Find Your Why!
Yes, first blog ever! I wanted to start a small blog to, in a way, share my experience of running this amazing little business and to hopefully share some advice to some. To start, the last thing I ever pictured myself doing was running a business. Being an entrepreneur? No way! I would rather go to work for someone else, do my day’s work, come home and be free. I didn’t want to be bothered. I didn’t want the worry feeling about bringing work to home. Luckily, as time went on, you get to learn more about yourself, how you want to live your life, and what’s important to you.
I knew that something was missing and I couldn’t figure out what it was. It was time for me to start digging into who I was. Every week, every month, every day was the same for me. Being a mommy of two, attempting house chores, getting ready for the new week, would all fill up my weekends from top to bottom. There was no time left for myself. Every Monday, I would get a headache, with no fail, and would always forget to pack painkillers because it was the last thing on my mind. This couldn’t be it for me. It just couldn’t. Your body is smart; pay attention to it.
At the beginning of 2018, one of my buddies casually sent me a message about a free personality test and that she wanted me to take it. She liked to keep a list of all of her friends’ personality types. She is cool for doing just that in addition to so many other things. I took the test and found out I have one of the rarest personality types out there. This opened up a huge door. It was an “Ah-ha!” moment. It was the perfect beginning of the year and I started doing my research as to what this new realization meant for me. This lead me to quite a few resources that I will write about later. I delved into my past, remembering all that I enjoyed as a child. I always imagined myself teaching and loving to paint and draw, but being a teacher was not an option for me; not an introvert favorite. If there was one thing that I had extreme difficulty with, it was standing in front of a group of people. Oh, the anxiety! Painting and drawing seemed a lot better, but what could I possibly do with these? The last time I drew or painted must have been in high school.
I was listening to a podcast episode one day and came across an interview with Carly Cylinder, The Flower Chef, and how she got started on her path as a Florist. I looked her up and started following her on Instagram. One of her posts especially stood out to me. It was a picture with her and another florist. She wasn’t just another florist, she was a Paper Florist. Her name is Margie Keates, owner of The Lovely Ave located in Salt Lake City, Utah. Her flowers looked so real and gorgeous. A light bulb turned on over my head. This was something I needed to try. It presented a sense of excitement, it awakened the joy of creating, and the feeling of butterflies and nerves swirling in my belly. This feeling grew and manifested into the thought that maybe this is something I could possibly do. I ended up reaching out to Margie for some advice. She was super pleasant and helpful. One piece of advice that stood out from her to know you why. Know your why!
My why was very important. Why did I want to make a change? I had a stable job, that helped make my family more than secure. I was doing great, but was this worth being a human robot? Was it worth being mentally absent and upset towards my family? Was it worth not taking care of myself? Knowing your why makes your decision much clearer. It was clear to me. My why, I realized is to bring happiness and smiles to people’s lives and to personally have a sense of purpose, to be happy with myself by doing the things I love. Hopefully this can translate into being a good example to my two little ones, showing them that anything is possible. My mind was set. There was no turning back. Changes were coming and Rosie’s and Lily’s Paper Flowers was born. This was a huge step taking into consideration that I don’t know how to do this, where to take it, how to grow a business, or not knowing what the future holds. It’s about taking a step forward to being you and being happy. It’s definitely a big sacrifice, but the sacrifices are all worth it. Fears shouldn’t be an anchor. This is something I would have to get used to, but I’m ready for it. I hope to deliver lots of beautiful flowers and smiles wherever I can. Change is good!
Love,
Rosie