Changes. . .They are a Comin'

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." - Martin Luther King Jr.

I've been stewing for weeks. . .Or maybe simmering? I've been a bit frustrated with my current career path and to be frank, with myself in general. I know I could be offering my time and talents in a better way. I could be contributing more significantly. I could be giving more, taking less.

But for perhaps the first time in all of my nearly 34 years, I had no idea where to start. Or how to start. Or what the first step should be. Or where I should go to learn the process. . .Or even if there is a process for this sort of thing - which frankly, might resemble an early mid-life crisis or complete career burnout to an outside observer. (Nothing should be ruled out at this point - haha).

I've been wandering of the vast expanses of the Internet these past few weeks (thanks in great deal to the iPhone). I've been reading articles on how to write a memoir. I've been looking at beautiful interior design blogs. I've been furiously studying the finance blogs and news. I've said my prayers. I've even tried some quiet reflection but I still felt clueless.

But tonight I read this little blip from a woman who liked making jewelry and she is talented, used good business sense and is enjoying a good deal of success. And do you know what resonated with me the most? She said she had to believe in herself.

She had to realize what she was doing was important to her and for her and her family. She had to say with tremendous conviction that she made jewelry and successfully sold it. Otherwise, folks just drew the conclusion that what she was doing was a hobby, a way for a stay-at-home mom to earn a few extra bucks and keep busy while her children were napping.

That made sense to me. She had to believe in her art and her work. She had to believe she could work hard and rely on her talents to achieve the level of success and work-life balance to which she aspired.

I've been doing a year's worth of talking about sending my signal or focusing more on developing my talent but without further steps, without more conviction, my work is just a hobby.

I believe there is more I can do for my family, my community, our world. It's time to share. It's time. . .

"Anything I've ever done that ultimately was worthwhile scared me to death." - Betty Bender

It can be a little thrill ride you can take with me.

However, to that end, I'm going to have to be a little better focused than the blog mess I've created here - hahaha. Look for a sister site or similar coming soon.