I Did It Again…Embrace Your Accomplishments
It seems the older I get the more l am like a dog with a bone when it comes to tackling a new activity.
Now if you have read any of my past early articles, you know I’ve not always been that way. New things used to give me hives and make me feel sick to my stomach. The fear of the unknown or change was just so overwhelming.
So why the change?
Age maybe, or maybe just being tired of not giving things a chance to work out.
Sticking to something long enough to see a positive outcome.
So this week’s article is for any woman that realizes that they give up on themselves too soon.
My life experience wisdom this week is based on a recent example of me not giving up…Like I used to.
A month or so ago I found a youtube video about designing home decor items for a company called Spoonflower.
A person can design, upload and sell their items free of charge.
It seemed the perfect fit for my artsy side, that seems to have taken over my brain. So why not add that to my list of hobby artsy things along with Amazon. Some days it’s like herding cats…trying to focus, but let’s give it a try. Why not?
So I uploaded about a dozen pattern designs and then went looking for how to start selling them.
There was a process to become verified to sell. Oh…ok, let’s see what that entails. I did catch myself from sliding back to old ways and I kept going. (yippee for that)
I need a green check beside each step to continue.
Step One…verify email address…easy one green check.
Step Two…buy a swatch of fabric to verify postal address…another easy one green check.
Step Three…fill out a tax form…now here is where I have to grip my desk to keep from running from the room like my hair is on fire!
Take a breath, just read what it says…
Well I thought my head was going to explode, when I started reading things from the IRS tax department.
(Spoonflower is in the USA and I’m in Canada.)
This is where my old ways took over, and screamed…No…No…No…
I let the old ways win, I went back to my shop page and deleted everything and closed my shop! I swear I did it all in one breath!
I spent the rest of the day feeling disappointed in the fact that I couldn’t sell my patterns.
I spent the next day disappointed that I let myself get overwhelmed again, which made me feel mad at myself.
Then the new me showed up coming to my rescue so to speak.
The new me kicked me in the ass and said, “Look, lots of people from all over the world sell on Spoonflower and have figured it out. You aren’t stupid, get a grip and figure it out!!”
(She’s a bit of a hard ass this new me.)
So I decided to listen to her and try again.
My second attempt didn’t go well at all. Problem being opening with the same name didn’t go over well with Spoonflower, and after speaking with their help line I figured I better open a shop with a new similar name and new email.
Away I go to google to come up with a new email address.
Ok all good.
Now here I am again at the tax info section.
I felt like I was in a wild west shoot out at the Ok Corral…who was going to win and remain standing…the tax form or me?
This time I was prepared, I had read everything about the tax form in a less panic mode, found a youtube video about filling in the tax form and why. So it made more sense over all.
I completed the form, received confirmation and a download of the document!
Insert sigh of relief here.
Now all I have to do is wait a couple of days for Spoonflower to review it, and I should get my last green check in my verification process.
Well that didn’t happen!
Hell’s Bells…now what??!!
So I waited a few days and contacted help again. They are a great help line, telling me a tax rep would email me.
Now another week goes by. And all this time I’m thinking…is this meant to be or not. I started second guessing myself.
Once again the new me had to tell off the old me, “For gawd’s sake women…Just wait.”
I finally received the email from Spoonflower…my heart jumps, is it good news or bad??
“You are good to go, you may go ahead and sell your designs. The problem is on our end in regard to not having a green check appear in the verification process.”
I damn near pass out.
I Did It!! A holy hell and hallelujah moment for sure…Yippee!
I stood standing with my hands on my hips repeating…I Did It!
(I could almost feel my super hero cape blowing in the wind behind me. What a feeling!)
I also heard the new me tell the old me, “I told you so, all you had to do was give yourself a break and some credit for being able to figure it out….don’t sell yourself short.”
I’ve learned that once I succeed in something (like the trials and tribulations I had learning how to make this blog) that I am capable of succeeding again.
And I think that’s why I kept at this, to give myself another success.
I am proud of myself for seeing it through, and if I never sell a thing, I’ll be happy with designing and having an online shop, I love the creative process…lol
The reward for me is having accomplished what I set out to do.
Life Experience Wisdom
* Don’t give up on yourself.
* Don’t shy away from something new, give yourself credit that you can figure it out.
* Learn where you go wrong and fix it, try again.
* Be proud of your accomplishments.
* You are never too old to learn something new….if I can anyone can!
And I’ve also learned to not get on the wrong side of the new me, she can be brutal…in a good way!
And I’ve also learned to do this link thing. Click on my shop name to have a look at Zentime Designs on Spoonflower.
(Another little success yippee moment for me! My apologies if you had trouble reading this article today….I was having techno difficulties adding the link…but I got it!!) Such is my life…lol
That’s it for this week, I’m off to design patterns!
Cheers til next week
Grace
My Motto
When life throws baseball size lemons at you, that smack you upside the head, stomp on those damn things and make yourself a cocktail!