you there? Comment below!