When you're "ballin' like March Madness", you gotta set boundaries.
From start to finish, the third month of the year is always the zaniest.
Happy Thursday, y’all.
True life: balance in this thing called life has never been something I’ve been able to achieve.
While from the outside looking in it may look like I’m doing great managing it all (a full-time job, 5 AM-ish workouts, being a dog mama/auntie, hanging out and maintaining relationships with friends and family, eating healthy, taking vitamins, drinking water, minding my business and a host of other things), ya girl needs an afternoon nap on the daily.
And for the record, I didn’t state the obvious above for sympathy, pity, or even recommendations on how to slow down. (Life is life-ing for us all, so I get it!) But I am sharing my thoughts because I want it to be clear that while I do feel overwhelmed at times, I am deeply grateful for this current season I’m in because I’ve not only worked for it, but I’ve prayed for it too.
But the more aligned opportunities find themselves making their way to me, the more I’m learning how crucial it is to establish guardrails for myself (and others) to maintain sanity, confidence, joy, and most importantly, peace of mind.
This includes but is not limited to the following:
Using Self Control to block sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram so that I can focus on my work and not be distracted by the timeline.
Sleeping with my phone outside of my room (complete game changer!)
Politely declining social requests that come less than 48 hours in advance.
Choosing three days a week to not drink alcohol (yes, even the wine lover needs a few days off)
Asking for help!
Tuesday, March 12 is a significant turning point for me professionally and personally, and my prayer is that I remain open, calm, and excited to receive all of the abundant goodness that this next level has in store for me.
And if you haven’t already, PLEASE PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY!
Whether it is via Chronicle Books, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, Target, Amazon, or your favorite indie bookstore – grab you, ya mama, and your cousin a copy so we can talk about wine together!
Thank you in advance for your continued support. I appreciate you all!
P.S. – I’m hopping on IG Live next Wednesday, March 13 to sip and flip through the book, so make sure to join me!
CELEBRATING WINE CONVO GENERATOR
As I shared yesterday via Instagram, I’m doing a bit of the most this month to celebrate the release of Wine Convo Generator. If you’re in Chicago, below are a few opportunities for you to celebrate and toast it up with me!
And yes, there will be more events and gatherings outside of Chicago in the months to come, so keep it locked right here!
MARCH 14
WINE & KARAOKE @ Tribe Supper Club
No need to RSVP, just pull up and be ready for a good time!
MARCH 25
WINE & CONVERSATION @ Bronzeville Winery
More details to come on this, but I’m super excited to be in conversation with my friend and fellow sommelier Derrick C. Westbrook!
MARCH 28
OFFICIAL WINE CONVO GENERATOR LAUNCH PARTY @ Easy Does It
The party is free, but the wine tasting will be $10. RSVP link soon come!
WINE-ish NEWS + EVENTS
I shared my thought bubbles on the Josh Wines craze with Huff Post.
Today is the FINAL DAY to apply for a trip award for Field Blends Michigan. If you are interested in exploring Traverse City this June, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND APPLYING FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY.
If you want to experience more Black-owned wines, then you should pull up to the African American Viticultural Association’s Wine Festival next month.
Also, the 67 Global Wine Communicator Awards application portal closes on March 10, SO APPLY TODAY!
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Chasity, pre-ordered today. Cheers to you! Tim McDonald
Yayyy, so excited for you! Can't wait to celebrate!! 🥳🎉