I Chose “Flourish.” I Had No Idea What It Would Look Like.

At the beginning of 2026, I chose Flourish as my word for the year.

I had a pretty clear idea of what I thought that meant.

For years, I felt like I had been planting seeds. I had learned new skills, taken classes, created things, changed directions, started over, and kept trying to figure out how all the things I loved doing could become a business that actually made money.

When we moved back to New Hampshire four years ago, I really thought I would figure it out.

But year after year, I still felt stuck.

So when I chose Flourish, I was ready for those seeds to finally DO something. 😂

I wanted movement. I wanted growth.

And yes, I wanted income.

I Was Starting to Doubt Myself

As this year went on, the doubts started creeping in again.

Maybe I had too many ideas.

Maybe I couldn't figure out how to turn the things I loved into an actual business.

Maybe I needed to stop putting so much pressure on myself to make it work.

I knew I needed reliable income, and I had started thinking in very black-and-white terms.

Either I figured out how to make my own business work...

or I needed to give up that dream and work for someone else.

About a month before SandeeG started coming together, that's pretty much where I was.

And then something started to change.

Suddenly, the Pieces Started Connecting

SandeeG didn't arrive as one giant brilliant idea.

It started coming together piece by piece.

And that's when I noticed something.

All these things I'd been doing for years that seemed completely disconnected weren't actually disconnected at all.

Encouragement. Teaching. Technology. Canva. Creating products. Writing. Faith. Humor. Helping people learn things they didn't think they could learn.

For years, I kept trying to figure out which one I was supposed to choose.

Maybe that was the wrong question.

Maybe I wasn't planting too many different seeds. Maybe I just hadn't figured out that they belonged in the same garden.

For the first time in a long time, I can see how the pieces fit together.

Maybe It Was Never Either/Or

Something else has changed too.

I'm realizing I may have created a choice that didn't actually exist.

Why does it have to be a business OR a job?

SandeeG is very new. I'm excited about what's happening, but the financial side hasn't developed yet. I still need to earn an income.

And that's okay.

Working for someone else doesn't mean I've failed at building something of my own.

In fact, maybe doing both is exactly what this season looks like.

I can work and earn the income I need while continuing to build SandeeG.

One doesn't cancel out the other.

That realization has taken some of the pressure off. I don't have to demand that this brand-new business immediately support me in order to believe it has potential.

I can give it time.

I can keep learning.

I can watch what people respond to.

I can create, adjust, experiment and grow.

Instead of flopping around trying to figure out what I'm supposed to make flourish, I can focus on learning how to help this flourish. 😂

I'm Still Leaning on My Faith

My faith has always been part of how I move through life, and this is no different.

If there's one thing I know about God's timing, it's that it very rarely matches mine.

I would have preferred the seeds I planted six or seven years ago to have sprouted approximately six or seven years ago. 😂

But looking backward, I can see something I couldn't see while I was living it.

Those years weren't wasted.

Every class taught me something. Every idea showed me something. Everything that didn't quite fit helped me understand what did.

SandeeG didn't suddenly appear this summer.

I've been building pieces of it for years.

I just didn't know that's what I was building.

And I'm still leaning on my faith because I don't know what happens next.

I love what SandeeG is becoming. I finally see a path that makes sense to me.

But I still can't see the financial part.

So I'm still trusting God's timing while doing my part to keep moving forward.

Maybe This Is Flourishing

When I chose Flourish, I thought it meant finally seeing the results.

Now I'm wondering if I had the definition a little wrong.

I'm not ready to call this the harvest.

We're not there yet.

But maybe flourishing isn't only about seeing the harvest.

Maybe it's recognizing that roots were growing while you were wondering why nothing was happening.

Maybe it's finally seeing how all those seeds fit together.

Maybe it's realizing you don't have to abandon one path to walk another.

And maybe flourishing begins when you look around and realize...

something is finally growing. 🌱🌻