Imagine Your Perfect Day

This post was inspired by an exercise I found at Silly Grrl Design and Circus. Her website is truly amazing! Check out the post that inspired the one you are about to read, The Escape: Imagine Your Perfect Day.


My Perfect Day...

I wake up with the sunshine, no alarm clocks.
I make coffee and go to morning yoga or Pilates.
I come home, shower, get dressed for the day.

I go to my shop (Columbia Upcycle), where I am surrounded by creativity. I spend my day looking at the treasures customers bring in for exchanges. I get to make unique things, write tutorials and blog about it. I get to meet people who share a love for things that are vintage and a love for crafting. I am always on my own time. There is no boss to correct my work. There is no one to report to. I feel a sense of calm and excitement. There is no stress. There are no deadlines. I play music all day and sing along in my store. I make enough money to pay all of my bills on time. I have enough money for my family to take vacations. I don't have to borrow money from others just to make it to my next paycheck. My family is happy.

I come home to my husband, our son and our crazy Chiweenies (Ok, sometimes the puppies spend the day at the shop with me). We have healthy meals and a clean house. We all talk about how great our days were. We are all happy.

In the future there are more children, who spend the day at the shop with me until they go off to pre-school. I always make my own schedule, so I never miss a field trip or class party. I will never again drive an hour or more to work. My shop is close to the kids' schools and to our home.

Ahh, what a perfect day!

I have to be honest, when I first starting writing this post, I had every minute of the day planned out. For example: "8am: wake up, 9am-10am: yoga, 10am-10:30am: breakfast". I wrote out my whole day and then I said "NO". This is exactly the kind of life I am trying to escape. I do not want every moment of my day scheduled. I do like some structure, but the anxiety of trying to meet a deadline every half hour has taken its toll on me.

So, this is my perfect day. What's yours?

Three Personal Qualities Needed to Thrive During the Start Up of a Small Business

Starting a small business is hard work! 

Starting a small business 120 miles from where you live is even harder work!

Spending everyday doing something you love...worth all of the hard work!

I have identified three personal qualities needed to thrive during the start up of a small business:

• Patience: Extraordinary things take time and hard work, it won't happen over night. I try to be patient and enjoy the little things about starting a business (like designing business cards and organizing inventory). It is important to enjoy every step in the process, sit back, and take a deep breath. 

• Faith in Yourself: You are awesome. You are smart. You have an amazing plan. You can do this. No one is a harsher critic on my work than I am, but this time, the most important person on my team is myself. This is my dream, this is my goal. If I am not believing in myself 100%, it will be hard for others to do the same. 

• Determination: Keep on keeping on. Marketing, social networking, event planning...every little step is one step closer to your goal. It all matters. Just because something did not go as well as you planned doesn't mean it was not a success. Every person who knows about your business matters. Every business card you hand out matters. Every "like" on Facebook matters. Smile. You will be a success. 

I am always looking for small business tips. Do you have any helpful tips or links? I would love to hear from you!