Rooted Not Rushed
~How does one run a small business with integrity amid the capitalistic pressure to grow at speeds that don’t feel comfortable, to fit inside a box that prioritizes expansion over sustainability?
~How does one market their work in a world full of suffering and oppression, when the collective heart is broken and grieving?
~How does one share while still maintaining privacy?
~How does one not “sell out”?
~And how does one move through the guilt that arises from privilege?
As a student of yoga and herbalism, the teachings I hold close emphasize living in the present moment, moving slowly and intentionally, nourishing the body with whole foods and herbs, caring for and protecting the Earth and all her gifts, practicing compassion and kindness toward all living beings, connecting to breath and life force, and cultivating self-love.
As I sit with what’s next for MotMot, these questions continue to surface. Each time I try to move forward, I’m met with the endless shoulds of running a small business, the strategies, the formulas, the aesthetics it’s “supposed” to have. But I keep asking myself: can’t I move at my own pace? At my own rhythm? At the rhythm of nature, slow, intentional, alive?
Up to this point in my life, I have followed my intuition. That deep inner knowing that gently guided me toward what felt right, or loudly urged me to run in the opposite direction. When I listened, things flowed. When I ignored it, things fell apart. Trusting that intuition allowed me to pursue a life that felt nourishing, and in return, it supported me.
As I step into this new year, I’m increasingly aware that my business needs to be structured differently. Submitting to the way things are “supposed” to be done doesn’t feel right, even when I’m told again and again that this is simply how it works. I feel called to try another way, one that feels good in my body and soul, and one that supports the greater collective. There has to be a way for life to be balanced: work and rest in equal measure.
Writing this on the half moon. Perhaps that’s why balance feels especially important in this moment.
Right now, the pull to forge a different path, to go against the grain, is strong. What feels scary is that there’s no clear footprint to follow, no strategy or plan laid out in front of me. There’s just a feeling. A feeling that things can be different. That a business can be small and sustainable outside of dominant capitalistic structures. That I need to move at my own pace and that I need to trust my instincts.
No rigid marketing strategy. No social media calendar to obey. Just moving alongside the phases of the moon, listening to the plants and the Earth. Paying attention. Observing. Supporting. Being of service. Sharing in a way that allows everyone to feel nourished, safe, and held.
As we step into this new year, I’m holding a deep hope to shift, deconstruct, strip back, and dissolve old patriarchal systems that no longer serve the collective, that are unsustainable, and unkind to the Earth. I’m dreaming of a year of becoming. Becoming more of what we wish to see in the world: more present, more attuned, more willing to listen and respond rather than push and force. A year rooted in integrity, reciprocity, and care, where balance is honored and rest is woven between cycles of rebirth. My hope is that we can come together in community with open ears, eyes, and hearts, learning from one another and caring for one another, remembering that the ways we work, create, and share can be true extensions of our values. Through this becoming, may we give ourselves and each other permission to move differently, to soften where hardness has been normalized, to slow where urgency has been glorified, and to trust that another way is not only possible, but already unfolding.
May your courage take root and hold you steady in challenging times.
May the plants meet you where you are. Softening, nourishing, and helping you move forward, one grounded step at a time.
