We are well into January and I'm still thinking about resolutions.
It's something I kind of do all year really, always striving to do more, do better.
It's a curse, and I know I'm not suffering alone with it either.
I feel you out there. Making plans, maybe even purchasing a few tools to get them going, and then letting life get in the way of actually setting aside the time it's going to take to launch.
Generally speaking I'm actually quite good at accomplishing the things I set out to do, but there are still a many many areas of that need some work.
Because I think I am seen to be a bit of a "do-er" however, I get asked often how I get so much done. I get asked questions like "How did you know that would be a good idea?", or "What made you so confident it would work?", or "How did you know where to start?".
I'm going to tell you something right now that would shock a lot of bank managers.
I didn't. I don't know. I just started.
Here's my secret.
I have been blessed with the blind confidence that if I put my mind to something, I can make it happen. I dunno. Maybe I've watched Field of Dreams so many times, there's a whispery little cornfield in my ear repeating "If you build it, they will come" so often it's become my mantra.
I get an idea, I tell myself I can do it, and I. Just. Do. It.
Sometimes I try it on for size by actually telling people about what I AM doing, even before I AM doing it. Then I kinda HAVE to do it, and so I DO.
Is that nuts?
That's a bit nuts, but by golly Miss Molly that shit works.
And that's what I mean about "your story".
Those little things you tell yourself, or others that, good or bad, eventually become reality. Some call it "self fulfilling prophecy", and I'm here to tell you it's the real deal. The only problem is, more often than not we are telling ourselves the wrong things to be successful. We start writing the wrong stories.
Stories like "I'm not a morning person", or "I'm so disorganized", or (and this is one of the worst) "I can't do that".
The key to being a successful person, and reaching your goals is to flip the switch on this crap talk. I can't make you a morning person (I'm not one either, but I sure can fake it), but I can help you become a "I am really productive between the hours of 1pm and 6pm" person.
"I'm so disorganized"? Flip that sucker on it's bum and bing bang boom, we've got "I use tools like scheduled reminders and label makers for keeping my life in order."
And "I can't"? Well there are just SO many ways of dealing with that one.
My personal favourite is to just remove it from my vocabulary, but I know that's not easy. I believe that everything can be tackled when broken into bite sized bits.
"When eating an elephant, take one bite at a time" (Creighton Abrams).
For me, that means research and lists.
When I first began thinking about opening the shop, I got super excited, followed almost instantly by totally overwhelmed. But I knew I wanted to do it so I had to chop that baby up into tiny little nuggets. Location, Funding, Staff, Product.
And then I broke those nuggets into smaller nugettes like store front on Mill Street, Line of Credit/Family Loans, Tamara/Friends, Local Makers I know, and 3 months later I opened the doors to Hello Yellow (now Cheerfully Made Goods + Markets).
Opening day at Hello Yellow, July 2013
So what do you want to do differently this year?
Write it. Say it. And start making a conscious effort to banish any negative talk from your mind.
You are so powerful.
You've just gotta start using that power for good and good will come.
Me, happier than a pig in sh*t on opening night.
A lot of you seem to have "grow my business" on your list, and some have already begun asking me about upcoming craft shows, specifically Etsy Made in Canada. We WILL be hosting the show again this September (get on our mailing list and stay in the know!) and if this is something you have been dreaming about applying to, I'm going to give you a great tool to DO IT.
Shopper among the crowds at Etsy Made in Canada / Ottawa
It should be noted that you do NOT have to have an Etsy shop to participate in every one of our shows, but for the Etsy: Made in Canada, you do. If you're not especially savvy with technology, opening up an Etsy shop can feel overwhelming. Not to worry, you've got lots of time.
In an effort to help all of us, Etsy has come up with a series of steps and tutorials to help you launch and/or perfect your Etsy shop. It's called Etsy Resolution and this is the 2nd year in a row they've run it.
All you have to do is visit www.etsy.com/ca/resolution, enter your email address, and beginning January 27th your inbox will start receiving little bite sized steps, tips and tricks to both launching, and killing it on Etsy.
No, I am not being paid to endorse the program.
Yes, I have done it myself and, as a result, can attest that it's exactly what you need to get off your wee crafty tush and start selling.
So there you go.
This year's story is going to be different because you're going to take action one step at a time. Whether it's growing your business, or spending more time with your family, or making new connections, or ALL of those things. You can DO it.
I'm here if you need me.
xo Em
