Today is the day...

I've had a few aspiring entrepreneurs ask me about how to get going with their business. There is a long list of things to be done including business licenses, ordering supplies, marketing, etc. This, of course, is a concept that can be applied to anything in life that you are trying to achieve whether it be school, personal, or work related goals.

When and where do you start? The answer is... You start today with the first thing you can think of! Start somewhere. There is not defined order as to how we should go about achieving our goals. Some things do come before others, but they won't come unless you start doing something today.

When I started Corks & Colors Studio I started looking at wholesale suppliers of the materials I needed. I would email myself the link to their website when I found a good one so I would have it saved. Then, one day I googled "classroom space, Gainesville, FL" and one of the search results was the Santa Fe CIED, which later became our location to teach classes out of. I had decided that I would find a place that would rent space to me per hour and then I would have 1 class, and I would schedule subsequent classes based on the results of my first class. In fact, when I had my first class I didn't have a date picked out for the next class. I was literally taking it one step at a time.


At that time, thinking of having the money to pay for a retail space was beyond what I could afford and I just decided that I would start somewhere, have a class, and make bigger decisions after that.

The next month we had 2 classes. The next month we had 4. Now we have 16 classes scheduled per month, not counting private parties. We don't always get a huge crowd for every single class, but that is just part of the process of being a growing business.

Start somewhere and anywhere. Everything else will fall into place.

Have a little faith...

What would we do if we didn't believe in something greater than us? I would have probably lost my mind by now. Having faith has allowed me to get through the most difficult moments of my life. I'm not sure that it really matters who you believe in or what you call your faith, but just have a little faith.

There have been times when I have completely poured out my heart to God and just knowing that I believe in something higher, something greater and divine, gives me a sense of peace beyond words. The idea that you are not doing this alone, and that through struggles and happiness you can give a "thank you" or a "help me" allows for a sense of fluidness to your life.

You don't have to handle it all on your own, you've got faith that someone or something is watching out for you. In a way, it brings in a sense of responsibility for your behavior. Call it Karma or blessings, there are consequences to your thoughts and actions, and having faith puts these into perspective.

Be a Suncatcher

According to wikipedia,the definition is: A suncatcher or light catcher is a small, reflective glass or mother of pearl piece that is hung indoors, so that it "catches the light" from a nearby source, usually hung at windows.

It is meant to catch the light around it, and it is see-through, although it usually has a certain shape or colors that make it beautiful and unique. The light intensifies the colors the sun-catcher already has.

A lot of us are not see-through. We've got colors and unique qualities about us, but we block the light from shining through us because we are afraid to show "our true colors." By doing so, you are literally blocking your beauty from shinning through. It is absolutely, positively, and definitely hard to show who you truly are and show your weaknesses at times. Mainly because of appearances, we don't want people to see how quirky, silly, or scatterbrained we really are.

Personally, it is really hard for me to hide the above mentioned qualities about myself. In most places, being quirky or scatterbrained, free spirited or somewhat hippie would probably not be the way to go, but I honestly can't help but do silly things.

I chose to let the sun shine right through me when just a few weeks ago I wore flip flops to work (to my day job working as a job coach)- I wore dress pants, make up and the full on work day deal, but I forgot to change my shoes and wore flip flops. The first thing I did was tell someone when I got to work. It took all the weight off my shoulders of feeling like I had messed up. It wasn't a secret, so I could laught about it. This isn't the first time I wear different shoes, by the way- the problem dates back to when I was in first grade and I literally wore two different shoes that day.

Not to mention the wall that got taken down from my studio to open up some space. The wall had light switches for the two corner lights in my studio. I was so excited to open up the space that I didn't think to tell the guys working on it that we needed to re-wire the lights. I didn't even think about the lights or light switches. So, we have a dark corner in our studio and everytime I think about it I just want to laugh at myself for being so scatter brained.

But here's the catch- if I were not the scatterbrained, free spirited, henna tattooish kinda girl that I know I am, I wouldn't own an art studio that welcomes quirkiness, silliness, free spirits and uplifiting to our guests. I've let the sun shine through my colors, and I like them.

Not so perfect

I've stood in line at the grocery store and I've seen what seem to be close to physically perfect beings with the most organized shopping carts, organized wallets, and super healthy foods in their carts. As I stand there, with receipts falling out as I grab my debit card, rainy day frizzy hair, and frozen pizza flowing out of my cart I reconsider my thoughts and think-

Nobody's Perfect. It doesn't matter how put together someone might seem, we all have times when we are seriously on the verge of losing our minds. We don't all look our best every day, we don't all make the best decisions every day, and we don't all have it together every day.

I've had days when I get home, cook dinner, get my girls ready for bed and I literally want to collapse right after and I've asked my honey "is this really what is supposed to happen or are we the only ones that do this every night?" And, the reality is, that EVERYONE has those days.

Fight your battles

Everyone, at almost every instant of their lives, has a battle. It could be a situation at work, a sour relationship with a family member, overwhelming debts, or illness. Battles are common, and you can almost consider them a given.

No one said anything would be easy. It could be that everything else in your life is awesomely amazing, but that one battle stays standing. It just so happens that there are resources around you, at your reach, for you to fight your battles. Consider them your weapons. For an illness, your weapon is your medicine or some sort of spiritual healing. For debts, your weapon could is money. For difficulties at work and for sour relationships your weapons are communication, patience and acceptance. If you take a second to think about your battles, and then think further as to what the solution would be and what resources you have at your reach to use to fight these battles, you'll find a clarity that will bring you peace.

Go ahead and fight your battles. Strap your ammo on and go head to head with the things that are bugging you- but, do it with peace in your heart. Use the weapons that life has given you to deal with these situations.

Everyone has them, but not everyone fights them. Don't let them get the best of you, or allow them to interfere with your awesomely amazing life.

I'll kill you with kindness...

So many times I've had to face people that are "not so nice." Both personal and business related, I've had moments when a "not so nice" response back to them was appropriate. I'm sure I've slipped up and sometimes have let the situation get the best of me. For the most part, I try to kill people with kindness.

I started working when I was 14. I don't mean just babysitting- but really working for a paycheck. I did it because I wanted to- I felt industrious! When I was 14 I worked at a flower shop that was in the mall. My mom happened to work at the same one. I would only work a few hours because of the labor laws, but I loved every second of it. Anywho, I started to get an idea of what customer service was at a very young age. I began to handle "grown up" situations and I learned a ton from them. I dealt with angry people, undecisive people, sad people, confused people, and "not so nice" people. I then worked as a server, and at the ripe age of 17 I worked for one of the most popular gyms in Gainesville as a floor instructor (really!) - and I learned the most while I worked there.

Dealing with people, specifically in business and customer service, is challenging. It takes knowing that the customer you are dealing with contributes to the success of your business in one way or another, and a positive outcome with them will ultimately yield positive results for your business. Some of the most difficult people that I have ever dealt with have come back for more of my services at a future point. They became repeat business because I killed them with kindness the first time. I listened to what they had to say, did my best to make it better, even if I knew there was no wrong doing, and in the end, I still got the best of the situation.

Killing someone with kindness means giving your absolute best, having the utmost patience, being extra nice when that person is doing the opposite for you. You can do this with anyone, business or personal relationships, and I guarantee you, you will look back one day and realize how you benefitted from that situation. So there, KNOCK 'EM DEAD!