Date: July 25, 2025
Location: Bloom + Pour, 8:28 AM

Okay, let’s try something.

I don’t really journal, and I’ve never been the “write my feelings down” type — but I have this vision in my head that one day, I’ll look back at this exact moment and just get it. I’ll understand why I felt the way I did. I’ll see how far we’ve come.

So… here we go.

Today is Friday. I’ve been sitting at Bloom + Pour since 7 AM when they opened the doors. It’s now 8:28, and honestly? I don’t feel like I’ve gotten much done. But I’m learning to reframe that. Because the truth is, every tiny step is part of the bigger picture. Every email, every list, every task — it all matters.

So far this morning, I’ve:

• Sent multiple emails to schedule vendor meetings for market next month

• Posted a TikTok updating everyone on the boutique progress

• Scheduled a photoshoot

• Updated my to-do list

And even just writing that out reminds me: I’m not doing nothing. I’m moving. Even if it doesn’t always feel significant, it is.

And now I’m checking off one more thing — this journal entry.
I love being able to physically cross things off. It’s probably silly, but it makes me feel accomplished. It makes me feel in control of a process that, let’s be honest, is very much chaotic behind the scenes.

Right now, I’m listening to hardcore motivational TikToks in my AirPods. The kind where you feel like you should drop and give someone 50 push-ups but instead I’m just trying to get through my to-do list without spiraling. 😂

I came across one this morning about becoming the first millionaire in your family — and it hit hard. Because that’s the goal. It’s not just about clothes. It’s not just about aesthetics.
It’s about:

• Providing for my family

• Creating jobs

• Building stability

• Hitting milestones no one in my family has ever reached before

And if I’m being honest, yes — success to me does look like money. A lot of it.
Success to me looks like being able to buy the life I want, give my kids experiences I never had, and hire the women I want to empower.

People ask me what success looks like, and here’s the truth:
It looks like freedom. Options. Security. Generational change.

I’m already the first in my family to do so many things — and I feel an obligation to keep going. That’s a heavy but beautiful thing to carry.

Technically, I don’t have to go into the med spa today.
Technically, I could take today off and not work on the boutique.
But I’m not.

Because today, like every day, I’m choosing to show up and show out.
Even if the needle only moves one inch — it moved.
And that’s what building something real looks like.

— ERD