Just being transparent--it took me a minute to decide if I wanted to share this topic in my newsletter.

It's a touchy subject...

But because this has had such a positive impact on my life and business, I decided to share it with you.

Last August, I was growing Real Raw Beauty online AND preparing to set up my first brick and mortar inside of the Raw Girls store in Saddle Creek. Life was very busy!

After a long workday, I looked so forward to coming home and pouring a glass of wine to unwind from the day. 

Actually, having wine every night had become my normal. And it was normal for just about everyone that I knew!

Prior to 2019, our big family had always come together with the commonality of drinking together. It was a way of connecting and socializing with each other. We always selected restaurants based on their great bars and incredible IPA's, along with the food.

Even if we were getting together at one of the homes, everyone was bringing wine and beer.

But then, out of nowhere several of the family members decided that they wanted to experiment with not drinking alcohol.

My children, along with some of their spouses, decided to call it quits to alcohol. (My children's ages range from 35-43.) They had very demanding jobs, children, and a lot of responsibility at work and wanted to be clear-headed at night and also when they woke up the next morning.

Kombucha, sparkling water and iced tea replaced Pinot Gris, Champagne, and IPAs.

Oddly enough though, over time, I got used to it. As I stood back and watched my kids, there was no doubt that cutting out alcohol had made them more productive, very present with their children and happier in their everyday lives.

The amazing thing about their story is that they all four stopped within months of each other, without telling each other.

For all the right reasons, not drinking alcohol was becoming very intriguing to me personally, especially as I continued to watch it play out in their lives.

Not one of my children even suggested that they thought I should entertain the thought of cutting out alcohol.

But one day I woke up and just decided this would probably be a really good thing for me, too.

I needed to clear-headed at night, and I really wanted to be totally present in my life and business.

That was almost 7 months ago.

I know it sounds strange, but I never really saw myself not having a glass of wine at night. 

So many positive beautiful things have happened in my life since I made this decision. My relationships with friends and family grew and I began working with my marketing consultant and my business DOUBLED!! (Yes, please!)

The decision was not difficult because I was ready for a big change in my life. I also gave myself the green card to have a glass of wine when I am out of town on a vacation, if I wanted one. 

I don't know what is right for anyone else. And I am not even remotely recommending anyone follow me in this. I just wanted to share my experience.

And I would be remiss if I didn't mention the beauty byproduct of cutting alcohol--your skin looks even better!🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️

It was extremely dehydrating for my skin. And it also caused a lot of inflammation and puffiness.  So now that kombucha and sparkling water are my daily beverages, my skin is extremely hydrated and has so much less inflammation. 

So for me, it is a total win-win. 

I have no idea if things will be different a year from now. But for right now this is rocking my world.

Until next time,

Jan