1. Deciding to use Belle (my middle name) for all my wonderful, creative, right-brained stuff online, so people who search for my left-brained, business stuff won’t get confused
2. Feeling happy & excited to get to use my middle name, which I’ve always loved so much more than my first name!
3. My very left-brained business coach, who explained to me the benefits of “branding” (what?) each website differently with the two names (she likened it to authors who use pen names for different genres, and I love that explanation!)
4. Gearing up to start an incredible new creative project (hence the need to separate the brands) (You’re going to love it, oh my goodness.)
5. When I met my husband, he introduced himself to me by his first name- and I found out later most of his family uses his middle name! So we’re doing the same thing but backwards!
6. Embracing change (it always makes me feel funny for a moment, before I remember that everything changes, always, and the more I welcome it the more peaceful I’ll stay)
7. An understanding friend (I thought for sure she’d say, “You’re crazy. Changing names? What?” but instead she said, “Yeah, I did that too.” WOAH.)
8. An unexpected, last-minute vacation in the woods (my lists might be late/MIA the next day or so!)
9. Things that feel exciting and good and like the whole universe is whispering, “You’re on the right track.”
10. “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” -William Shakespeare