We are so stinking excited you are here. We have the heart to share the stories of others finding grit and strength as they work to take the next step forward. We invite to you soak in today’s story… we hope you find encouragement to keep moving forward. 

Meet Lisa Fairchild. She is the owner/artist of Blossoms By Lisa. She and her husband serve lots of couples on their incredible wedding day. She is a momma to three cuties, one of which shares a birthday with one of our boys! I always treasure my time with Lisa. She has become a dear friend over the years as we have worked alongside each other for lots of weddings. She is a talented floral designer with an eye for bringing all of the artful blossoms together. She is passionate about her clients, especially on those wedding days. I am always amazed at how she brings all of the flowers together!

We chatted about building a business that you are passionate about while working at the balance of marriage, family, and life. I love how she has worked to create space for the things they value most while continuing to serve her clients well. She shares some bold choices they made and how making those choices impacted their family. I love her heart. And I love this story!

We have worked hard to share this story in a way that works for you! You can read it here on our blog or listen using the link below on YouTube, or on our IGTV.

We love her heart for beautiful lovely flowers. Lisa shares how much being a designer has given her a creative outlet as she celebrates the milestones of others. She marvels over each flower and the beauty of every blossom. I can see why!

She loves how the work has ebbed and flowed through the different seasons of life. Last summer they made a choice that was big and scary. Summers are the busy season for both of us but for Lisa shared that the summer prior she had worked so hard with weddings that she felt like she had said no to her kids and family things that mattered. And pushes onto share “that time is so precious.”

When we are saying “yes” to something, that also means we are saying “No” to something else.

This year Lisa and her husband, Charlie, made the decision to take 8 weeks off during the time the kids would be home for the summer. Lisa shared that the time was intentional as they considered their “sweet spot” for weddings. They considered the number and quantity of weddings that they can commit to in order to spend time best. She took that time off. She had a very busy spring. And an incredible fall filled with weddings, workshops, and other fun things. But they did it.

Let’s talk about balance…

Lisa shared her heart saying that balance isn’t quite something that you achieve. It’s a constant reassessing of what your goals are and leaning into what your family and people need. Striving to find that balance.

I think balance is so fluid. It looks so different in so many different seasons. And saying no can be a little counter-cultural. We live in a culture that encourages more hustle, more work and sometimes creating that busyness doesn’t allow us to stop and really say yes to the things that are most important. I still struggle with that. For us, in 2016 we shot 38 weddings… which meant 38 weddings, and 38 engagement sessions… 38 meetings… and I loved it! But I was tired. Unfortunately… fortunately… one of the things that came out of my accident was the need to really filter in and out what mattered most. For us that time last year forced us to make the best use of the time, strength and energy we had. Which during recovery wasn’t much. As we gained more capacity we were able to invest more time into better places. I didn’t think of this while Lisa and I were talking but as I was preparing this for you all a story came to mind.

My accident was in February of 2019 and when I started returning to life and feeling better in the early summer I started saying YES to a lot more. I think I was just so excited to walk and talk and do all of the things I said YES to more than I should have. Our October was so stinking busy. And I had to take a minute and really filter through what was most important. In October our people and photography clients were most important so our Stories with Kori took a back seat. In the new year, I reflected on what we wanted to do and where we wanted to go, these stories continued to be a part of that. I still knew I didn’t have capacity to learn how to edit the video well. And because it was important. Because it was a part of what we valued and where we wanted to go we knew we had to build a team and find someone to edit them so I could really focus on what we value as a family and as business owners. Somedays I kinda wish I could outsource that 5th grade math homework though (anyone else with me? We legit had to facetime my brother yesterday to help us with homework. Oh MY Word!)

When you know what is most important you can work to make decisions on what the best use of your time is. Another important reason to stay focused on what is most important to you is so we can then build a community and support systems that cheer each other on that way too!

That’s why we are doing this! That’s why we are sharing stories of people. To build a community of encouragement! To cheer others on as they take the next steps forward!

Lisa shares about lessons she’s learned the hard way sometimes. Do less… but with MORE focus. Don’t be in too many places that you aren’t doing anything well. But instead, focus on what matters in the business and family so that each thing is intentional to move you towards where you want to go. Sometimes “yeses” can be a distraction from the big picture.

I feel like we can lean into our purpose more when we take the time to slow down and carefully consider the places we are spending our time. There’s always one more thing to do. There’s always more to do.

But we want to be busy doing the best things.

I can agree with her heart when she says she was designed to work hard, and that she finds joy in this work we get to do. But it is good to be busy doing the best things in order to move forward.

One last bit of encouragement that Lisa challenges us… is to allow our passion and career to collide. Keep your eyes focused on your lane and what your unique goals and calling are.

and “Do less, with more focus!”

After we filmed this story I had time to reflect on just what Lisa shared. I loved everything that Lisa was encouraging us with! It’s important to soak into what matters most to you! We love tangible and actionable next steps. Do you even know what matters most to you?

Today, I invite you to snag a piece of paper. I know I’m old school I love the pen in hand, mind to paper connection of putting it all together.

Maybe you have never sorted out what matters most so you can do less with more focus. Take today and write down what matters most to you. Just let them all out. You can scribble it. Make it pretty. Color. Draw. Modge Podge. (if you modge podge I wanna see a photo of it!)

• Write out with simple words what matters most to you.
• Circle your top three!
• Then number them in order of value to you.

Reflect: Are you spending your time on the people and things that you value most? Sometimes the next step forward is understanding where you are at!

If you are right where you want to be… we are so pumped for you and we are throwing a huge family dance party… cheering you on!

If not, I am right there with you! I pulled out my paper just like you. I think even if I have aligned my time with my values in some seasons… it’s always good to keep fighting for it. Working to avoid distractions. And today is the day to start. Start being intentional with your time. Start saying no to what is not in line with what you value so you can invest your heart and time in the places that matter most!

If you were encouraged by Lisa’s story today… will you tell her? Leave her a comment on our blog here or Instagram posts letting her know how her brave story challenged you!

It’s giveaway time! Yay! Lisa is joining us with a fun giveaway over on our Instagram. She is giving away a collection of her favorite tools and a bouquet of flowers. You can view the giveaway post on our Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/koriandjared/

Here’s how to enter

1. Make sure to follow blossomsbylisa and koriandjared on IG .

2. Like our giveaway with Blossomsbylisa and share it on your IG story using the little share icon (the one that looks like a little paper airplane) .

3. Come back and comment on this post telling us you entered and let us know why you love flowers too.

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Giveaway is going through Friday at midnight (02/07) and we will announce the winner on Saturday (02/08) morning❤️

You can find Lisa on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/blossomsbylisa/

To learn more about Lisa you can visit her website here: https://www.blossomsbylisa.com/

We hope you loved today’s story! You can head over to our website to see more stories at http://www.storieswithkori.koriandjared.com

If you’re interested in partnering with us to continue telling stories you can email us at storieswithkori@gmail.com

Cheering you on,

 Kori

Today’s Story was made possible by our friends at Culture Coffee. 

http://www.instagram.com/culturecoffeebar

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