Life spins out of control pretty fast.  Sometimes it seems like just stops and makes a complete 180 from where I thought it was initially headed.  And the worst part?  It’s completely out of my control!

There are so many factors and variables that I deal with on a day to day basis, that I really have no say in, that it can absolutely drive a person bonkers.  Yup, I said it BONKERS!!  Business and personal life included: the weather, my clients, no response from an email, that new event planner in town, the fact that it’s raining inside my house (yes, I’m still dealing with that!)  I can’t take it anymore!!!!

Solution: focus on the controllable.  It’s as simple as that.  Why do we spend so much time stressing and worrying about things that we have absolutely, positively no power over?

So here we go, this is how it’s all going to relate:

In business:

I’m a business owner (if you were previously unaware of this, we have some catching up to do!). I cannot make brides choose certain packages or services.  I cannot make them work with myself or any other vendor.  I have no say in whether or not they even get married.  I also cannot dictate how many others decide to set up shop and also become wedding planners in my market.  There is no way to prevent them from snatching brides away from me, undercutting my pricing or even possessing more creative ability than I do.

What I can do is focus my marketing efforts towards to brides I want to attract.  I can put my best foot forward and continue to live my dream and hope others will recognize and appreciate my talents.  I can hand out lots of business cards and introduce myself to everyone I see.

In wedding planning:

Spoiler alert – something unexpected WILL happen at your wedding.  Wedding planner or not, something will not go exactly as planned.  It might be something minor, it might be a bigger deal.  You cannot control the weather, your guests, traffic, illness and the hundreds of other variables that come into play.

However, you can hire a planner and professional vendors and try to cover all your bases.  Make sure you have communicated your desires as much as possible.  You can be aware of the weather report and have umbrellas on stand-by.  Be smart about the vendors you hire, if they have horrible reviews or you don’t like them, you don’t have to work with them – even if they were recommended by a friend or relative.

In life:

Manage the manageable.  Live one day, one moment at a time.  Take nothing for granted.  I don’t know if a hurricane is going to sweep through here tomorrow and blow my house down (with this crazy Michigan weather, it wouldn’t even surprise me!).  But what I can do is prepare and make sure that I’m smart and I build my house of bricks, rather than straw.  My dining room might be completely disheveled, but I can keep the rest of my house tidy, just to save a bit of sanity.

Here I go back to this old saying “Do what you can with what you have”. Make the best of the situations and resources you have right in front of you.  I mean really, what more can you do?  Oh, and take a deep breathe… one must not forget to breath and let life happen.

Have a great weekend!  Weather permitting I’m skipping off to Traverse City to meet with a bride, yeehaw!!

PS – And to add a touch of romance, that lovely image up there was captured by Chelsea Seekell Photography for your viewing enjoyment.  You can see the whole wedding here.

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