It's been a whirlwind year for me. The biggest change was joining with my good friend Kimberly as a co-owner of Simple 66 Stuff. She had started the company earlier and asked me to join her at the end of 2012. I had admired and envied her for doing something she loved, and I wanted to do the same. I quickly decided to jump on board, and I have never regretted that decision.
What I've learned about myself this year ...
I do not like to blog on a regular basis or only write about a particular topic. At the beginning of the year, we had big plans about posting on our website. Our target was three set weekly segments, with others added as needed. That did not happen. Kimberly was already the blogger, but I didn't blog regularly. I posted on my personal blog, but it was never very often. A person doesn't go from barely blogging to writing multiple times weekly without some problems. Or, atleast, this girl didn't. It was a real eye opener for me because I love to write, but I became stressed about every single piece and deadline. It made me crazy! Blog became a bad word around here. So, I stopped. I should have done that sooner, but I'm a people pleasing perfectionist. What a great combo! I'm so glad I finally let myself quit. If something isn't working out, it's okay to reevaluate the situation and change your plan. And it's okay to just say no. That's a huge lesson for me. Now, I only write when I want to write, and I only write what I want to write. It's helped me recapture my joy of writing again.
Focus, focus, focus. One of the drawbacks of having three weekly segments on the blog was that it ate up all my time and diverted my attention away from what I needed to be doing ... designing, creating, listing, and marketing. I have a lot of other things I do in my life, so my business can't take up all my time. Blogging was cutting into the precious time I needed to be doing those other things to help the business thrive. To tell you the truth, I felt like I really floundered around for a while trying to find my balance and focus. I was having a hard time finding my "brand", my thing. Did I want to be a super blogger? A clever organizer? Another Martha Stewart? A home improvement person extraordinaire? A repurposer? What was I exactly? I had no focus as I was bouncing between too many things. I love knitting and repurposing, I really do. But, it wasn't until I started making jewelry again that things started to click. When I bought my first metal stamp set and starting playing around, I knew I had found my passion. I love almost everything about working with metal. I adore manipulating the raw material into something new, creating a piece that someone will cherish, and seeing the smiles or the tears "when I get it right and even better than they imagined". The upside of a little dabbling and lack of focus was that I finally hit on something that I truly love. Does this mean I won't be knitting or repurposing? No, I'll still be doing those things too, but those things won't take such a large portion of my time.
Use your passion to make a difference. I've always wanted to use my talents to help others. I've lent my photography to various things in the past, but I've wanted to do so much more. At the end of the summer, it dawned on me that I could use those skills in a way that might benefit others. In September, I contacted my cousin to see if it was okay to design a piece in honor of her brother who lost his life to suicide. She was raising money for her team who was participating in the Out of the Darkness campaign for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. I was very honored to have a local shop owner feature this item for sale. Since then, I've added two more "cause" tags to our online Etsy store. One to help a local couple raise money to bring their adopted daughter home from the Democratic Republic of Congo and another that helps a group of beautiful mamas in Africa learn a skill to help better themselves and support their families. I'm very proud of these items, and I'm humbled that my work can help someone else, even if it's in a very small way. I have these three photos on my design board. They are remind me that I CAN make a difference.
I have been blessed with these talents and the means to use them, so I want to make sure I use them for good. The goal I'm setting for myself this next year is to dream BIG, and I can't wait to see what happens. I'm going to try to be a positive change, no matter if it's in my own home or a world away.
These are all important lessons that I've learned over the past year. I'm so thankful that I was given the opportunity to join Simple 66 Stuff and that Kimberly saw something in me that I didn't see in myself. I'm incredibly grateful to my family and friends who have been supportive during this new adventure. As I embark on this new year, I'll keep these lessons close to my heart, and I look forward to seeing where this new year will take me. One last thing I'd like you to ponder. Is there is something that you want to try but haven't yet? If so, what are you waiting for? Jump right in, and do what you love. I can't begin to tell you how good it feels.
