Hello Darlings, Do you know those moments when you stare blankly at your computer screen for 10 minutes at a time with nothing but background noise keeping you distracted. Not a single idea seems to come to mind, no clever proposal to compose, and even motivation seems to have passed by. You've officially hit a rut!

I am typically not the one to discuss the challenges of  working for yourself  but I feel like this one many women can relate to. While I do not hold a traditional job and may not be able to relate to every profession, I do feel that progressively more women face more pressure that leads to this very moment. The moment where you feel stuck in a rut and everything becomes a daze of responsibility, with absolutely no joy. It's like you  go into cruise control mode.

When you hit that cycle it's hard to recognize as to just how deep you've gotten yourself into it. Days drag on, hours are longer as you try to squeeze the last bit out of yourself. It's a danger zone. For the past two months, I've been in that cycle but without any idea. That's the thing about a rut, it kinda creeps up on you. I haven't been happy with my work effort and just desperately wanted to get back into the the rhythm that I've always enjoyed.

It was not until these past two weeks that I realize just how bad I let it get. About twice a year my family and I go away to quaint island of St. George in Florida and enjoy the peace of being in the midst of nature and right on the beach. It has been our little paradise for years now. It wasn't until I got here and a few days went by that I've realized that I was in a major rut. The pressure continued to building up but I consistently unsatisfied with my own expectation of myself. It's true when they say that we are our own worst critics.

 The change of environment and especially change of pace put things in perspective for me. I realized just how unsatisfied I've felt and disappointed with myself. It also made me realize that at the end of the day taking care of yourself is just as important as taking care of business. As I continue to learn how to find balance between work and life, I hope that my sharing my experience it may help another woman to slow down. To know that she is not alone when it comes to the pressure. At the end of the day, in today's day everything happens too quickly and we really don't take much time to adapt instead we just push ourselves a little further. Over time that technique simply doesn't work, so stop pushing and slow down.

With my loved ones around me, my bulldog at my side and as I scribble this article away in a notebook while the waves crush at the shore, I feel relieved to feel excited about work again.

With Love...

Marta