I never thought I could be self-employed

When I was younger and people asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up, my mind would go blank. I had no clue what I wanted, and that was scary because it felt like I should have some idea. Going to college & choosing a major was overwhelming to me because I couldn’t picture my future career. 

I leaned into those feelings, and looking back, I feel like there had to have been a guardian angel guiding me…or something pulling me along, even though I was afraid. I went to a small liberal arts college in Wisconsin, and graduated with a major in Communication. I fell in love with the idea of expressing my beliefs and articulating myself through writing. I also met my husband there, who was, and still is, much more entrepreneurial than me. He’s my very best friend, and I truly believe we were meant to both go to the same school, and for him to ask me out for pizza so we could dodge a Halloween party our freshman year. His belief in me is a large reason why I’m as happy and as confident as I am today, 9 years later, and why our business is as strong as it is. 

The truth is, all those fears I had weren’t really fears at all; they were simply my gut telling me not to settle. The reason I couldn’t picture my dream job is because I had never heard of it before. I couldn’t fathom it because I hadn’t “met” it yet, does that make sense? I NEVER, and when I mean NEVER, thought I could be self employed, I mean it. What if it fails? What if it doesn’t work? What if I try it and people think I’m being ridiculous? 

What I now have come to know and understand, is that when you love what you do, the love for it trumps any fear. Just like when I met Brendan in college, was I scared he could break my heart? Weirdly, no, because it felt right. It felt worth the risk. And I felt so good being with him that my brain didn’t have room to worry. The same goes for when I found the opportunity to start this business. I’m so in love with what I’m doing, that I can’t be afraid. It feels right and although I know things could go sideways, I know I’m doing something that makes me feel good, and makes others feel good, too. 

If you’re at all like me, we tend to overthink things. I’m starting to believe that if we’re overthinking something, it’s because our intuition is telling us something better is out there for us. The things we overthink the least are the things that most align with we we at our core, and so they don’t cause restlessness. Those are the things to trust and dive into. Hard. If it feels good, do more of it. It’s that simple.