I’m headed to the Plywood Retreat next week! Ah! I’m so full of nervous energy! I’m always so inspired by the Plywood community. This year’s conference, Plywood Presents, woke up something inside. It turned on the lights in a room where a lot of unhappiness was stored. Coming to the realization that I would need to confront that beast was really tough. I drove home from the conference in complete silence, filled with dread. I knew I would have to change my life. I was getting ready for it, and then God made it happen. Turns out, actually confronting the beast was simple. I was let go from my previous job the following Monday morning and re-hired by Paint Love the next day. It was the weirdest and most perfect chain of events I've ever experienced. Cheers! Here's a few things I learned from Plywood Presents:
If you are proud of what you’ve built and grateful for where you are, you’re on the right track. I think Kat Cole’s talk might have made the conference for me. It can be so hard to measure your success. And as a super achiever, that’s tough! I need to see progress. I need grades and report cards. I tend to get lost in the gap between how I think I'm doing and how I think others think I'm doing. I love using the “proud and grateful” marker for success. Go listen to her whole talk. It's so full of wisdom!
This speaker, Blake Howard, was on fire. Like 80’s music, flame transitions on fire. It was pretty great. I am so bad at having hard conversations. I will avoid, avoid, avoid. But I’m realizing, that those hard conversations have to happen. It’s better for everyone for those conversations to happen first thing. Be courageous and create relentlessly. It's the only way to close the gap between your high standard for art and design and your ability.
Ahh, Caitlin Crosby from The Giving Keys! She had so many great things to say, but one thing stood out to me. Don’t be so drained from your job that you don’t have enough left for your spouse. This simple phrase hit me smack in the forehead. I was in a situation where there was nothing left when I got home. I was bringing in a great paycheck, but I wasn't bringing in much else. Looking back on my life, I don't want to be just a great provider. I want to be a great wife, a great sister, a great friend, a great human. Now my work and life are a little bit more integrated. I'm working more, but there's more "me" left at the end of the day. So much better!
There was so much to learn, hear, gather and save up. I couldn't capture it all. I'm so incredibly grateful for the conversations I had and the people I've met. If you want to hear any of the amazing talks from this year's event, head over to Plywood People on youtube!