Honey for your Soul

I frequently get asked why I chose a certain quote or author. How I found it, what stuck out to me, and so on. 

My answer is always the same. That every quote that has struck me, I have found in a different way. I have found quotes from searching the internet for hours, to reading books, or hearing a great movie line that inspires me to look up a quote that is similar. Family, friends and customers send them to me as well. All in all, there is no set way I have found them, but each quote does have its own special unique meaning and story to me. 

Most recently, I have been working on our new Summer releases for 2018. When finalizing a new line, I am oddly selective in the quotes I use. It matters to me what the words suggest, who said it, when they said it and so on. I can read a quote and instantly fall in love or pass it by and it resurfaces later on. Again, there really is no set rule in how I choose quotes for products. 

However, one of our new quotes for our summer line has one of my favorite stories in how I have come to use it. The quote is by Henry Ward Beecher, "The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things." 

Now, let me quickly tell you the story. I have a habit of taking a screen shot of every quote, saying, topic, I come across so I have it on my desktop to remind me for later. Because I have this habit, my desktop gets very crowded. My employees think its a nightmare, I call it organized chaos. Now, I will be honest and say that the chaos makes me crazy often, so I occasionally completely clean out my desktop, deleting quotes that I just don't think are right for the company right now. However, I always keep my lower lefthand corner compiled with quotes I just simply can't part with. About 6 months ago I hit the breaking point and realized I had not cleaned it out for a good year and a half and decided it was time. While sorting through, I realized I kept coming across this same quote. Pile after pile I cleaned out, it resurfaced and resurfaced. I thought it was worth keeping around so decided to keep it along with about 4 others. 

I went on to design my Winter line and debated whether or not to use the quote. I usually come to the conclusion that if it is that hard of a decision, it is not the right timing, so I passed it by, yet again. By this point, it had been a good two years this quote sat on my computer and resurfaced while I searched for quotes. It was almost as if it was saying, "Hey, remember me, I'm still here!" 

Most recently, I passed up the quote again for our Spring line, yet Summer came along and could not stop thinking about it. I debated if it was a quote that could work on a shirt, if it was too long, if the message made sense with our other quotes, really having this internal battle. Then I couldn't stop thinking about it. I would be working on designs or simply driving in my car and these words kept running words through my mind.

"The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things." -Henry Ward Beecher

I finally realized it was time! 

I believe I never let this quote go for a reason. For the past two years, I believe it was because I needed the message. I find I am drawn to words I need at that time. While running Soul Honey as a young female entrepreneur, there are great highs and low low's, yet this quote has continued to be a great reminder that my own happiness should not be found in my successes and lost in my failures, yet found in the common things. The moments in between that make our life great.

For me, these common things have been starting my day with a great workout, hearing my niece laugh, selling a product that touches people, having an old friend visit I hadn't seen in a year, nights walks with my parents, coming across a killer quote, green tea (and lots of it!), being able to bless a stranger and so on. 

I'm convinced we would be much happier individuals if we focused on the things we do have, rather than the things we don't. The things that went right, instead of the things that went wrong. But maybe more importantly, following what the quote says, "extracting happiness from the common things". 

I am so excited about this quote, this message and the reminder it is for me daily. Here at Soul Honey we believe good words inspire. That is exactly what Henry Ward Beecher's words did for me. My hope is that this quote does the same for you!

Coming soon in our 2018 Summer releases!

As always, thanks for reading. Soul Honey would not be here without you!

xx,

Abby

Founder and CEO of Soul Honey

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February.

The month of romance, teddy bears, roses and a reminder everywhere you go that you are either in a relationship or are single. It's a funny thing that this month is called the month of love, when practically it encompasses material things given to us by another. The best gift, the biggest bouquet, the best dinner, and so on. Now, with gifts being my love language, I am in no way complaining. I'll take any excuse to get a gift, but I have found myself reflecting recently that love is so much more than the reasons listed above. 

I was working on new shirt designs and kept finding that the quotes I never can seem to let go of all encompass the world love. "What is done in love is done well", "do small things with great love", "love more", etc. Now why do these consistently sell well? I believe it's because love is something we all want and desire. 

However, the most important thing to look at is that love is so much more than a Nicholas Sparks movie or that high school romance you had. Below, I'm attempting to debunk the cliches we constantly are told that love is and prove to you that either if you are single or in a relationship, this month of love is much more than just having a significant other.

Love is sitting in the waiting room eagerly awaiting the arrival of your first granddaughter. Love is helping your elderly neighbor clean out the gutters. Love is forgiving those who did you wrong. Love is comforting your hurting best friend. Love is caring more about another than yourself. Love is swing dancing the night away with that boy you have had a crush on forever. Love is when you lose track of time with your best friends eating a large pizza while binge watching Gilmore Girls. Love is a humanitarian trip overseas to build a well so children can have clean water. Love is that feeling of butterflies deep in your stomach when you see the one you adore. Love is the smile you give a stranger when you walk by. Love is taking a warm plate of chocolate chip cookies to your local Fire Station to thank them for their service. Love is giving someone the one thing you can't get back, your time. Love is staying up late playing cards with your family. Love is putting effort into a relationship even when it feels like you don't have enough time. Love is coaching your children's soccer team. Love is getting outside, hiking a mountain and appreciating the fact that you have a healthy body to enjoy this beautiful world we live in. Love is working full time to provide for your family or staying home all day to care for your children. Love is cuddling up at night with the pup who could not wait for you to get home. Love is kind and patient and all encompassing. 

Now don't get me wrong. Love is, of course, looking into the eyes of the one you have vowed to spend the rest of your life with, but that just scratches the surface. 

Whether single or in a relationship, may this month be full of LOVE. Not just the love cupid brings, but the love that can be found in the day to day. May we be loving to others, because as The Beatles said it first, "All you need is love." 

Happy February friends! 

xx,

Abby

Hi! My name is Chloe and I work in the fulfillment department at Soul Honey. My favorite thing about Soul Honey is the positive influence it has on people. It is truly incredible to witness the impact an encouraging quote can have on someone. Every time I wear my Soul Honey apparel (which is pretty much every day) I get complimented and asked where it’s from. It is a huge blessing to share the mission and vision of Soul Honey with those around me. 

My favorite Soul Honey quote comes from former President Ronald Reagan. The quote reads, “Live Simply, Love Generously, Care Deeply, Speak Kindly.”  

Live Simply:

One aspect of living simply is enjoying the little things. What I have come to realize is with having multiple jobs, two dogs, and being pregnant with our first child, it is easy to lose sight of the little things. My guess is you feel the same way. Right now, the little things in my life are decorating our house for Christmas and our Tuesday night tradition of eating dinner on the couch while watching This Is Us. In the midst of a world that tries to teach us life is about exotic vacations, fancy cars, and Instagram likes, I strive to live simply. 

Love Generously:

This world needs love. Desperately. We’re talking extravagant, no strings attached, “what’s gotten into you?” type of love. We have the opportunity to show love in a wide variety of ways. A smile or “hello” can make someone’s day. Holding the door open or simply letting someone know you’re thinking about them portrays generous love.  There are countless opportunities to love generously every day. Generous love also includes those who may not necessarily deserve it. :)

Care Deeply:

Why is it so hard to share the genuine, raw, unedited version of ourselves on social media? Because we care deeply. Unfortunately, we care deeply about what others think of us, rather than us caring deeply about others. Our culture needs more people who genuinely care about others and put their needs first. Caring often means sacrificing something for the good of the other person. Who in your life needs to know they are loved and cared for?

Speak Kindly:

Words are powerful. What comes out of our mouths has the ability to build up and tear down. My love language is words of affirmation, so words mean everything to me. Harsh words from elementary school still play in the back of my mind. However, the opposite it also true. A kind word can stick with someone for the rest of their lives. Let’s challenge ourselves to speak kindly to others and seek to build up rather than tear down.  

My hope is this quote speaks truth into your life. And furthermore, that you would use it to speak truth into someone else’s life. Soul Honey’s mission is to create quality clothing with a positive message. May the words on our clothing be the Honey for your Soul!

Small Business Saturday

I remember taking an economics class in high school where I learned all about big business vs. small business, products made in the USA vs. companies that import goods, and I don't think I ever really grasped it all until I launched Soul Honey. 

Shopping Small is so much more than just going to your local grocery store or boutique. It's supporting a business that is often passed down through generations, which was started from nothing by hard working men and women that had a dream and vision, who risked everything and went for it. Every purchase, big or small they see and are thankful for. I don't know about you, but those are the kind of business I want to support!

In the first year of Soul Honey, I did it all. Designs, emails, fulfillment, which meant I interacted with every single order. Now I have people that work for me so I don't personally package every order, but I still personally check every one that comes in. I see when we have orders from a brand new customer or a customer that is placing their 8th order. They all get me just as excited as the first order I ever received! I am so thankful that you all love Soul Honey enough that you use your hard earned money to support our mission of spreading kind, good words. You are the heartbeat behind the brand!

Enjoy this Holiday Season with your loved ones and don't forget to shop small! You'll never know the happy dance that business owner will do. 

XX,

Abby