One Word – 2017

April 27, 2017 Beth HardwickLeave a comment

Three years ago a former student of mine introduced me to the book, One Word That Will Change Your Life by Jon Gordon, Jimmy Page, & Dan Britton – you can find it on Amazon. Basically it shows you how focusing on one word for the year can help simplify your life, your business, your general clarity of the world around you, etc.

In 2015, my One Word was Thanksgiving. I chose it so that I could focus my year on being grateful and appreciating all the blessings I have. What One Word does is keep you mindful of that focus. Well, at least that’s what it has done for me.

In 2016, my One Word was softening. What is softening? According to this article, it’s the ability to respond more lovingly, more patiently, and more opening. It is pausing, breathing, reflecting, surrendering, accepting, opening, and revealing.

So now here we are, almost to May 2017, and I have yet to proclaim my One Word for the year. Until now. My One Word is joy. I want to be more mindful of the joy in my life – the joy I receive and learning to accept it graciously and more importantly the joy I create.

Joy comes from God and from within, and it pours out of every cell. It cannot be contained.

Being joyous is not the same thing as being happy. Joy comes from God and from within and it pours out of every cell. It cannot be contained. Therefore, I am choosing this year to reflect on the joy that surrounds me everyday, the wonder of it all, and to hopefully spread it a little further along the way.

Big Mama · Daily Life · Fat Girl Flow · Married Life

My How Time Flies

April 20, 2017 Beth HardwickLeave a comment

Almost a year ago I came up with this brilliant idea of blogging. The Big Life. Because I’m big, get it? Big in spirit and yes, big in size. At over 400 lbs. for the majority of my adult life, I’ve managed to fall in love (no way!!), marry (how can that be!?!?), and have a baby (now I KNOW you’re joking! You? YOU had a baby!?!). I like to think I live the big life – I eat the cake (sometimes the whole thing); I buy the shoes; 44 years of living in this body with this heart surely has provided me with ample (pun intended) source material, right?

I have 2 Masters level degrees (Business Management and Education) with over $100K in unpaid student loans to show for it. After over 15 years working in higher education, I now work as an assistant controller for a retail flooring company – about 55-60 hours a week, some from home most nights and weekends. I also have a not so very successful side photography business.

I am the mother of an amazing 4-year-old superhero princess restaurateur who is THE most awesome person I have ever met or will ever meet.

I’m married 7 years now to my best friend, love of my life, best of husbands best of men. He supports me and my craziness 100% of the time and despite working his own full-time 50 hours a week job takes such good care of me. Seriously. He’s a better wife than I am.

I’m more than slightly obsessed with Hamilton the musical and in particular with Lin-Manuel Miranda. I find ways to work his name into conversation at least 3 times a day. I’m just the perfect combination of cool and geeky, identifying with my weirdness and waving my freak flag far too easily.

I will admit that I lean a little heavily on the Type A side of the street: I like to be first and best and pretty much right all of the time. My OCD likes things to be a certain way, the same steps, everyday. I’m very much into patterns and habits. I like sets of things to be complete – every season of whatever TV show I’m into at the time, every color available of my favorite shirt, and most recently every mystery pack of Care Bears ‘my daughter’ is collecting. And by ‘my daughter’ I mean I let her play with them. Don’t get me started on Disney’s Tsum Tsums.

I say all this to justify why I thought I could blog, why I thought I’d have something interesting to say that somebody somewhere might want to read.

And yet it’s been almost a year, and the only ‘blog’ I have to show for it is a short praise of a Tim McGraw song – lyrics included. I love song lyrics, actually. It is the poetry of our generation, and it reminds me of my old My Space days which mostly consisted of me posting random song lyrics. Ah. My Space. Those were the days.

And so today when I’ve allowed myself in my working environment to feel less than, not worthy, and just downright stupid; today when all I want to do is eat 14 day after clearance gold Lindt Chocolate Easter bunnies – which I may or may not actually have at my desk right now; today when my once effortlessly optimistic spirit has been crushed and silenced; today I have decided to blog.

My how time flies when you’re having none – I mean, fun. Yeah, that’s it. Fun.

Daily Life

big box of crayons

January 12, 2011January 12, 2011 Beth HardwickLeave a comment

Does anyone else remember the joy of opening a brand new box of crayons? I can remember when I was little getting the big box of 64 crayons for Christmas. I was thrilled! Not only did it have so many different colors and variations, but it also had a sharpener built into the box. I couldn’t wait to open it and start creating. It didn’t have just pink – it had Carnation. It had Periwinkle, Burnt Sienna . . . Red Orange AND Orange Red! Bright, vivid colors, different strands of light and shades, all contained in this perfect little package, just waiting to get out – who could ask for more?

Looking at the big box of 64 crayons now as an adult, I’m still able to grasp (at least in some small way) that same sense of opportunity that I did as a child. The world is truly amazing . . . .

Business · Daily Life

365 Project

January 5, 2011 Beth HardwickLeave a comment

So I’ve decided to start a 365 Project, posting a new pic everyday. Think of it as a photo blog! Each day I will take a new photo and post it to the 365 Project website, which then sends a message to my Facebook. I’m only going to use photos taken with my iPhone with the Hipstamatic app. I technically didn’t start this until today, but I’m really looking forward to seeing what it looks like in the end – memories marked, good times remembered. Here’s the link:

http://365project.org/bhphotog/365

Business · Daily Life

it’s a new dawn, it’s a new day . . .

January 5, 2011 Beth HardwickLeave a comment

and I’m feeeelin’ goood!!

2011 is going to be a great year! 2010 was pretty amazing, though, so 2011 has it’s work cut out for it to top it. I married the love of my life, we moved into our new home, and I started my own business. It doesn’t get much better than that! I’m really looking forward to expanding my client base and my portfolio this year, and I’m spending these cold days working on ways to do it. The winter months make me a bit restless, although a little snow would be nice. 🙂 Spring will be here soon and that means graduation-time is just around the corner – I will have new collection pricing available in the next few weeks with special packages made just for seniors! Keep checking in! 🙂

Daily Life

Saturdays, Cleaning, and Ho Ho Ho . . .

November 20, 2010November 20, 2010 Beth HardwickLeave a comment

So explain to me how 2 adults, 4 cats, and 2 Chihuahuas can get one 2000 sq foot house so dirty in just one week? Okay. Maybe I just answered my own question. hmmmm. Oh, well. As most of my non-teaching Saturdays go, I’m up cleaning. However, this week’s must be uber-good because it’s the weekend before Thanksgiving . . . and that means Christmas decorations will be coming out soon. yay!! 🙂 I’m so excited. This is our first Christmas married in our own home. I am SO ready to put that tree up!! The week BEFORE Thanksgiving is not TOO early, is it?