We are in a freaking MAGAZINE y’all. In print. On newsstands. RIGHT. NOW. Honestly, this post title doesn’t do justice to the content I’m about to explore. But I don’t think a 50 word title would be very effective!
Back in May, I was contacted by San Diego Magazine for a possible home feature. In June, two lovely gals from the magazine, along with a photographer, came to our home to photograph it, along with Goose, Napa, and I. And yesterday, I checked out at Vons with three hard copies of the magazine in hand!
I’ll get into more detail about the entire experience below, but first I want to go back in time, all the way to the beginning of this Instagram/Blogging journey of mine, because that’s where the juicy, inspirational stuff is! And that’s what I really love the most about this platform – the POSSIBILITY of inspiring you!
I began my Instagram account in August 2017, and my blog in February 2018. Back then, never in a thousand years did I EVER even think about the possibility of being in a magazine. Rather, I started out on both platforms for fun – to share our first home as we started updating it through various DIY projects. Never did I think it would transform into what it is today.
Today, it’s a place where I go to connect. To connect with all of you. To connect with some of the best friends I have ever made. It’s a place where I go to inspire. To inspire myself with beautiful photos, and to hopefully inspire you with my own home projects and decor. And it’s a place where I go to dream. To dream about the possibilities that are still out there for me and my family. To dream about the life I’ve created where I actually get to do what I LOVE.
Believing in possibilities was not something I used to be good at. About six months into my social media home decor journey, I started to see many of my online friends get magazine features, get brand collaborations, get ALL THE THINGS! (Does that sound like I was jealous and over exaggerating? It’s because I was!) And I thought I would never be “good enough” or “talented enough” to get there. My home didn’t look like theirs, and I worked full time, and a whole other slew of reasons why I wasn’t good enough. But with my ever positive husband always in my ear, over time I learned to change my perspective from “not a chance” to “why not?”
I started believing in the possibility of that collaboration, or that magazine shoot, or that client job. I started really believing that I was exactly where I was supposed to be, and that all of those possibilities I was dreaming of would happen in their own time; the time that was right for ME. And they DID and they HAVE and I’m certain they will CONTINUE to do so!
The biggest lesson I’ve learned through this crazy social media gig I call my side job is this, and it’s not novel and I most definitely didn’t come up with it, but it’s IMPORTANT: Do not ever, under any circumstances, compare your beginning with someone else’s middle. The comparison game is EASY to get sucked into and even harder to get out of. But whoever you are looking at through the lens of social media – you have no idea how long they’ve been hustling, what they may have had to sacrifice to get there, or what struggles and complications may be going on in their lives right now. So stop comparing, you do you, start believing in the possibility of your dreams becoming reality, and the rest will fall into place. I promise.
And that’s exactly what happened for me. As soon as my outlook changed, as soon as I focused my energy on my own journey and less on the journeys of others and how far ahead or fast they were going in comparison with myself, is when I started to turn what once were possibilities into actual realities. And that includes this incredible magazine feature (and so many more fun surprises I have in store over the next several months – that’s the real kicker y’all – having to keep some things a secret from you!) 😛 But I digress…
So, back to the more recent past. In early June, San Diego magazine came out to the house. Hubby and I cleaned like mad people the weekend before, and that morning when we woke up, I distinctly remember feeling like I wanted to puke. I was so nervous y’all. I was so proud of our little home, but I wanted so badly for the whole day to be perfect (and for Napa NOT to act like a little sh*t)!
But as soon as Sarah, Sydnie, and Samantha arrived, my nervousness turned into excitement and I enjoyed every second of it, and so did hubs and Napa! And you can bet I popped the champs as soon as they left (yup, champs at noon on a Monday because you’ve gotta celebrate the little moments along the way)!
Fast forward to yesterday. It was the end of what felt like an extra long week because re-entry into reality after a vacation and then the Haven conference was extra rough. It was a whirlwind of a week, and it didn’t even cross my mind until Friday afternoon that the magazine might be out. So after leaving work, I drove to three separate stores before finally spotting the August issue of San Diego magazine near the checkout at my local Vons. I was on the phone with my mom at the time and am quite certain several other customers heard me shriek when I saw it. I hadn’t heard from the girls over at the magazine, so I thought maybe our feature got bumped, but nevertheless I took a deep breath and flipped page by page until I saw our faces, and Napa’s too!
It was a MOMENT, y’all. One of those moments you savor, that you cement in your memory intentionally, because it will serve to remind you how bada$$ you are later when you might be having a bad day. A moment to remind you that believing in POSSIBILITY and believing in yourself is quite literally HOW you make things happen for yourself. Manifestation is real, y’all – do it!
I immediately grabbed three copies and proceeded to the nearest check stand, where the clerk looked at me a little funny. “Three of the same magazine…?” “Yup. I’m in it!” I replied. “Oh,” she said dismissively, until it registered with her what I meant. “OH! You’re in it?! That’s amazing! Where?! I want to see!” She was just as dang excited as I was y’all, and that felt SO good! To get to celebrate with a stranger was the icing on the cake of the celebrations I had a little later over FaceTime with my parents, and over wine and dinner with Goose.
Moral of the story? If I can do it – you can do it. Maybe being in a magazine isn’t your dream, but whatever your dream IS, you’ve got this. Dare to dream. Really believe in the possibility of it. And believe in your own rockstar self. Because that’s what you are!
Until next time…
XO,
Ana
P.S. If you’re local and you buy a copy – snap a pic! I’d love to see and share! <3 If you aren’t local, the online version of the feature is linked here, and I’ve shared over on Instagram as well!
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