Hello 2019

Hey there!  Happy 2019!

Some of you may have been following me on social media, but for those who don’t know, I am a wife, business leader, and aspiring artist.  Earlier last year I published my second coloring book, Little Flower Garden which is available here on Amazon.  If you’re interested, this blog post focuses on my brief reflections from the past year and lists a few of my resolutions for 2019.  Happy reading!

It was an unprecedented 2018.  Politically, I am sure we all have our commentary for what went down.  I call it one for the history books.  Business wise the markets were all over the map, and whenever I went on Bloomberg, I got heartburn.  On a personal note, I changed jobs and gave myself the gift of time—a lot of time!  Mostly, I kept busy and focused on the positive, like creating my newest coloring book. Thank you, everyone, who purchased one for yourself or gifted one for the holidays.  Now, as I head eyes wide open into a new year, it’s time to start fresh and make new resolutions.

If you’re one for making resolutions too (and even if you’re not), I thought I’d share my top three and spare you the rest about eating less sugar, traveling more, etcetera.  Here goes:

1)     Get eight hours of sleep per night so that I can be my best self.  Sounds simple but I spend a lot of time multitasking and even carrying work over into personal life.  It’s time to shut down and get some sleep.  Our body needs time to rejuvenate and sleep is an important function for many reasons. Researchers say that when you sleep, your brain signals your body to release hormones and compounds that help:

·       decrease risk for health conditions

·       manage your hunger levels

·       maintain your immune system

·       retain memory

2)     Support women in business and help women entrepreneurs continue to be the rising stars in business.  I will do my part to increase the revenue of women in business who in turn can add millions of new jobs and increase revenues to our economy.  I will vote with my dollars.  Your books, your clothing lines, your beauty products, etcetera, I am in!  According to American Express 2018 State of the Women-Owned Business Report,

·       12.3 million (40% of all firms) in 2018 are women-owned.

·       There were 1,821 net new women-owned business added per day between 2017 and 2018.

·       As of 2018, women of color account for 47% of all women-owned businesses.

·       The average revenue for a women-of-color owned business has significantly dropped from 2007 to 2018, and the gap continues to widen between the average revenue for businesses owned by women of color and those owned by non-minority women.

3)     Don’t worry about what other people think because if people are talking about me, then I am doing something right.  I read a recent article where Oprah said that “One of the hardest things in life to learn is which bridges to cross and which bridges to burn.”  Worrying about what other people think is my bridge to burn. The article goes on to say. “The only way to keep other people from criticizing or judging you is to do only what other people do. However, that means you’ll be only as successful as they are.”  If you’re talking about me, keep talking!  I’m on the right track.

If you’re reading this, I hope you are as excited as I am about the new year. Let’s make this an awesome 2019!!

Cheers!

Rita

p.s. Shout out to Aga! Thank you!