Just Get Started!
Let’s be honest! Nothing is perfect or ever going to be perfect…Ever! I know that is hard for those of you, who are perfectionists and want things just right before revealing your creations to the world.
See, by waiting until you have all your ducks in a row – your product, your photos, your site, and your brand before opening shop… the likelihood of it happening is slim to none.
We all hesitate to open ourselves up. After all, we would have to share our work, our talent, ourselves, and our lives to the world. Do we fear rejection? Are we afraid we aren’t good enough? Of course, we all do!
That is so common. So, we end up tweaking our handmade treasures – and tweak them again and again just to delay having to put them out there for people to see.
We know the excuses:
“My product needs a little more work before its perfect”
“Oh, I can’t open my shop until I have my photos just right!”
“There’s no point in starting a blog – I’ll never be able maintain it”
Let’s face it! If we are all making excuses because we really know that we can tweak all we want and, in our own eyes, it still won’t be perfect.
What is really in our way?
Fear! Fear of failure. Fear that we’ll do something wrong. Fear that we won’t be accepted.
Fear that we’ll be seen as a phony because we have no clue about what we’re doing! Guess what! You’re not ALONE… Most people feel the exact same way when they are first getting started. Fear holds people back from experiencing the most awesome experiences of their life.
So what happens if you just step out and do it? What if you fail? What if you actually succeed? Exactly what would that mean for your life?
In reality, I think we’re just all afraid of the unknown – whether that is from fear or success.
What we’re all really looking for is that
courage to say “Yes!” “Yes, I can do this…
Yes I’m doing this! No one is going to keep me from doing what I love to do!”
Those statements and those thoughts bring a certain amount of courage into your life that you may not have ever experienced before.
You’ll find the strength and courage within yourself to move forward with what you want. After all, you were given a very special gift. You were given a love for what you do. And you were given the opportunity to do it. YOU are in the “less than 10%” minority of women in this world given a chance to use your God-given talents, and show them off to the world.
You are the only one who can decide to take that first step. No one else can do that for you. We can encourage you – we can support you – we can tell you how beautiful your work and your designs are. But in the end, the decision is yours. Take hold of that thought – claim that decision as yours – and Just Do It!
Of course, it’s important to have others who can help. Through their support and advice, your confidence will grow and blossom. That’s why being part of a community of like-minded people, like “Best of Nancy” is very empowering.
You will look at others who may be further along than you or who have already found success and find yourself thinking: “I’ll never be able to do that”. You may think they have some sort of advantage over you. The only difference between you and them is time put into their craft and business. They show up every day and do what they need to do to succeed.
We all start out in the same place
but the direction we go in is completely up to us.
Stop being afraid of the “‘what ifs” that are negative; and start believing in “I can do it”!
What if people like my work? What if they like me? What if I become successful? What if I make sales every day? What if I can actually do this? Takes your breath away, doesn’t it? But… it also brings a smile and a sense of being able to be you – a very special you – and enjoy your awesome, successful life and business!
Come on! What do you have to lose? You’ll never know until you try.
Commit to showing up every day and working hard. Keep learning and growing and stop using excuses that everything has to be perfect before you even begin.
Really and truly… What do you have to lose? I don’t see anything?
So – for today – let’s get going and see what success can bring!
I’m Nancy Alexander, a world renowned wreath designer, teacher and author. My dream is to share my secrets of making gorgeous wreaths and then teaching you how to sell online just as I do! 
This is so true. I have been doing craft shows for years and I am winding down from doing them. I love creating wreaths, and centerpieces. I sometimes treat my creations as family as I wrap them to go with their new owner. They will tell me to just dump them in a bag and I say oh no, I ill wrap them for you. We were in the midst of selling our home and the sale fell through. That gave me the chance to rid my work room of supplies I had not looked at in years. So for now I have a better working space. I am starting to get a better online appearance through social media. Now I will have to get my craft show customers to begin following online (Though some do not use social media I will have to get them on a mailing list) I know I should have had the list a long time ago but some people are leery on giving out that information. I am tuned in now so reaching for the stars now.