The Reachable Star

January is over and it was pretty quiet for us.  It kind of catches you off-guard when we were so so busy during the holidays. It makes me want to work twice as hard to try and rustle up some business, but I also know that we have to have faith.  Faith that the business will return once we get restocked and people catch their breath from the holidays and New Year.  And, it has started to pick up.  Did you hear my sigh of relief?

So, on the days when we had but one or two orders, I just kept telling myself to consider this time a blessing because we’re able to get caught up from the holidays (which we almost are).  After all, it would be hard to sell what we were selling when we had less than half the stock left.  I just now am starting to create some new Scrabble bracelets.  My three newest are Don Quixote, The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Da Vinci.  As sappy as it may be, the song "The Impossible Dream - The Quest" from Man of La Mancha / Don Quixote gives me a bit of a lift when I hear it.  You can watch Peter O’Toole sing Man of La Mancha's "The ImpossibleDream - The Quest" by clicking here.  So, I was pleased to introduce that new Scrabble bracelet.  The other two are ones that I have wanted to make for a while, so they are finally released.  

Don Quixote Bracelet

The Rocky Horror Picture Show Bracelet

Da Vinci Bracelet

We’re trying to get into a rhythm - a cycle for the year.  That’s why we created our daily schedule that I wrote about last time, which has had to be tweaked. It feels like everything regarding our business is always in development, always being planned and tried.  We try to make schedules work, materials work, and organization of paper work.  Try, try, try again.  And I know it's because we're just starting out, but...

Do others have it easier and just slide into their business knowing exactly what to do?  Do others wake in the morning and have a leisurely day where they take breaks to do fun and interesting activities other than their home business?  Do they work from sun-up to sun-down much of the time?  Do they worry about doing taxes?  Do they worry about having enough materials to build for the next big season?  Do they live paycheck to paycheck? 

Do they enjoy their work, which may also be their passion?  Is it still a passion?  Sorry for the cliché, but “life is short” and I sometimes I worry that I’m spending all of it working.  Fortunately, I love what we create, and I LOVE that other people love what we make!  That keeps me going.  That, and the fact that I do get to work at home.  I do get to walk out into the yard once in a while to get a breath of fresh air.  I do get to see my dog sleeping at my feet while I work.  I am able to easily adjust my days when needing to go to a doctor’s appointment for my HTP’s (husband type person) treatment.  I don’t have to commute anymore.  I don’t have the level of stress I once did working in a high-profile coordinator job (hmm - still coordinating though - just our own business).  There’s still stress of course, but it’s mostly centered around being able to create enough and earn enough, but it has a different feel to it.  And…I have faith.  We’re just starting out full-time.  It hasn’t even been a year that we’ve really been working this.  So overall, it’s been a productive year, albeit very busy and tiring, but I think it’s getting better, and that's what I need to focus on.  I don’t work every night now and I take almost every Sunday off!  Hallelujah!!

Well, as sung in the song  "The Impossible Dream - The Quest"…

To try ... when your arms are too weary ...
To reach ... the unreachable star ... 

But in our case…I believe it is reachable.  We just have to figure out the way.  

'Til next time, take care and we hope people are having fun and finding joy out there.

Inspirational Jewelry