80:20 fight:flow
i am 80% fight, 20% flow - which parallels the format of the box + flow method. my challenge is finding calm, slowing down, letting energy settle, and allowing things to evolve as they should without control, fight, or force.
starting a business (and having a baby), seems to require the same skill of l e t t i n g g o. if you smother it, it will suffer. if you control it, it will be limited. if you do everything for it, it will become reliant rather than self sufficient. since opening the studio 11.5 months ago, i have done my best to practice what i preach, more flow, less fight...just let go.
I believe in energy: you get what you give. As such, i give my all in hopes of big things. Every now and then i get a curve ball: something unexpected, indescribable, sometimes even unfathomable. These are tests to my resilience. If you’ve been to class you’ll notice the parallel messaging during the most challenging boxing rounds: 'can you hold strong even when things get messy? can you find ease even as you fight for what you want? and can you do it with grace? The magic is in the transitions – to find ease as you transition from fight to flow.
i will never give up the journey of finding softness even in the messiest of situations, finding my breath even when i feel most suffocated, finding my voice even when there are no words to be said. and i continue to push you to do the same: to follow your dreams regardless of the odds, to live for you, as you, no matter who tells you not to. to #flowthruthefight because YOU can.
i fought myself to start this business. many didn't understand why i'd leave my fruitful career in food to enter the saturated fitness world. i sought approval, opinion + ample judgement on this 'silly' idea, which led me to question myself + drag my feet before committing. but once i was in, i was in. and with that i share my response to a client email. i always open myself up to feedback because i will not settle for where i am. I choose to be better, to move forward, because comfort + complacency are just not my thing. and with such openness, i knowingly expose myself to ample judgment along the way.
"ive been holding back from writing this but found it was bothering me more to not say anything. you reached out a while back about social media and finding my voice, because you saw my evolution in posting. i think i mentioned it was when i finally "let go" that things started to flow. i stopped worrying about being judged or caring what others thought.
i started to just fully embrace me, and with that comes judgment.
i wish i could explain how lonely it is to run a business, alone.
how hard it is to keep everyone happy - students, teachers, staff -- and then there is myself...and finding my own balance with my life outside of work, to keep myself happy thru the hardships + successes.
i try not to judge. i opened a space to give back what i've gotten from boxing + yoga for so many years - strength and softness. That is the silver lining of box + flow, the meaning behind it. but making decisions solo isn’t easy. what do i post on instagram? how do i keep it cool + sexy without seeming exclusive? how do i stay committed to the brand while opening up to new things, people + partnerships in the process, to make sure i can pay my bills at the end of the month?
It’s hard to own a business. It’s hard to be human nonetheless. Mostly, it’s hard to just be yourself because no matter what, someone will judge you. So I leave it at this: I have so much respect for you, your feedback, your feelings, your successes and your concerns...
But id also love to open up the idea that I’m just human too, trying to make a difference, trying to succeed in a world full of naysayers and criticism, in an over saturated industry, with so many odds working against me – (one being that I’m a female who started a boxing brand.) But I won't give up because that’s not who i am. And i only want to be ME, and along the way, i hope others see me for me - for my own strengths and weaknesses but acknowledge at the end of the day - we are all connected. we are all in this together. we all just want love + to be loved. but mostly to love ourselves first.
thank you for being a part of box +flow. for supporting a space that i think you believe in. and for seeing me for me. i hope you have a great week.
So back to the idea of 80/20: For me its about finding the grace thru the grit, in every situation.
We #flowthruthefight
#workhard #livyoung