If all you've done in 2020 and 2021 is MAINTAIN, you're kickin' butt!

And for those of you that have

accelerated,

expanded,

climbed the ladder,

skyrocketed your business, brand, or yourself,

enlarged your social circle,

found your zen,

aligned your chakras,

or become one with your inner peace --

KUDOS! Extreme kudos, in fact!

But for those of us who have spent the past pandemic-plagued 17 months or so, simply maintaining

our sanity,

our weight,

our homes,

our jobs,

our wine habit (whoopsies!),

our familial relationships,

our friendships,

our composure,

our integrity,

our smile

and our empathy,

we deserve some notable credit too.

Why?

Because it's easy to "keep going" when you're

making progress,

friends,

winning awards and, in general, at life.

It's a lot harder to "keep going" when you're not

a 'top dog,'

making big bucks (or any bucks),

surrounded by a village or some uber-supportive cheerleaders,

or sure of yourself and every decision you've had to make as of late.

But truck on forward you do, maintaining hope that more fruitful, less stressful days are on your horizon. And that, well, it's impressive as hell, and this is your permission slip to accept that.