Good golly Miss Molly, it has been a crazy busy year already! At the start of the year, One Fat Dove (OFD) created a new concept for how we do social media postings. For every month there will be a color scheme or theme. I find this is important for events because it is literally how everything comes together. At a wedding, a Bride wants to use her favorite colors to reflect who she is when she says “I do!” A mother, wants to have a theme for her child’s birthday as they blow the candles to start a new chapter. Having a color scheme or a theme helps collect and organize ideas. So to give you an example of the new content, December was all about Christmas with the red and green. January, I wanted to take the concept of sparkle with colors of silver, white and dusty blue.

In December when I came up with the new concept; I was very skeptical. I didn’t know how it would turn out and I was scared to try a new challenge. What I have been learning is challenges will always face you. It is learning how to prioritize in the pressures of it all. So with the grace of social media, I turned to bloggers who I really look up to. Local bloggers like Fringe With Benefits Blog and Raising Sweet G’s. Then famous bloggers (at least in my eyes) such as Color Me Courtney, Olivia Rink and Champagne & Chanel. (Ya’ll they are the absolute sweetest, check them out, like and follow. Seriously, won’t be disappointed!)

What was crazy to me is they all had very similar concepts; all have their own style, they were collecting content way in advance, collaborating with other bloggers/vendors and interacting with their audience. For the longest time, I was trying to use their style to reflect in mine. Let me tell you it was a constant battle with myself. I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t getting the content I was craving! The solution was simple, IT WASN’T MY STYLE. Once I broke down how I wanted to reflect my persona of creativity, everything has been SOOO much easier. With everyone having the same goal as me, I have had the privilege to work on professional relationships with vendors such as Kendyll Cowart with Kendyll B Photography, Justin Romeyn with Creatve Wedding Films, Victoria Noble with Bright Eyed Blooms, Luis y Victoria and many many more.

Creating this new strategy for myself, I have started creating an audience who is interacting with me. People are asking questions and are curious to learn more. Let me tell you, I am no where near my expectations. I would love to have an immediate large audience where I only have to think about OFD but with anything it is all about having patience and overcoming the adversity. It is learning how to create your path and how to avoid others. As a person who is highly motivated (not to toot my own horn), I wanted to set some new goals….

Goals for ONE FAT DOVE

Create a new routine. Ya’ll I feel my life is constantly on the go. I am always creating new ways to promote OFD but I also work multiple jobs. Even though OFD is my heart and soul, it is not my full time income. Do I want it to be? ABSO- FREAKIN’-LUTELY! Do I love my other job? Of course I do! The restaurant I work for is called Standard Service. As a server, I love interacting with local residents, I love the people I work with, LOVE the food and I love the company structure. Money is great and I get to have flexible hours to work OFD. However, being hungry for more, I feel there are times I put so much on my plate. There are times I would put in 40-60 hours a week working both and I start to feel overworked. There are so many weeks that I don’t give myself a day of rest. I feel having a routine is important for myself, for Shawn and even for my four legged friends… It will create a structure for work hours and to lead to my second goal.
Having a healthy lifestyle. More at least “healthier” lifestyle. There are times I feel I am SOOO busy I don’t have time for the gym or to cook healthy meals. So a lot of the times, I have skipped the gym and gone to fast/convenient options of takeout so I can get back to working. Let me tell you, sh*t gets old! Shawn and I have been eating out at least 3-4 times a week. It puts a hole in our pockets and we have started getting burnt out of the restaurants. What I want to do goes back to goal one, create a routine which includes gym time. It doesn’t have to be HOURS spent at the gym, I want to at LEAST start with going four times a week. I would also like to meal prep. With “my day of rest,” I would like to meal prep meals throughout the week for Shawn and myself. We have a grill we rarely use and it would give something for Shawn and I to do together. Plus Momma really needs to some weight!
Interact more with my audience. As I said before, I started creating more of a “strategy” for myself in how I am posting on social media. I have started to prioritize and figure what I want to promote in future content. I also want to make it a priority to message followers and get to know them on a professional/personal
level. To build more of an interaction, I wanted to reward followers at the beginning of the New Year. Which started my trend of a giveaway because HELLUUUUURRRRR who doesn’t like free stuff! Needless to say, it was an amazing experience and I will do more in the future. SO PLEASE STAY TUNED!
Be more organized. This I feel will always be an ongoing goal. I feel there are times I am super organized such as with my clients. I know what is going where and what belongs to each event. However, being organized also means for me to work ahead. I believe it would make me feel less stressed knowing items have already been done.
To be present. As ya’ll, know we live in a world where life revolves around our phones. To be honest, OFD revolves around me being near my phone or computer at all times. In the mornings, I work on my computer to answer emails, answer leads on social media, work on interactions, etc. When I get off my computer, I turn to my phone so I can “work on the go.” There are so many times when Shawn and I are watching a movie that I pick up my phone AGAIN…. to work more. Ya’ll I love you but when your husband has to force you to get off the phone, it becomes a problem. I feel there are times when I miss conversations and interactions because I am on my phone working. Even there are times where I feel the need to get my phone out to capture a video or picture. Instead of embracing in the moment, I feel the need to capture it as a keepsake. Well ya’ll memories are the most precious souvenirs. There is no time machine to turn back the clock. I want to live my life within the moment.

When I write and tell people about my goals, I feel I have to prove myself right. It keeps me looking forward to the future. It has continued growing my passion for events and I am constantly building knowledge. For the record, I have no idea what my future holds; however, I feel there are things I can control. By striving for future successes, being positive and walking by faith, I know there will be something bright (and hopefully SPARKLY).

Love you bushels,

ONE FAT DOVE