Finish Strong

Good morning, Cadre family. I just had to run a little speed test, so I think we are fully running on this live stream. So I'll give everybody a second to jump in. Whoever is going to join today, it's Tuesday, December 6. Why do I already feel like it's mid December? Anybody else feel like it's already mid December? Yes. I feel like this month, when you're a child, it takes forever to get to December. You just like, so look forward to this, like, magical holiday time of year, and then when you're, you know, you hit December, and it's like, when is it gonna be Christmas, and when is it gonna be the new year?

And, like, all these celebratory things. And as an adult, it just happens like that. It's January, and you are setting goals and you're doing all the things, and then all of a sudden, it's the end of the year, and you just wish for time to slow down. And with that said, you know, I really wanted to talk today about how to finish the year strong, how to sort of maximize every day that you have, how to clear things out of the way for the new year. I think, you know, we all have our little tips and tricks for what works for us going into the new year.

And if you're a business owner or you're an entrepreneur or you are in a business that, you know, looks at quarter one as a fresh start and, you know, really trying to close out some goals, and, you know, maybe you work at a car dealership and you're trying to hit your goals. This is a great time of year to keep the momentum going and not let time just slip away from you. Hello, Luke. Good morning. Maximizing the day? Yes. So I want to tell you guys a little story. I am also a wardrobe stylist and personal shopper.

I have been for years, and I still will see the occasional styling client here and there and bigger jobs. And very recently, I was preparing for a huge photo shoot for a high profile client of mine. And it had just been a week, and we were leading up to the day of the photo shoot, and I had other clients. I have other clients doing big things like the Today show, and just a lot of things happening that felt very high. Pressure can be high stress depending on how you manage stress. And this week, makeup art and hairstylists were dropping like flies and saying that they couldn't do it with not a lot of notice.

And things were happening. Fires needed to be put out. So the night before this very big photo shoot for a very big client of mine. I barely ate that whole day. Just working, working, working nonstop. Didn't get my workout until 07:00 at night. Forgot to hit place order on my grocery delivery because I have zero time to go to the grocery store. And that's one of the things that I do to streamline my life, is get everything delivered. And about 09:00 rolls around. I even put my phone on do not disturb during my workout.

So, hot tip for you. If you get a chance to put your phone on do not disturb. If you have that luxury, do it while you're trying to take that me time. But anyway, I finished the workout and realized I didn't have the grocery delivery, which, fine, I heated up leftovers, no problem. But I finished the workout only to look down at my phone to about a million text messages saying, my hairstylist and makeup artist has a fever. I don't know what to do. This shoot was tomorrow. I booked somebody else that she recommended.

Her name is x. And I thought to myself, oh, no, okay. And I double checked with her, and it was somebody that I had had a circumstance with years ago. When I first started in the styling industry, this person was not very kind to me, and I was very new in the industry and did not know how to stick up for myself or how to just leave well enough alone and not worry about what other people thought of me. I was, at the time when this altercation happened, hired to style a shoot, and I really couldn't fit it into my schedule.

So I was doing my agency a favor. I was signed with an agency at the time, and I squeezed it in. I had a celebrity client at the time, and I. I was maxed out. But as a favor to them, I said I would style this shoot, but that I couldn't be on location for the shoot because it was out of town. I spent 15 to 20 hours in a very short amount of time and really sacrificing my other responsibilities to a very high profile client to get this job done for them, because I did not want to let my agency down, and I just wanted to make sure that they had clothing for this very important campaign shoot.

Well, it wasn't communicated to the rest of the team that I wasn't going to be on location for this shoot. And when a stylist is not on location, it means somebody else is responsible for managing the clothing, steaming the clothing, putting it on the models, making sure that everything is clipped and pinned and looks perfect for the shot. And I wasn't there to do that, but I had fully communicated that to the team, and that did not get transmitted down the pipeline. And the makeup artist ended up having to do the onset work that I would typically do.

Well, needless to say, you can imagine how she felt about that, not knowing the full picture. And when all came out in the wash, it just looked like I wasn't there to do my job. However, I had communicated to my team, to my agent, and to the publicist, I will do you this favor, but I cannot be on set. Well, it created a colossal situation for everybody else involved. And the makeup artist was not happy with me and reached out to me and said some not very nice things and then also talked in the community about my lack of effort and not knowing the full scale of the picture.

And I really didn't feel supported at the time. And it was a real bummer because I had sacrificed other things to make sure that they had wardrobe. And then it all just came crashing down on me like it was my fault. And cut to my shoot this week. Who do you think is the makeup artist that was hired to fill in? There are about 1000 makeup artists that could have been chosen for this shoot. But I firmly believe that the universe put this makeup artist back in my path for a reason. And while I was trying to put my best foot forward for this shoot, I now am a ball of nerves before this photo shoot, like, I haven't seen this person in forever.

The last time that we spoke, it wasn't very kind. I felt really hurt. I ended up leaving my agency shortly after that for many reasons. I just didn't need to be with an agency anymore. But I felt like that was the last time that I had really seen this person. So you can imagine, on the night before, one of the biggest shoots of the year for me, closing out all of my photo shoots for the year. This is this person's birthday shoot coupled with a. A Christmas shoot coupled with super bowl footage and just all the big, important things.

She's launching a book, and I am now a ball of nerves. So it was very intense. Yes. Hi, Nick. And I just can't tell you the anxiety that was going through my body, because typically, I'm very confident on these shoots, and I'm responsible for setting the tone. I'm not just a stylist, but I'm a confidence coach. So I am there to set the mood and make sure that the energy is perfect for a shoot like this. Well, I did have to tell my client, you know, this could be really uncomfortable for me. We're very close to.

So I kept it professional, but decided, you know, I'm going to. I'm going to face this head on. I'm going to let go of the narrative that I'm telling in my head that this person still maybe doesn't want to be around me or doesn't like me or isn't going to have a good experience with me, and I am going to be the bigger person. So I sent her a direct message on Instagram and just told her how much I was looking forward to working with her, thanked her for stepping in in the 11th hour, and told her that I was looking forward to a great shoot, got a great response from her.

And, you know, text messages always, you don't know what the, what the vibe in the room is going to be, but I just decided to show up as the absolute best version of myself and show her that I can get through adversity, that I can forgive, that I can move on, and that I am a true professional. But let me tell you, it was very stressful. So I did show up to the shoot with all of those traits and that attitude and said hello to her, thanked her for being there. She did an incredible job on the hair and makeup, and we really had a great experience on set.

And she was incredibly kind to me. And one thing that I did notice was, was that all of her hair was gone. She had a shaved head. I thought, oh, okay, she looks different, but I still recognize her, of course. And then midway through the shoot, my client informs me, she says, you're doing a great job. I know that this must be difficult for you. And I said, I'm just powering through, and it's all about you today. And she said, I will share with you that she's recently beaten breast cancer. And my heart just sank.

And I just thought, wow, while I'm worrying about a battle from five to six, seven years ago, maybe a petty battle, that just was all about miscommunication. This person has just gone through breast cancer and just beaten cancer. And I just thought to myself, well, a lot can change. A lot can change. Forgiveness is so important. Showing up with a positive mental attitude and always trying to be the bigger person and really realizing that everyone is fighting some internal battle. And it really put things in perspective for me.

And I was so glad that I didn't carry through a tough battle and a petty circumstance that had happened years ago into a fresh day for a client where I had to be professional. And I was just so glad that I didn't hold on to that and that I was able to let it go and that I was able to be the big person that I am. And then, of course, I just felt for her. And I do feel for people who don't pause and think about maybe communicating to the person first, like, hey, why weren't you on set? I don't feel comfortable with you being tagged in these photos.

I want to know more as opposed to jumping to conclusions. But it really taught me that, that everyone is fighting something. So I was able to finish the shoot strong with a lot of empathy. I messaged her after the shoot and thanked her and said, you did an amazing job. And we were tagging each other in photos. And it was just such a great way to close that chapter on my life because I'm one of those people who really thinks about those moments like, gosh, this person doesn't like me or they think I didn't do my job.

And I was able to close that chapter of my life because I hang on to that stuff. Anybody else hang on to that stuff. So I realized that that was something that I needed to close the book on and I was so glad that I did. So, in the spirit of finishing strong, one of the tips that I have for you while you're nearing the end of the year, as we're getting close to starting a fresh slate and turning a new page into 2023, I encourage you to really heal and make amends where you can close the chapter, make the phone call, do what you need to do to heal and move forward so you can start fresh in 2023.

Finish strong in that way. Another way that I'm finishing strong because this is the time of year when we all like to slump off. And I know we're running around for the holidays, but it's when we start to give up on our work or slack off a little bit. Think about vacation mode, think about the time off that we so deserve. Think about that end of the year, couple of days that you're going to get with your family and friends to celebrate. This is the time of year when I do the opposite. I get so laser focused.

So laser focused because I want to carry that energy into the new year. So I've started a new workout routine, which I wasn't expecting to do, but I'm so glad that I did. And it's a daily routine now that I am doing, and I feel like a different person. I'm sleeping better, I'm eating better, I'm more energized in the day, and I feel like I'm maximizing my day not just with my tasks, but with personal self care. So pick up something new, go do the workouts, and add something to your personal routine right now so you can feel like you're finishing the year strong and going into that energy that's taking that same energy into 2023.

The other thing I like to do as I'm nearing the end of the year is I don't like to use the word balance. I like to use the word priorities. So I like to do what I call priority planning. So, for most people, it's, what are my goals for 2023? How am I setting goals? And for some reason, I love a goal. And Luke will laugh at this, but it's. It's a scary word to me sometimes, so I like the word. I like the words priority planning. For me, it's not about balance. It's not necessarily about the word goals.

I love accomplishment, don't get me wrong. But for me, it's about priority planning. What are my priorities going into the new year? So finish strong by setting a list or setting your own priorities aside, writing them down and getting ready to carry that energy into the new year. And do this now so you can finish strong. Don't do it when the new year starts. Do it now. It's like making your list of things to do the night before you go to bed or the night before you wake up. Do that now. Set yourself up for the future now, and I promise you will just have so much more clarity.

I'll tell you one thing that I like to do. I'm alone. I'm single. So I have this tradition with myself that every year on new year's Eve, I boil a lobster. So I steam a lobster, and I do steamed clams. Cause I'm a maine girl, I'm from New England, and I write a letter to myself. So I have my, like, lobster dinner on New Year's eve, hang out with my dog, and I write a letter to myself for the year to come, telling myself what I hope for myself, things I want to accomplish, write down my priorities, do some future gratituding, and just kind of write a letter to myself and say, you know, this is what I hope for me.

And then I open my last year's letter. So I open the old letter, and I write a fresh one, seal it for the whole 365 days, and then open it. So I hope that you can find a way to prioritize for yourself. Do something special for yourself. Finish the year strong. By setting yourself up for success and don't waste an ounce of what's left in December. As we get older, the time just ticks away so fast. As we all know, time is undefeated. It's really kicking my b*** right now, and I'm just appreciating every minute.

So if you can finish the year strong by dedicating some time to yourself and prioritizing or goal setting, if that's what works for you, really getting a handle on your personal wellness, whatever that means for you. For me, right now, it's exercise and making sure that I get the right amount of sleep and really think about what I'm putting into my body. And it's also healing and making amends with people and closing the door on some things that maybe felt unfinished or still opened and they just needed to be closed.

Close those wounds, heal those wounds. Make the phone call, manage your barking dog. All the things. So, anyway, I love you guys. I hope this was super helpful. I just love going live and sharing what's on my heart, and I just really appreciate this Cadre family and everyone who is beta testing with us and checking out the app and spending some time with us, starting your day with us, finishing your day with us, popping in in the middle of the day with us, whatever works for you. Take what you need from Cadre.

We're here for you. We're working on this mission to change the world for you, for people like you, and we live it ourselves. And we're just doing the best job that we possibly can to give you conscious content to help you through your day. So love you guys. Happy, happy holidays. I'll be seeing you a couple times before the end of the year, and I'll check in with you on my, my priority planning and everything that I just talked about today, so have a great day.