As I sit here… Pinot Grigio at arm’s length I am analyzing my life. In a good way. I think that everyone should stand back and take a good look at themselves. We all get so caught up with the day to day routine that we start to blur the lines between what we should be doing to succeed and what we are doing to “get by.”

I for one have taken a drastic step recently. I decided to start pulling back on the amount of actual styling that I am doing in the salons. I will of course continue to take my private clients but by making this choice I am able to focus on the direction and drive of my company. Christopher Macken Concepts has never been stronger. With that being said it was still not easy to make this move. I have had such a great “income” from the salon that I was too afraid to steer away from it. The catch is that the salon was only allowing me to grow to a certain level. Time to branch out! Time to reach for that golden ring; latch on to it, and run for every goal I have ever had. If you had told me 10 years ago that I would have a cosmetic line, a clothing line, and an advertising company all by the age of 28 I would not have believed it could happen.

You see I have a problem of never taking a moment to pat myself on the back. You always have to do that. Congratulate yourself! Tell yourself that it has been a job well done. Look, the fact is that we have one life! One legacy! Work hard and go about your dreams the right way. Be kind to people, treat them as equals, and give yourself all the credit you deserve! Now don’t get me wrong… I am far from being done reaching for that Golden Ring. Far from it. I have many many goals and things I have in the works as I sit here! Christopher Macken is on a role! And I owe a lot of it to the people in my life! I have mention JE and M before. I would like to tell you about another friend of mine that has always been able to light a fire under me….

….I am very inspired by the people around me to do well. I agree with the notion that like people are attracted to each other. One of my best Friends in the WORLD is a person that we will call EROCK. She is beautiful, smart, very well connected and lives in Florida. She and I met during one of our many ideas to further ourselves. I met this person that inspired me so much and swore I would never let her go. I have not seen her in some time however we still stay in very close contact. She moves me to reach for the stars and strive for the best. Because she does the same thing in her life.

….Another very important person in my life is the “Georgia Version” of Erock. She too drives me. We had a fabulous lunch today. Discussing everything from how busy we have been to how much we mean to each other. let’s see… …we will refer to her as Nell. Even though she is far from the portrayal of the Mountain raised woman in the movie that we have all seen. Quite the opposite to be honest. She, along with all of my friends truly want the best for me and nothing more from me. She is a driven, powerful and talented woman that always puts others first.

I have so many people that inspire me like this and couldn’t begin to name them all. Most of all is my Mother. She needs no introduction other than the fact that she has made me the person that I am and Love her for that! She has believed in me, pushed me, empowered me, and loved me at all the important times in my life! Love you MOM.

My point of telling you all this is that it is important to surround yourself with people who equally want the same things you do. This can be very difficult because jealousy can creep in. Don’t let it. Be happy for your friends’ successes and help them to overcome their failures. Anything worth having isn’t easily achieved and never worth experiencing alone. Always keep your friends closer than your enemies! They will always have your back and inspire you when your enemies will anger you and bring out all of the negative thoughts and feelings that never promote your best self!

It is true that I am far from where I want to be, I have made a promise to myself to stop now and again and give myself a pat on the back and say “job well done”. I promise myself that I will call that friends that I miss more often and tell them how much they mean to me.

Hope all of this helps some people. Please leave me a comment. let me know what you think. I would love your feedback. And if you make good points I will copy and paste them in the next blog. Thank you all for taking the time to look at my blog, this simple Georgia Boy is grateful!

Thank you all and much love,
Christopher Macken

PS— “M”, “JE”, “Nell” and “EROCK” you all simply HAVE to meet! Addiction! to each other! LOVE YOU ALL!