When Pruning is Over | Marie Kondo-ing My Heart (and our inventory!)
For the skimmers : a limited supply of JoJos and Mompreneur : The Course (use code PRUNE) are 50% off this week.
The other day on my IG stories, I told a fairly lengthy story about how this season of pruning my family and I have been in is coming to an end early next month. And it really, really, got me thinking.
I’ve paired this season (which you can read about here) with a season of contentment as well, because #overachiever, and challenged myself to not only keep pruning back our lives, but also finding contentment is what we have.
Sometimes, ok… always… this season is crazy challenging. Pruning back is HARD. It’s difficult to watch the things you feel like you’re attached to fall to the ground and raked away. It’s even harder to “Marie Kondo” your life at the same time, taking pruning to an entirely different level.
But the hardest part is this – the patience it takes to see this season through. It would be EASY and would so much more immediately gratifying to end a season of pruning and jump into growth season. The catch is this, though – that growth season would be intensely short lived. You’d be working to grow where there was only a little bit of room, whereas if you had pruned all the way back to the bare trunk, you’d be left with unlimited room to blossom.
We’ve been almost forcing this pruning season in this household. Hard core, having heart to hearts about not going out to dinner because we don’t need to spend the money. Big business conversations about where our time should be spent – working or with each other. What does our yard really need to be enjoyable for the summer? Are plants just ornamental or do they really increase our home’s value? These are all conversations we had just yesterday, and we’ve had to dig deep to find the value of the pruning season we are in.
We have waited for what feels like eternity to see a sign from Him that this season is wrapping up. Every night, I look at the scripture on our wall, the scripture from our wedding, and pray it deeply.
“And so it was, after having waited long and endured patiently, they realized and obtained what God had promised.” Hebrews 6:15.
This is by far my most favorite part of pruning season. The reward at the end of the enduring wait.
But how did I know? What was this sign?
What seemingly seemed like coincidence was so much more. And God was generous enough to give me a validation even after the fact.
When doing our taxes, which by the way, I NEVER do on time (we always file an extension), it was brought to my attention that we will be able to pay ourselves from our JoJo sales for the first time May 1st. We started our journey with the JoJos back in March of 2018, and they launched August 22nd, 2018. It will be less than one year on the market that we will be able to net an income, and pull an out of pocket profit for our family. This is UNHEARD OF. We have prayed so hard for this, and the roller coaster has been unimaginable, with whole nights of tears and feelings of failure and fear that flooded even the deepest parts of my soul. But come 2 more weeks, and we will have officially “made it.” And if that is the only profit we ever pull from this business, that will be a-okay with me. Because it was there, even if just for a moment.
Even though this seemed like a sign that pruning was coming to a close, and abundance was about to ensue, I was doubtful. Hesitant. This sort of financial abundance is not something I am used to, even a little bit. And it has surely never been a sign I can count on, as it seems to come and go as fast as the season itself.
So, God must have seen my doubt, and mistrust in Him. So he challenged me. He dropped some strong financial burdens in our path. We again were challenged with very low bank account balances, bills to pay, and a toddler boy who eats like a teenager.
But this is not new, and we’ve been here before. We know how to cook abundant meals from scratch, live intentionally and feed our souls, not our pockets.
As I sat with Joey today, eating bagels and cream cheese and singing Baby Shark, my phone rang.
It was our accountant, again, and I HATE seeing his number on my phone. It actually sparks intense anxiety, and some fairly severe post traumatic stress from times in our life when taxes ended with a $14k bill and no money coming in to pay it. Super transparent moment there… moving on.
His voice was joyful as he stated, “I went ahead and filed for you.”
I was so confused. Shocked, actually. That means we didn’t owe. Because he would have told me I had to write an e-check (just like every other year in my life) and then he can file.
We are getting a return. A significant one. For the first time in my whole life.
It felt like God was literally speaking to me through my accountant’s voice as if to say, “I’m sorry you doubted my abundance for you, Nicole, but I am here to promise you will always be ok if you believe in my mercies for you.”
Now, some might think I’m crazy. But I’m here to tell you that finances have never been something of abundance in our life. Though we’ve always had plenty, it’s never been abundant. And for the first time, even if only for a small moment, we will be living in financial abundance.
This may come as a surprise for many of you reading this. But entrepreneurism is not a get rich quick scheme. Neither is marriage or debt payoff or home buying or motherhood, which is what’s been paired with my journey in entrepreneurship. I have been working for myself for almost 9 years, and in that 9 years, we have been able to live with such grace from Him, and provide for ourselves in ways I never even dreamt of.
And this small growth spurt after what seems like YEARS of risk taking and pruning and really hard choices, amounts to a big win in my heart.
Now, that seems like a fairly long winded story to tell you this:
it’s time my garage studio, my website, my digital footprint and my inventory took a pruning, so we can finally make the physical shift for our new season. I have felt mentally prepared for so long, and keeping that inventory of the “back ups” was my way of not letting go of pruning until I felt ready in Him.
I’m ready, and I’m ready to Marie Kondo my brain of pruning season, and my heart of excess.
In celebration of this seasonal transition from pruning to growth, I’m so excited to offer a few things that have been “cluttering” up this last few months and get them into the hands of mommas in seasons of growth, too!
We have a limited supply of JoJos that are in perfect condition but have been returned to us for one reason or another. They are brand new, never been washed, and in perfect shape.
These JoJos are available this week for 50% off their normal retail price! There’s a super limited supply, so be sure to grab one while you can. If you’ve had your eye on a JoJo but haven’t made the leap because of price, this is your chance. We won’t have another sale like this until there is another build up of inventory (which is quite rare), so don’t miss it while it’s here.
use code PRUNE
We are also prepping to launch a NEW masterclass in the coming months, which means Mompreneur : The Course will no longer be the flagship course. So in preparation to make room for the new course, Mompreneur : The Course is on sale for 50% off, too!
I have no plans for how much longer this course will be available, and I do know we won’t open registration for Mompreneur : The Course after this new course is launched, so if you’ve had your eye on this thing, now is the time. This discount brings the course to less than $150 for over 10 weeks of lessons. That’s SO LOW and I won’t ever offer this price again, for sure.
Anyway, that pretty much Marie Kondo’s Nicole&Co’s goodies, and gets them into your hands for a crazy discount, hopefully helping you to get started on your own seasonal dives.
The Pruning Sale runs through the end of the week!
Xo for now, and I can’t wait to share more,
Nicole
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