Welcome To The Community

Together, we’ll dive deep and find the strength to never give up because Great Things Take Time.

Good morning. It’s Monday. 

Nothing to see here, just a plain old Monday where you do all your normal Monday things. 

If you were forwarded this email, you can subscribe and join the Great Things Take Time Community to get content from me every Monday.

Here's what's in today's email

• It’s Just Monday

• Moments with Maurice

• The Glue of Your Community

It’s Just Monday

Maybe this past week consisted of adjusted schedules due to family time and holiday celebrations. Maybe your week had none of those things but was impacted due to closed businesses and heavy and unpredictable traffic patterns.

Regardless, today is just a Monday. No need to do anything too out of the ordinary.

There are often things we need to catch up on in the week following time off. That basket of laundry that no one touched. Veg out time with the missed episodes of our shows we need to catch up on, and the pages in our book we couldn’t get to. The suitcase needs to be unpacked (not that this would be any of the Collective members; I see your conversations in the Discord 😉).

Some things don’t need to be caught up on. Notice anything missing from this list? A triple workout and a restrictive meal plan. 

Just like how you can’t train for a marathon over five days, you can’t lose all your progress over the same time. When you double down on trying to make up for time spent on vacation or away from your regular schedule, there’s a chance you’ll start a downward yo-yo spiral. You’re teaching yourself (and those around you) that taking time off from regularly scheduled programming is not okay and that everything you do in your life should be focused on one thing.

We’re Not In A Hallmark Movie

The holiday season can be complicated for people. It’s not as straightforward as quitting your job, moving to a Christmas Tree farm to find yourself, and in the process, finding the love of your life who happens to have every single quality you could ever want in a partner but who you butt heads with about moving back into your suburban area until you come across a magical compromise when you realize you can’t live without each other and your fate is sealed with a kiss under the mistletoe Christmas evening.

Let’s get real. That’s how it works on Hallmark, not in the real world.

Things start to come up over the holidays you might not expect. Similarly to kids returning to school and everyone getting sick again, during this season, we’re pressed into get-togethers and events (not all our choosing), and the pressure can make unexpected things pop up.

There are emotions we didn’t expect that fall across a broad spectrum; all felt while wearing a tacky holiday sweater. Whether feeling our best or our worst, there isn’t much time to rehash and get to the bottom of our feelings. You go from one thing to the next.

Holidays can be a mix of complicated emotions, both positive and negative, and as isolating and confusing as things may feel sometimes, you’re not the only person going through them. Last Monday, we talked about holiday disappointment. On Wednesday, we discussed the complex feelings of gratitude when we want to improve on a situation or feel like we’re only acknowledging things society expects us to. With both of those topics, so many experienced similar emotions and found comfort in sharing them. I’d love to continue addressing topics that come up over the next few weeks before the end of the year; if you have anything you’d like to suggest, feel free to leave it in a comment on the Great Things Take Time Instagram.

Save Big Displays For Light Shows

Special times of the year are just that, special. We’d grow sick of the monotony if we had them every day. Just like we need rain to help the plants grow and to make the sun feel all the nicer, we need days off to remind ourselves about our love for movement, or in my case, to remind me why I love eating green things.

As someone who’s dealt with injury from not listening to my body and trying to push a self-imposed timeline, I understand both the allure and feelings of necessity to make up for lost time. But overloading your body can lead to injury, sickness, and burnout. Just like how a great profession of love in a romantic holiday movie is not always realistic, so is a big display of fitness. You don’t need a three-hour workout over the next five days.

So, if you’re feeling antsy because of the time you took for yourself and others over the past several days, take a big drink of water (no, seriously, keep drinking water; you’re probably dehydrated) and consider the following:

You didn’t mess anything up over the last several days.

You’re not going to make things up in a few days.

Honor what the last few days gave you that you don’t get during a typical week.

Great Things Take Time, both to build and to dismantle. Trust the process, you’re right where you’re supposed to be.

Moments with Maurice

This past week, things looked a little different.

Last Wednesday we explored the complexities of gratitude, especially during the holiday season, highlighting that it's okay to experience both gratitude and other emotions simultaneously. While social media often presents a simple, idealized view of gratitude, real life is messier and more nuanced. Thankfulness and gratitude can coexist with disappointment, frustration, or longing.

The concept of "Gratitude-Ands" was coined—where gratitude is paired with the honest admission of underlying emotions or desires. Maybe a silly word, but it encompasses when you feel grateful for something, AND want to be honest that it wasn't quite what you imagined it would be. 

Life is messy and hard. I think the two responses to the prompt below and what has been shared by The Collective in the Discord this week highlight just that.

Thank you to everyone who has shared their stories over the last few months. If they’re impacting others as much as they impact me, then each of you are changing lives.

Who helps the people who hold everything together? The people who are the glue of our communities are probably working overtime during this season. They’re always there for us, they’re always planning things, but are they afforded space in return?

Submit your holiday recipes and stories here

Because no matter what, there is always something to smile about.

Growth

My friend Max Siegelman opened his pop-up shop for Siegelman Stable on Friday at 10 Greene Street in SoHo. For the last four years I’ve watched as he and his partner Karoline have worked tirelessly to build a brand inspired by his father. His hard work and dedication inspires me and couldn't make me more proud.

Team

The people who make it all possible. It’s easy to show up to work when you’re surrounded by people in every corner who bring joy to everything I do.

Holiday Cheer

It’s a simple thing, but the lights at The Shops at Hudson Yards light up a daily commute and can’t help but put me in a lighter mood. Feeling lucky to work in a city where beauty is at every turn.

Enjoy the rest of your typical, normal Monday. Thanks for being with me on this journey. I know Great Things Take Time is far from perfect, but together I hope we can grow it into exactly what it’s meant to be.

Remember:

-Adrian