It’s been quite sometime since I have blogged. Not because I haven’t had much to say, but simply because there has been much going on. New business venture, a very busy energetic 3 year old to keep up with, and trying to make a schedule that never seems to stay in tact. 🙂
2012 was filled with various highs and lows. I started an online store and also became part of a health and wellness center all in the first few days of the New Year. It felt like new goals and dreams were being conquered very quickly!! I was on fire and extremely excited!! By the end of the year my online store was pretty dormant, which ended up leading me to other venues to sell my products; and the owner of the health and wellness center passed away suddenly leaving her family to decide to close the center.
Ginger’s Wellness Center was a one of a kind place in Southern California which received some great reviews! I’ve wanted to open a wellness center since 2004 when I had endured some extreme health issues, and outside of family, Ginger was the first person I shared my ideas and plans with. We started to merry our ideas together for something better we could bring the clientele. We found we had very similar goals which worked great. No need to compete and do something on your own when you can do it better working with a like-minded individual.
Mid-year I decided to head to Raleigh to help my sister with my niece. I thought it would only be for a few months at most. It’s now January and I’m grateful for being able to live a life that provides great flexibility! It appears that I may head back home in the next few weeks, which leaves me strong mixed feelings. Every moment with my niece has been a great joy! I wouldn’t trade this time we have had together for anything! This further makes my impending departure all that much more difficult. On the other hand I’m looking forward to having more space for my work and being in a part of the country that tends to put me in my healthy zone. Soon my sister and family will be relocating closer to me which brings me a blessed feeling with being able to have the best of both worlds!
So this all has led me to do a lot of personal evaluating ~ my life, my business, etc. What are my goals? What is truly important to me?
The other day my 3 year old niece said something to me which gave me a flashback to when her mom said something similar about 15 years ago. It was about my work. There was one Saturday back in 1997 where I had asked my sister if she wanted to go into the office to help me get a few things done and then we would go have some fun. (It should be noted that my sister is 16 years younger than I, so she was in grade school at this time.) She agreed and handled making all of the copies that I needed for a project. I was so proud of her for a job well done I asked if she thought she would want a job like mine when she was older. She very matter of fact told me, “No, you work all the time.” Something I thought I was doing to set a good example ended up backfiring.
Fast forward to 15 years later. I now run my own business, in fact, I have several business ventures going on. One of them is a online gift store and my niece loves to announce how she is helping me pack orders. However, the other day she decided it was time to stop working and go to the park. I told her I had a few things that needed to be finished first. Without hesitating she told me, “No, stop working auntie!” Such a simple statement but it woke me up to realizing what she was experiencing. I left the advertising world to get away from the long stressful hours. And while starting your own business does require a lot of time and attention, with different stresses, it’s important to find a much needed balance.
I think one of the biggest challenges with being a new entrepreneur is that we tend to spread ourselves too thin, especially in the early stages. Whether it’s feeling like we have to balance all of the tasks on our own, or busy making sure we have multiple streams of income so when one avenue is quiet something else is coming in to help with living expenses, there is constantly a lot of consider. In fact, this was a huge eye opener for me in December. As I went through a rigorous approval process for some of my items to be sold on a large venue, I realized it’s time to hire a professional photographer so I could focus on other aspects of my business. I was handling all tasks, including the product photography, over the past year, but it was taking me a lot more time with not having the proper space and tools. This turns out to be a win-win for me and the other person looking for work.
This entire process started unfolding in 2009 when I began working towards opening my wellness center I drew up in 2004. I decided I could start with training to become a Life Coach, one of the services I wanted to implement in my wellness center. During my Life Coach training I learned about Buteyko, a natural drug-free way to relieve asthma and other respiratory illnesses. This was something very close to my heart with the asthma complications I dealt with most of my life, and was anxious to find relief. I enrolled in Patrick McKeown’s amazing program to not only learn the Buteyko process but to also become an practitioner so I could work with patients. I felt this would be another wonderful program to offer at my wellness center since our breathing is the core of our wellness. When we learn to breathe properly (who knew there was such a thing) it starts an immediate healing process. I told many people that after taking the Buteyko course I finally understood meditation. I understood what it meant to clear all thoughts from our mind and be present in all you do.
I then seen a Facebook post the other day that really resonated with me. We all have probably heard and seen a similar statement at some point of our life, but this time it hit me very deeply. It said when your inside is balanced and happy the outside will automatically fall in line to show the same. Every aspect of our body is a blueprint of our overall wellbeing. What people see of our outward appearance and actions is a key of how we are feeling inside.
I remember when I became really healthy in 2001 just before my Australia trip in August. I was pretty happy in my life. The weight I decided to take time to lose literally melted away without much work. I could take a 1-2 hour nap and be down 5 lbs! Without knowing about Buteyko I had managed to get off of all of my medication, including the rescue inhaler! I was absolutely elated. That was my first realization that weight loss and good health did not have to be difficult.
So this year my goal is to focus on more balance in my life and work through the blueprint that worked for me so well so I can share it with others who are interested. I invite you to follow me on my journey over the coming months. I look forward to reading your comments and feedback along the way.
Happy New Year my friends!! I wish you great health, happiness and prosperity throughout 2013!!
Sláinte!!!
Empowered Journeys 