GOOD BYE 2013, HELLO 2014! (AND MY NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION)

It is the end of the year...time to reflect on the past and think about the future!

2013 has been a good year.  A year filled with a lot of bright spots for COCOCOZY and a lot of character building moments for me personally.  I started off the year saying my one resolution was to handle things with grace in 2013.  I think it is very easy to be graceful in good times.  The trick is managing the grace in more challenging times.

For COCOCOZY, my home furnishings brand, this was THE year.  We launched a partnership with Tommy Hilfiger, I was featured on Architectural Digest's website, I birthed a line of wonderful rugs, started several new collections with license partners, I saw my textile designs on t.v. and in magazines and so much more.  All good moments...easy ones to handle with grace.  (Although truthfully, I did find myself in those moments getting a bit nervous...worried about what I could dream up next for the brand...I enjoyed the moments gracefully...but fretted about my next spectacular move...)

On the personal front, the year was made wonderful because of my amazing guy TE, my family (mom and sis DS) and my best of friends (FF, AM, JH, SN, BN, A.Ro, AT, AG and so many more).  I had lots of good times and did things that I had never done before, like riding in a helicopter with no doors over the island of Kauai with TE.

There were many challenging moments too in 2013 (deaths in the family, family members getting sick, moving out of my house for months, and a few other surprise "tests" throughout the year)...I feel like I accomplished what I set out to do...and I for the most part handled stressful moments with grace.  I had moments where I broke down certainly (the unfortunate raised voice, pouting, stomping of a foot here or there)...but generally as the hits kept coming in 2013, I decided to take each one on as they came and tried to do the right thing to be fair, honest, and thoughtful.  It happened naturally...probably wasn't entirely about grace but instead my coping mechanism. I mean really, what are you supposed to do when faced with the "not so good"...?  In my book, you face it head on and deal with it.

Now onto 2014...what will I resolve to do...who will I resolve to be? Hmmm...thinking...thinking... This is tough...

I think I will resolve to "step back"...not get bogged down in the details..."step back"...not micromanage as much with the hope that I will be able to think and act more strategically and effectively.   My version of "step back" is not to slack off or take a hands off approach, it is to pull back just enough to see the big picture both professionally and personally.  Making the most of things long term instead of trying to design every moment the way I want it in the short run.  When it comes to COCOCOZY the business and in my personal life, I have everything dreamed up of exactly how I want it to be...when something is not quite the way I had planned...I find myself diving in (and perhaps creating a lot of anxiety) and trying to make it exactly like I had envisioned - micromanaging.  This year, I think I need come at everything in business and in my personal life from a bit of a different perspective to help take everything to the next level and to make the road to getting there smoother.

I like this photo...a model walking down the runway during a fashion show dress rehearsal...she is laser focused on the end goal...she is not worrying about the details...she is prancing down the runway with a larger goal in mind...her eyes up...confident...dead set on the future...not distracted...stepping forward towards the bright light...and "stepping back" from anything that could take her out of the zone.  She sees the forest for the trees. She is me in 2014.  Maybe she will be you in 2014 too?

Happy 2014 dear readers...thank you for your support, love and encouragement this last year.  I look forward to continuing our dialogue on interior design, fashion, life and more in 2014.  I wish you a new year filled with love, happiness, and your dreams come true!  I do.

Happy New Year to my dear mom, my sis DS, larger family and good friends...and to my dear sweet guy TE.

Happy New Year!

xo
Coco

Photo: Fernando Colon

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AN New Year, New Year's Eve

GOOD BYE 2012, HELLO 2013 (AND MY ONE RESOLUTION)!

Photo in this post by Coco of COCOCOZY

Let's see...it is December 31st. The end of 2012. Am in Colorado...for a snowy long holiday in Beaver Creek with TE. Everyone is out skiing.  I'm in the hotel room. Writing this post.  We're going to dinner tonight with best of friend FF and her husband CCF...and we'll have dessert with my godson CGF...I can't wait.

I took the picture above while driving through Los Angeles early one morning last week. It was a cold morning; it had rained overnight and the gorgeous clear skies and sunrise stopped me in my tracks. I took a moment. A pause. A moment to reflect. The sunrise symbolized hope and opportunity to me. Another chance to start over. It made me think of the New Year.

Every year when I write this end of the year post, I get a little teary. I think about all of the things that have happened in the past year and I wonder about what is to come in the year ahead. This year is no different.

The last few weeks of 2012 have been a bit challenging. A bit of a test. A test that I passed but by no means with flying colors. I made it through but not too gracefully.  Like I'm sure many of us have, in 2012, I have been faced with some situations that took me be surprise.  I managed to problem solve my way out of each of the situations...that made me feel good.  The question is though, did I handle the stressful situations with elegance and grace?

For 2011, my goal was "To be brave". In 2012 my New Year's resolution was "To inspire".  Let's see...now there is 2013.

In 2013, I think my resolution will be to "Handle it with Grace".  In trying times, in good times, in emotional times, in happy times...I want to try my best to handle it all with grace.  What I mean by that is to make sure I always strive to stay composed, kind, considerate and as reasonable as possible.

This year is going to be a big year for me and COCOCOZY.  This year we launch several exciting partnerships and I am still doing the juggling act of my fantastic day job and COCOCOZY by night.  I hope and wish and pray and I'll strive to handle the good, the bad and the not so pretty with as much grace as possible....while always remembering to have a good dose of a sense of humor along the way.

The day before Christmas, I ran down to the flower mart to get flowers for a table centerpiece.  There was a lady outside the flower mart. She asked me for money on my way in. She clearly was in need.  I kept walking. I came out of the flower mart, headed to my car.  I immediately noticed I had a parking ticket on the windshield.  As I was about to reach for the parking ticket, I looked up and saw the lady crossing the street.  There I stood with all of my flowers, heading home to make a lovely dinner for family and friends and I thought...why did I walk past this woman earlier?  So I reached into my purse, where I only had a $10 bill and I gave it to her.  The lady said thank you and proceeded to tell me she was off drugs and she would use the money to buy food.  I hopped into my car and sped off.  I felt good. I hoped the lady felt good too. As I raced off,  the parking ticket on my windshield that I was reaching for earlier but didn't ever get, flew off and sailed through the air behind my car. It was gone.  I'm sure though the city will track me down for my parking transgression!  I smiled though and chuckled a bit.  I thought to myself that this situation is similar to so many situations every day.  A little good and a little something that makes life a bit more of a challenge.  Expect the challenges.  Handle them with grace.

I look forward to spending another year with you talking about life, design, decor and so much more.  I also look forward to taking on the challenges in life with lots of resolve and lots of grace.

Happy New Year to my dear mother, amazing sister (sis DS), aunts, uncles, cousins, friends (including best of friend AM) and all of the wonderful people in my life (TE etc)...including you dear readers!

Thank you all for sharing this past year with me...and I look forward to exploring another with you in 2013.

Happy New Year!

xo
Coco

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AN holiday, New Year, New Year's Eve, resolution