A Colorful Q1: Reflecting On My Start To 2021

April 17, 2021

I’ve always been the type of person who speaks before I think. I like to be honest and appreciate vulnerability in all forms.

Then I started my business.

I was shocked at the lack of transparency in the design world I grew to love and in business, my newest venture. It felt like everyone was operating under the “fake it til you make it” trope while I was over here like, “Hey! There’s got to be a better approach we can take!”

For a long time, I portrayed myself as a pixel-perfect designer and human who knew what she was doing because I was scared. But the reality? I’m not perfect and that’s awesome.

What’s even more awesome? Being vulnerable and transparent about my imperfection.

I wanted to be able to fuck up and know it was okay. That it didn’t mean anything about who I was as a person or professional. That I could do my best and that be enough.

Truth be told, honesty is a character trait I’ve always admired in the people I surround myself with. It didn’t take long for me to think, “Why not apply this to my business?”

So I did. My community loved it. I leaned in.

And here I am, years later feeling comfortable being open with you about my struggles, fears, income, wins, doubts, and imperfection. When I realized how important it is to be transparent in business, I understood how crucial it is to be honest with yourself.

In the spirit of transparency, here’s what went down in my life and business during Q1 of 2021.

Business Wins

• Committed 100% to coaching designers as The Colorful Jess.

• Did a giveaway for my Beginner to Business Badass course and have plans to do another (very soon!) for 1:1 coaching.

• Finished up Kiara Maree’s 8-week Marketing By Design program.

• Decluttered my office to prep for a fresh look (including a new mural!)

• Booked an awesome branding client.

• Hired a Pinterest manager (hey, Anna!).

• Stepped into my power and learned to trust my intuition more.

Business Learning Lessons

Let’s dig into a few of those wins and find out what I learned throughout the process to get there. Maybe it will help you.

When I launched The Colorful Jess, I spent over a month creating the website and planning for a successful rollout. My personality is infused into the website copy I wrote and I’m so proud of how it turned out. I finally feel like I’m able to own who I am and what I’m doing as a coach for designers.

What helped me with that? Rediscovering my passion behind the transformation I offer my clients and honing in on my 3 coaching cornerstones. Kiara’s program gave me permission to lean into my Human Design type (I’m a 4/6 Splenic Projector!) when it comes to sales, marketing, and my coaching business. 

This clarity I have also comes from stepping into my power and trusting my intuition. For the first time, I pulled an Oracle card from my Animal Kin deck for my coaching client. It helped her understand that she’s on the right path, that she can trust and stop doubting herself. It gave her all the answers she already had inside of her.

It was eye-opening to see how these magical tools – something I’m bringing from my life into my business – are helping both my clients and myself expand into who we are. 

Speaking of who I am, let’s get into a few things that happened in my personal life this year that I’d like to celebrate with you.

Life Wins

• Got a lot of time and space to figure out my purpose.

• Started to keep a gratitude journal/began journaling more in general.

• Took time off to reset during a getaway trip for my birthday in the Catskills (think snowy, tall trees, magical cabin-type vibes).

• Signed up for Lacy Phillip’s To Be Magnetic Manifestation School membership.

• Feel more energized.

• Crafted with my friends for the first time in forever and made new connections.

• Planned my next 3 vacations.

• Ate at home and cooked a lot of HelloFresh meals.

• Started seeing working out as play.

Life Learning Lessons

Since December 2020, I’ve had two things I really haven’t had before… time and space. During this season of life, I leaned into how it feels good to do less.

If I had a bunch of projects booked right now, I know I’d feel overwhelmed and burnout would be right around the corner. Instead, it feels amazing to prioritize life.

“Great, Jess. But how’d you get to this point?!” 

Journaling, among other magical tools.

It’s helped me get clarity on things that have weighed me down for a while, feel confident about big moments in my relationship I was struggling with, and helped me realize I need to stop beating myself up.

Maybe it can help you too? 

As a designer, I get it. I’ve been around the block when it comes to finding ways to heal from my perfectionism. This time, I decided to sign up for The Movement Lab in Baltimore. As someone who previously saw working out as a chore, this was huge. Then I upped the ante.

So far my favorite classes at The Movement Lab have been the aerial ones! Also peep that dope mural by Matt Muirhead

I worked out 5 times in one week… a breakthrough! But how did this happen?

I checked my ego and perfectionism at the door. You and I, we’re all just learning, living life, and trying to do our best. Sometimes that involves fucking up. That’s okay and it’s important for our growth. 

Through reflection (hello journaling!), I realized I’d been in my comfort zone for far too long. It felt good to be there, but I wasn’t growing. Now, I’m ready for change. I’m ready to expand. 

The only way to do that? Reflect. Take note of the past, become more present, and move forward. Don’t beat yourself up. Don’t judge yourself. Just notice.

Reflecting on Q1

Like I mentioned, I’m big into journaling right now. I have a few prompts for you to reflect on the past three months and visualize what you want to manifest in the next quarter. So, get out your journal, sketchbook, or download and fill out the PDF here.

• Write 3 business wins that you really loved.

• Write 3 business learning lessons that helped you grow.

• Write 3 life things that happened that you’re proud of.

• Write 3 life learning lessons that you want to work on.

• What’s the biggest takeaway for you in Q1?

• What are things you’re looking forward to in Q2?

Recently bought a rainbow catcher sticker for my window! Here’s the views ;)

Looking ahead to Q2

As a business owner, you lead a life. And you’re not here to lead a boring life. You’re here to show up and have a purpose. 

If your business is taking up all your damn time, makes you unhappy, or isn’t fulfilling you… take a break and know you deserve it because you’re innately worthy. Business can be easy. And rest allows us to reset and come back even more creative than before. 

Use your break to reconnect with yourself and what you want out of life and business. And if you come back from that break as confused and lost as when you started, let’s meet for (virtual) coffee and chat about what’s stopping you from leading a fulfilling life.

Sharing to Pinterest? Here’s a few images: