We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lily Mathews a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Lily, thrilled to have you on the platform as I think our readers can really benefit from your insights and experiences. In particular, we’d love to hear about how you think about burnout, avoiding or overcoming burnout, etc.
It took a lot for me to come to a place where I had to tell myself “you have been doing and are doing enough ”
Ever since I was a little girl I have always been an overachiever, a competitive go-geter and have always pushed the limits on what I can do.
That carried onto my personal life as I grew up and then my parenting. I will say that this mentality and strenght were vital when it came to achieving the goals my husband and I had when we started our family and 1st business.
He is just as an overachiever, if not more. Together we ran with what we had and now are reaping the fruit of our labor.
What a lot of people don’t talk about enough is the middle ground of that hard work. The “maintenance ” stage of a goal. Once you get your foot in the door or start that new business is when the real work starts.
There will be times where having a work/life balance will simply not be a possibility. This stage is where you build character and perfect your craft.
Avoiding burnout after being in the “maintenance” stage of our businesses is something that we started taking seriously a few years ago. Never losing sight on why you started, family time and time to completely disconnect are vital.
Communication with your spouse or whoever you’re working with is super important. Let them know your feelings and if you’re feeling overwhelmed BEFORE you get to a place where it’s unbearable. There is always a way to move things around or someone willing to help you.
Spending time in nature has been huge in my life. This is where I typically get lost and it does the body and soul good. Plus it’s free and always at your disposal.
If taking time off isn’t an option, which I completely understand, then fall in love with a morning or evening ritual time. For me it’s those quiet mornings with a coffee before the world tries to get a hold of me. You need to set boundaries and set moments just for you that are non negotiable.
I never felt more complete than I do now and all thanks to being able to reconnect with myself and avoid emotional chaos. I am a happy wife, mother, friend, homemaker, business owner and creative because of these changes I made in my life.
Self care and self love is so important to me now that I pour this passion into my passion project, Be Still Candle. The main focus is reminding the world to slow down and Be Still. Even if it’s just for a moment. I’ve been on the other side of achieving my goals and I can honestly tell you, that all that success will mean nothing if you don’t have internal peace. Life is too short to constantly live in a state of rush.
Here’s a little reminder from Be Still Candle: A moment of stillness a day, keeps the burnout away.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am currently expanding the range of stillness my candle brand offers. Be Still candle is centered around mindfulness and stillness.
I hope to continue to offer my clients more ways to introduce calmness into their lives. Our candles are very unique and truly a calming experience. It fills my heart entirely when people share their experience and share the peacefulness they feel when using our candles.
Be Still Candle is currently in 2 retail stores in our beautiful city, San Diego and in talks with possibly adding a few more.
My hopes are that more people feel and experience Be Still Candle in person and retail spaces allow us to do just that.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Focus, it takes great mental power to tune out the outside noise. There will always be someone trying to discourage or question you. Don’t pay any attention to that. Worry about getting ahead and closer to your goal.
Put yourself out there. Noone will know about you unless you’re putting yourself, your work, your art or anything you do out there. I personally have been very shy in the past but had to understand that if I wanted people to trust my brand they needed to trust me first. Tell your story and the story of your business. Social media is a great way to do this. There is a lot of power in it. There is so many tools like Instagram reels, Chatgpt, LinkedIn, YouTube, X, Facebook groups and so many more that have the audience you are looking for and that would love to know more about what you offer.
Put yourself out there and if it gets intimidating just know you will get better the more you do it.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
I go to my wholesome place. For me it’s being with my husband and two beautiful boys. Getting away or doing something simple with them fuels me. Being in the moment and simply realizing it is all OK. Family is everything for me.
In instance that I find myself in a place where I MUST tend to certain things and there’s no way around it. I organize my thoughts and my days. I prioritize 1-3 things for each day. I always get to the most important things first then move on to the next. You simply can’t get to it all at the same time.
We complicate life so much sometimes that we forget that our time on this earth is limited.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Bestillcandle.com
- Instagram: Bestillcandle
Image Credits
Briana Lee photography
San Diego photographer
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
