The first time I remember leading others I was 9 years old.
The first time I sold something I was 10 years old.
The first time I made a piece of jewelry I was 12 years old.
The last time I stopped dreaming was never.
I will be 32 years of age soon, and the desire to run my own business and make a difference in the lives of others has never changed. It has always sat at the depths of my heart to inspire, lead, create, employ, and earn a living doing it all.
I have had a feeling that something is beginning to peek. So the last 48 hours I have reflected on my journey and what actions I have taken that have landed me at where I am now. Turns out I have some tips to share for those who need some inspiration.
This weekend I will be launching a crowd-funding campaign on Indiegogo to raise money for my jewelry business. Getting to this point has taken a lot of guts for me. Why guts? Because I am afraid that no one will fund my campaign. But I'm still going to do it anyway. Even with the fear of "This is all pointless, why am I making a film about my jewelry if no one will fund my project?" Even with that thought looping in my knuckle-headed-brain I still kept going. I kept creating. Even in moments of frustration, tears, fears, doubts, as well as life-shattering moments of inspiration, my hands kept moving. Don't take your eyes off the prize.
Over the last 2 months I have recorded video footage of my studio, designs, and reached out to musicians to get the song rights to use their music and was disappointed by the responses. I researched crowd-funding platforms of the successful and failed campaigns that others have done. I have completed an online business school. Sketched out loads of jewelry collections, and contemplated the direction that I'm taking myself and my own business (that is a heavy feeling). The results of my video, the song that my friend beautifully created for me, and all my collections have turned out better than I imagined. After the crazy-thought-storms that I have endured, now I can HARDLY wait to release it all to the world!
In the meantime, my reflections have produced these tips for you...
Retrain yourself
Most people talk about doing stuff, I just do it. I am the queen of taking action. Even in the midst of that feeling of it-is-impossible. BUT It has not always been that way. It took a year of retraining myself to shut up and get going. Ironically it is easier to do than most people think. There came a day that I was tired of talking to my friends about my dreams; I finally heard my own broken record, and enough was enough. For the sake of changing my conversations I decided to take action. Instead of saying things like, "I'd love to have, do, or be _____ some day," my sentences began sounding like, "Guess what I just did," or "Check out what I made," and "I can't hang out next weekend, but come see me at my jewelry show..."
Many peeps are simply unwilling to get uncomfortable. When you're afraid of doing something, that's almost a sure sign that YOU SHOULD DO IT. If it doesn't scare you then forget it. It seems ass backwards, but its not. It's beautiful.
The book that shotgunned me out of my crap-habit was Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway. It's an oldy but a goody. I reference it often.
Keep going + let the dots connect themselves
Every action you take, conversation you have (the good, the bad, and the ugly), place that you go, person you meet, book you read, picture you stare at, songs you listen to on repeat, place you daydream about, and desire you have, it all leads to something. It is not all for nothing. There is a big fat load of trust that you must have. Looking back on my 32 years, I can see how the dots have connected. Socially awkward conversations that taught me how to be confident. Putting up with bosses that probably shouldn't have employees. Working as a contractor so I could understand the pro's and con's and later relate to others in similar fields. Working in a large office with other women so I could make connections and friendships that have made me smile in moments I needed it. Even things that don't seem important or pivotal, somehow I see that they are now and were then.
I would highly recommend that you stop and reflect often about your dots. It gives you fuel and gratitude for what is coming next. Just trust.
Stop resisting what you love
One of my biggest fears was that I am too motivational. I am an annoying positive-polly. What I actually discovered was that I am a visionary and I get really excited about ideas. When I embraced that, I could see my gifts as clear as day: a) I see what is possible when others don't, and b) My view is not short-sighted, I can see how big a dream can actually become.
These gifts are as much a part of me as my freckled skin. I'm stuck with them and they're stuck on me. Forever. Unless a horrible accident should occur to where my skin were too... (I don't even want to think about what accidents could occur), but still... you know, genetics. So yup, freckles will remain forever.
It is not important for others to accept you, but that you accept yourself. <-That's a life changer.
Put a cap on complaints
My attitude towards my full time job has sucked. In fact it has sucked at some point with every job I have had. I have a cycle of getting to a point where the level of hate for my job pushes me towards my dream instead of having my dream pull me. This is a fresh, brand new lesson by the way. Thanks to Pintrest last week I came across this Ralph Waldo Emmerson quote that slapped me across the face.
It has become blatantly obvious that my next move must be to fully run my own business. No more looking for another j.o.b. Instead I am letting my dreams pull and excite me.
Take action + trust
I have already said this, but it needs repeating. Just do it. Mess up. Do it again and again and again. Trust. Trust. TRUST. You may end up realizing you need to change your game plan or that what you thought you wanted to do really is not what you want to do. That is ok. I have done that hundreds of times over that last 5 years. It doesn't hurt. I promise. You are allowed to change your mind!
Whatever you do, don't stop doing! (Unless you are truly exhausted and need to rest for the sake of your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. You'll learn how to do that overtime, but you'll fail at that too. And that's ok.) When you keep going (even when you don't want to) and you follow through, it turns out that you impress yourself and that feels SO good.
Do something because you said you would. Then see what happens. (It's magical.)
That's it my friends. Just go do what you want to do.
Sign up for my Newsletter and get my Indiegogo video the day I launch it!
No comments:
Post a Comment