Distractions are all around us. No matter where you look, they are out there. Waiting for you. When I was talking to a friend earlier today about an unrelated topic, she pointed out the obvious. I need to focus, and to help me to do this, I need to be keeping my eyes on the prize.
In the business world, I am seen as a bit confusing, as I have been told I am too diversified. When we talked about this, I explained that I thought it was what I was supposed to be doing, because the moment I declared that my jewellery business, Tish MacWebber Always Blinging would now be officially a hobby for me, someone wanted to buy Book Bling. I took it as a sign, telling me that I was right all along. I thought it meant to keep pushing forward, full speed ahead in all areas.
My friend wisely pointed out I misinterpreted the sign. It wasn’t telling me to keep doing all of the things, but rather, testing my declaration.
WHOA!
Hang on there.
Maybe I was wrong.
In that moment, I realized she was right. The sign wasn’t a sign at all. It was a distraction.
How many times have you misinterpreted a sign?
I can assure you, it is very easy to do. One minute you are feeling great about the choices you have made for the food you have eaten so far that day and the next minute you are looking at the tub of ice cream in your freezer. You didn’t open the freezer to get ice cream, but now that it is staring you in the face, it is the only reason you should have opened the freezer.
Or is it?
What you really opened the freezer for was to get the bag of frozen broccoli out to thaw because you want to make a casserole, and one of the ingredients is broccoli.
But the ice cream is just there. Screaming at you. Insisting that it needs you to eat it right now, so that you can get the instant gratification it always gives you. You imagine yourself eating all of the ice cream, and how happy you will be.
Until you realize that you ate it all and feel awful because you were doing so well and the ice cream DISTRACTED you from your goal. Oh, it is sneaky and mean and it wants you to eat it all every time you open the freezer.
So do you lock the freezer and never open it again?
You could. It is not the practical choice, and truthfully it is not very realistic.
Should you declare to never ever buy ice cream again?
Maybe. But we all know the second you do, your favourite flavour is going to be on an incredible sale the very next time you walk into the grocery store.
What is the right answer?
Focus.
When I open the freezer, I need to focus on the broccoli. The ice cream is only going to be a temporary distraction. Ice cream has its time and place, as a treat, not as an everyday splash into guilty pleasures. As much as I love a bowl of ice cream, I need to remember that I am on a new path where I am being kind to myself.
I need to love myself more than I love ice cream
That right there is a bold statement. The love I have for ice cream is right up there with lobster and pizza. It includes chocolate. To be perfectly honest, there aren’t many foods which I don’t love. The struggle is most certainly real, and when you put broccoli up against ice cream, the broccoli doesn’t stand a chance if I am not committed to my goals.
Broccoli has one thing going for it in this equation. Me. If I choose to get the broccoli and continue making the casserole, I will be preparing a meal which can be the reason I open the freezer for. Healthy food is how I show myself kindness. I need to focus on the short term goals to be able to claim the prize I am aiming for.
I know I will falter from time to time. Being human means I am not perfect, and I will make mistakes. I will be tested and distracted. The point is to not stay there. If you picked up the tub of ice cream because it was on sale, it is going to be there until you eat it. Unless you need to eat your feelings, which is never the positive choice to make but might happen if you get dumped or fired, it is not going to go bad before you eat it. It can stay right where it is because it will be there when you do decide that you want a bowl of ice cream as a treat.
Indulgences are a privilege of being an adult
You are your own boss of your life. So get the broccoli out of the freezer, close the door and act like it. Set your goals, keep your eyes on the prize and focus.
As I am writing, I am also recognizing that I have steadily lost a pound or two in the last few weeks. I weighed in at 313.6 pounds yesterday. I am getting closer to taking the new picture for this blog, the one where I show myself and the world I can and will reach my goals, one pound at a time.
On the verge of a new idea, ready to burst with excitement. It is hard to contain it, to keep the important parts to myself. I cannot wait to reveal what I am working on to the world. Yes, to the world!
It has potential. When my ideas are getting interest within a circle of like-minded people who I trust, I know I am on to something. It could be life changing. If I take the time I need to develop it properly. If I get the support I need from the creative community in the city I live in. The possibilities really are just beyond my grasp, and can expand exponentially, under the right circumstances.
In literal terms, I am sitting at my computer desk, in my home. My home office is a part of my living room, which is centrally located within the floor plan. I have access to my TV and music while I am working, or on a break.
Figuratively, I am not exactly sitting.
I am on a tightrope, way up high, where I can still see the ground and the safety net. From this vantage point, I am on the brink of something new. I can see what is waiting on the other side of the tightrope. There is a place to go from here, with a ribbon to cut upon my arrival.
There are people who support me waiting to hand me the scissors to cut the ribbon when I reach the other side. They are holding balloons, and wearing party hats. Everyone in that space is waiting for me, tentatively holding their breath while they smile through the tough part.
The tough part, well that is on me. I am heading in the right direction, but like the sentence I opened with, I have been here before.
Deja Vu can lead you astray or guide you to where you were meant to be all along.
I have been on the verge of something wonderful before. People can attest to the joy I have when I am working on my dreams. The first time I went down this path, I had everything but a realistic business plan.
A local craft store was closing, and I got the idea to buy it and take over the business. I even had a price tag on what the owner was willing to sell it for. Networking within my community allowed me to meet people and start looking into a new location for my store. I had a vision for the design and layout. The problem, however was that I had no idea how much work and research is needed to create a proper business plan. I didn’t have the necessary support or resources to fund my dream. As a result, my proposal was declined, and that dream died when this happened.
When you pour heart into something, it is a devastating blow when it doesn’t work out. It could have put out the entrepreneurial flame within me. It didn’t, because I wouldn’t let it go out.
My next idea was for Tish’s Treasures.
I decided to forego the business plan this time, and just see what I could do with my love of creating. I wanted to run a jewellery business. The location I started at was very limiting. I went to the local Farmer’s Market and was told I had to sell other items, hand-made, but they would not allow me to sell my jewellery there. There were too many vendors already with jewellery for sale. I got creative, and worked on creating beaded ornaments and suncatchers. I went to craft shows with my full stock, and was thrilled with each and every sale I made.
This business idea was but a hobby, and so it never really turned a profit. When I stopped going to the Farmer’s Market, I would then turn to friends and family to generate income from my hobby. Again, it fizzled out of being an actual business. I began creating jewellery to give to people as gifts, with a custom order from time to time. I do have a few loyal customers, but it was never enough to generate a sustainable income.
Reality is a tough thing to understand as a dreamer.
Don’t get me wrong, I do have a logical side to my brain, along with the creative side. I am always thinking, and sometimes it takes me a while to find my courage to try again. Enter the dream of becoming a published author.
I was inspired to write From Where I am Sitting…A Collection of Cat Tales after working very hard at starting this blog. Again, I did not create a business plan, because cat people would totally get this book, and read it and love it. I am an optimist and a dreamer. It will generate future sales, and I hope it does. I have had success with the book, although not as much as I had hoped for, but the sales are not something which will ever really stop unless it is sold out. What a dream come true that would be, not just for me, but for any author!
After finishing the book, and indie publishing it, I wanted to write a second book. I do have a plan for the books I want to write, and unless this is the first contact you have had with Tish MacWebber, you know I am working on #Tishspiration: The Art of Surprising Yourself. It will be more than a book. It is the foundation on which I am building that tightrope walk on. I am working very hard on a new business plan, based on #Tishspiration. I am still in the development stages, but this time, I am playing on more of a level tightrope.
How are things different this time around?
For starters, I have learned lessons while I have been on this journey. I am finding out what resources are available to me, and I plan to use them to the fullest extent. While I am working on a new concept within #Tishspiration, I am still sticking to my original ideas. My business will not conform to narrow my scope, although I am looking to work with local artists in a very niche setting. There is plenty of room to grow with this idea, and I know where I need to start to get things going.
This time, I will be writing a business plan. I have contacts who will not write it for me but will support me to help me to succeed. This new business does not only help me. It helps other creatives, and the customers I will have who will buy what I am planning to offer. I am learning about my target market, and what I will need to do to get the idea to sprout from a dream into a garden. (Again, speaking figuratively here).
This time, I have a lot more information, and experience to guide my path. I need to focus, look straight ahead, hold out my arms to keep my balance, and dance my way across that tightrope. With the right plan of action, there is only one outcome that I will allow to happen. Fearless Success. Who knows, I just may surprise myself with another source of…
Hello Treasure Seekers! I have news for you, and it is all good! I have finished the Jewellery Brand makeover Bootcamp, and I have had some wonderful new ideas come to mind.
I have been struggling to find a way to move my jewellery business here, to the website, in my online store, the Boutique (Coming soon!) Part of the reason was that I wasn’t sure how to remove my jewellery line from the store my friend offered space in. I was nervous to ask her about it because I didn’t want to have it be a reason for any hurt feelings. My friend was totally fine with my decision, and I think she was ready for me to make a change. I have been talking about adding it to the website store, and now I am closer to making that happen. I was happy that my friend is being supportive of me in this. I appreciated the time that my jewellery was for sale in her store, but as I have not had a large number of sales, I think we both knew it was time for me to try something different.
Next, I had to think about the Branding. I want it here, but there is so much time and thought spent already in my Author Branding. Tish’s Treasures just doesn’t seem to fit with the new website. I thought about different names, and combinations of names to make the launch of the online store fresh, and new. A part of me is sad to let go of the name Tish’s Treasures. Deep down, I knew that I was going to have to do this, though.
Before this Bootcamp, I never gave it any real thought, of how to do this. But I knew that it was what I wanted to do, despite experts telling me that it should be one or another, not both passions sharing the same website. I joined a thread within the Bootcamp, based on branding. I worked through my thoughts and ideas with one of the admins, who also tried to steer me away from my dream of making Bling | Blog | Books a real and effective tagline for my website.
During that brainstorming session, I hashed it all out in that thread. I couldn’t understand why someone else was telling me that my idea wasn’t going to work. But then, it dawned on me. I needed to make it work by changing the name and matching it to my website. When I asked about it from a different angle, the admin agreed that this idea could work. I figured it out.
I googled my idea. When Google asks you if you really meant something else, and you are looking for a unique name that is not currently in use, that is what you want to find. I had my answer.
I took my current logo for the website and changed a few letters. And just like that,
Tish MacWebber, Always Blinging…
became my new jewellery business name. The more I thought about it, the more I liked it. It seems RIGHT. When I get that feeling, I rarely make any further changes. It happens a lot. I am firm when I finally make up my mind, no matter how long it takes me to make that decision.
Tish MacWebber, Always Blinging… New Logo, new jewellery business name.
I am in the process of changing it where I can. Facebook was surprisingly fast with the update. Now comes the best part. When I move the jewellery over, any existing jewellery will be listed under Basic Bling. I am also planning a new line for the new website. I am going to launch a new jewellery line with every book launch. Book Bling will have several Collections, one for every book I write. HOW EXCITING WILL THAT BE? I am beyond excited to see this happen. I am planning the first collection already. I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but it will be unique and designed with cat lovers in mind.
It has been a creative and exhausting week. I also launched a new contest this morning to celebrate the new jewellery business name. I have another contest planned for February. I am going to try and have the store open for February. If not at the beginning, then before the end of the month. I am still sorting out the details of what to do next, but at least I have a clear direction, and a plan to get me there.
I have been trying to get this jewellery business to be successful for years under the Tish’s Treasures name. Now that I have made some tough decisions, and changed the name to Tish MacWebber, Always Blinging… I have high hopes for new successes with this change.
Hello Treasure Seekers! I am writing this a little late this week. How ironic is it that I design a new homepage with a table set for five less than two weeks ago for this website for me to not get this story written on time because I have too much on my plate? Very. So I should write a bit about this.
I have joined a bunch of challenges, am working on the website, still writing the blog, trying to find time to write my first book, am training and integrating for a new position at work, and maybe just maybe, I am a little bit overwhelmed. I am falling a bit behind in some areas and struggling to keep up with the rest.
This is nothing new for me at this time of year. January for the last few years has been a busy month for me. What is different now? I am fighting. I am pushing my limits and my boundaries. I am not going to just give up. I am writing today because of that. The old me would have just tried to forget that I missed the deadline and maybe started slacking off with writing. Not now. I am writing this late, but the important part is, I am writing it. I didn’t just quit. I am still working on all of the things, and have every intention to figure it out. One thing at a time.
So what should you do when there is too much on your plate and none of it is edible? You should tackle one portion at a time. I am writing this tonight and since I have the next 2 days off, I will make a plan in the morning to tackle the rest.
In terms of the Jewellery Brand Makeover Challenge, I am working on it. I am gearing up for the 2nd part of the homework. I am thinking really hard about rebranding Tish’s Treasures. With this website, I am starting something new. I think it deserves a fresh name, and brand. So I am thinking about what the new name should be. I have written a cocktail line for the Jewellery business. Here it is.
My Treasures (or Bling, I haven’t decided yet-this depends on my rebranding) are patterned with symmetry, but they are whimsical, unique, delightful and quirky expressions of my creativity, made just for the client after a consultation, often being a surprise to those who receive them , whether it is for the client or as a gift for someone else.
I haven’t ever tried to summarize my Bling Business before, let alone rebrand it. I am working on this currently, and when I make a final decision it will be a quick switch. Once I decide on what it is I am going to do, then it just happens.
I am playing around with ideas, even changing the logo just on the bling page from Always Thinking… to Always Blinging…
I haven’t decided on the name yet. I am thinking about using my pen name. Possibly just the initials TMW bling or designs or treasures. Tish MacWebber has to be in the new business name, I am just not exactly sure how it will be used.
If you have any thoughts or comments about this, please feel free to share them.
Until next time…
#TreasureSeekerTuesday (on a Wednesday or a Thursday…it is late).
