It's been a good year so far

Life is always so interesting. One of the best quotes I can think of to capture how this year has been "Life is a rearview mirror, a small adjustment changes the view dramatically." I feel that these past few months have been precisely that. I adjusted my outlook in both my business and personal life and I feel that they are starting to change dramatically. 

I do feel that owning your own business is both a blessing and a burden. I LOVE owning my business. For as long as I could remember there is nothing else I have wanted to do. The hard part is that it is all you! No one else to run things past, every turn is a balance. No accountant saying a large purchase is not a good idea, no design buddy saying that new idea isn't gonna pan out. It is all you! The hardest part is the doubt. I suffer from what I loving call (though my husband may have other words for it) business induced manic-depressive syndrome. When things go well I am pumped!! I mean like let's pop the champagne, dance from the roof, I rule at life! When things are slow or something I didn't expect happens I am so upset. It is really hard, it crushes me. My company is my heart. They are so closely connected.  The problem I tend to have is comparing my business to other businesses I know. 

This year it was a revelation while talking to my friend Allison from Tigerlily Shop at the Buyers' Market. I was talking about some achievement she received this year and how, honestly, I was jealous that she accomplished it. She in turn said she was jealous of something I had done. It was eye opening that in this little exchange I realized I was fixating on other people's highlight reel comparing it to my blooper reel. The only true comparison for my business was my business a year ago. This surprising revelation has relaxed me and more importantly my anxiety that I am missing a big ship that I should be on. 

I am very proud of my work this year and I am even more proud with how far I have come. I started it on the weekends in my parent's basement and have worked to have a successful wholesale business as well as retail business. The work I make people wear and love. I have realized that I have achieved a large part of my dream. Hearing myself say that and looking back to the past is what has given me the strength and confidence to move on to reach the next level. I am very happy and honored that I get to do that. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world for being able to accomplish this. It is that moment of realization of how far you have come that makes the journey worth it.