When I started my journey as an entrepreneur, I never imagined how hard things could be. I never thought about the issues that I may be faced with. All I knew was that I was ready and capable of manifesting my dreams. Perhaps the hardest thing I did was start. We are all aware there is no such thing as the perfect time, and so we must make the decision to begin anyway.
I have taught myself to focus my energy on my goals, not on my failures. It wasn’t easy at first. I would take criticism to heart, and if a customer was difficult it would suck the life out of me. I had to learn how to let go. To listen, improve, and keep moving forward. During 2014, I had countless reasons to give up. I was 3 years into business and although I was succeeding, I felt as though everything was an up hill climb. I was exhausted. I knew I could have walked away that year, but I didn’t. There was nothing else in life that I would rather succeed at or struggle with. I was far more afraid of turning my back on my dreams then I could ever be living them. Looking back now, I see how all those trials helped me create a better business.
I learned to trust myself more and connect with my customers. So now when I have a day that tests me, I choose to look for the lessons and grow. There is something so magical about the business I have created. Enriching the lives of families everyday keeps me motivated. It’s an incredible feeling. This all came from something as simple as a love of drawing, and a passion to connect with people. I didn’t wait until I had tens of thousands of dollars to start. I didn’t have a loan or business partner, I just had an unwavering faith that this was exactly what I was supposed to do with my life. I don’t believe that these dreams accidentally came to me, and hold myself responsible for bringing them to life.
I encourage everyone to not only believe in their dreams, but to never give up on them. Especially during laborious times. Like me, you may only be steps aways from the end of the up hill climb, but you will never know unless you keep moving forward.
