When you are young, single, and childless, the world is your oyster. There are so many possibilities for your life. You can move to London. You can study to be a scientist. You can join the armed forces. You can work on a cruise ship. You can wait tables and live up the night life. You can blow your grocery money on a fabulous new pair of shoes (and still recover). You can go anywhere in the world you want to go, try any job you want to try, be any person you want to be. It is a luxury. I loved living that life…but I also love my life now. I am in a much more settled phase of life, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have new dreams every day. It doesn’t mean that just because I know where I am going to live, most likely for the rest of my life, I can’t embark on new journeys within the parameters of my own little established world. And I want you to know that you can, too.
Part of the reason I wanted to start this blog is because I made career choices later in life, already having a family, already having roots in my community. I knew if I wanted to live my dreams and make some extra money, I would have to do it where I was already planted, and I am not alone. Many of my friends are doing just as I am. After already having made decisions on where we would live, whether or not we would become mothers and wives, (fathers and husbands, too…don’t mean to exclude the men!), what we would major in, what we would do for a living, an awful lot of us have decided to branch out and try something different. Part of the objective was to make more money for our families. Part of the objective was to try something new, something exciting, something to get us off of our already-chosen paths. Part of the objective was to live a dream.
Some of my friends have opened new businesses, on the internet, on Facebook, and in real store-fronts. Some of my friends work out of their kitchen, their garage, their home office, their real office. Some of my friends have written books or are in the process of writing books. Some of us went back to school. Some of us found ways to use our creativity to make things with our own two hands. Some of us found a new path in direct sales. Some of us left big, corporate jobs to choose to work for ourselves.
As will become a regular occurrence on my blog, I have chosen to highlight some of my friends who are developing their ideas and doing something new, something they love, something they can be proud of, something they believe in, and they are all doing it with the challenges of being mothers, daughters, friends, bosses, employees, Sunday School teachers, and a bazillion other roles that, with them, carry responsibilities and consume lots of time. They pack lunches. They sit in carpool lines. They serve as Room Mothers (and Fathers). They sit on committees. They travel with their jobs. They make extra plates of food for their shut-in neighbors. They throw parties. They rear their kids without a spouse. They help with homework. They organize fundraisers. They take mission trips. It amazes me when I see what they are able to squeeze into 24 hours. I know so many people who have ideas, who have opportunities just waiting for them, but they feel like they just can’t make it happen. And then I know a whole bunch who realized they can. I am so proud of each and every one of them. I think they are beautiful, exciting, innovative people, and I think you need to know about them, too.
This is my objective: all of us who are starting new businesses and new endeavors need a forum. We need a place to tell others, outside of our little world, what we are doing. We want to share our wares and see what other people have to sell and make and give away. We need a place to talk about how to do it all better. We need a pat on the back or some good advice or some encouragement. This blog, I hope, will be a place to do just that: for me, for my friends, and for you, too. I sincerely hope the series of posts I am working on inspire you. I hope they make you realize that, no matter if you are 25 or 85, you can do something new in your life. I hope they make you see that you have gifts, you have resources, you have support, and you do have time.
Making extra money in this economy helps everyone, not just your own pocketbook. It gives back to other businesses that could use an extra sale. It gives you the ability to save for the future, ensuring stability. It gives you peace of mind, lowering anxiety and stress. It makes a whole lot of things a whole lot easier.
But obviously, making money is not everything. Some endeavors don’t generate much cash and aren’t about that anyway. Sometimes, it is about completing something you started. It is about finding fulfillment in something you have achieved. It is about doing something you’ve always wanted to do and finding that deep satisfaction in seeing it come to fruition. It is about becoming exactly who you hoped you would become. It is about giving back. It is about showing, not telling, your children that they can be anything they want to be (for real). It is about living a life you love.
I told you I am going to be highlighting my friends who are making it happen, but I’d love to hear your story as well. If you are doing something new, something you’ve always dreamed of doing or something you never imagined you would do, tell me about it! Post it as a comment or send me a message. Just because I don’t know you now, doesn’t mean I don’t want to. If you have a story, if you have a product, if you have a service, if you have a non-profit, if you have a business just getting off the ground, I want to know about it! And if you are thinking of creating something, joining something, being something, new and different and exciting, I hope this blog gives you the jumpstart you need to realize you can do it. The time is now, the resources are there, and the world is still your oyster. Go get it.
~Jewelry and Justice for All. Because You Deserve it!~
uglyreal 