It’s 4:17 p.m. on a Tuesday afternoon — about a week before the summer issue of HER Magazine goes LIVE. LFTF (Letter from the Founder) is always one of those pieces I put off, not because I’m a procrastinator, but because I’m always waiting for inspiration to strike so I can draft the perfect note for you.
As I finally sat down on my computer to put this together, the phrase ‘better late than never’ bombarded my thoughts. It is true that getting things done is better than not doing them at all — the important stuff, anyway. So many of us put off our dreams, goals, desires — whatever you call them.
What we do is create really GREAT excuses as to why this or that won’t work.
I had that moment a few months ago. I now have a 15-week-old daughter, and if you’ve been following my journey to motherhood and this publication, you’ll know it wasn’t an easy road. Two rounds of IVF, a fibroid surgery, and a frozen embryo transfer later, we gave birth to Jasmine. I thought, like everything else in my life, at the age of 37 — this would be a breeze. I was in control. Baby J would acquiesce to my schedule and lifestyle.
But I was in for a big surprise. And that’s putting it lightly. In fact, the first few months, I felt a heaviness in my chest — can I juggle work, a business and a baby?
Maybe it’s time I put some of my lofty goals for the magazine on the backburner. This was a serious thought I considered over and over again. I’m not a quitter, but in the midst of figuring out breastfeeding (that’s another topic) and newborn life — the lack of sleep slapped me into submission.
This just isn’t realistic Nineveh.
It’s time to be a mother now.
In my head, I justified it over and over again. Maybe we’ll scale back, keep things where they’re at …just keep the engine running, ever so slowly.
But what fun is life if all we’re doing is just ‘keeping the lights on?’ No fun at all, if you ask me.
Then, something funny happened. Around week eight into motherhood, I turned a corner — and like a lightning rod, I was ready to get going. Not only did we NOT scale back, we expanded the team at HER Magazine and kicked our goals into high gear.
BIG changes are in store for the publication, and we here at HER Magazine couldn’t be more excited for what’s to come. When I felt like I couldn’t go on, I turned to the most inspirational women I could find — the women we feature here.
This issue features Mel Robbins, the most sought-out speaker in the world. Mel is someone I’ve had the pleasure of seeing LIVE three times, and it wasn’t until an intimate luncheon she was speaking at that I exercised her 5 Second Rule!
I got up the nerve to ask her, in front of the crowd, if she would agree to be on our cover. And by the way, this moment was three years in the making. I’ve wanted Mel to grace our cover for YEARS.
Thanks to my friend sitting at our table who recorded the entire spiel (thank you Shantel!) when we pitched her publicist — they said YES. I couldn’t be more thrilled to bring you Mel, who I’m sure will inspire you in our feature article — plus, she’s got some exciting news about what’s on the horizon.
Remember this quote: The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.
Better Late than Never. Or better yet, exercise the 5 Second Rule. I know that, as women, we feel like we to have to juggle it all — but that’s what makes us so incredibly unique. When you feel like giving up, because we all do — take a break. Take a deep breathe, put things on hold if you have to …but don’t ever stop, because your goals are worth living.
I hope you enjoy this issue, and realize that the only reason Mel is on the cover is because I implemented her 5 Second Rule. In fact, our lives are made up of a series of decisions, every 5 seconds.
XOX
– Nineveh
