I need a hobby. I love thrifting. I have an idea.
 
I had so much time to myself with my significant other always being away at work. I began to sink into myself and delve into a state of madness. It wasn’t a good quirky madness but a bad mental rollercoaster ride. There was a lot of changes going on this past year and I didn’t handle it well. It was hard. I used to love change. There was some positivity lurking in there somewhere and thankfully I had found it. I had found a tiny little idea beginning to sprout. In my recent work experience I have been working toward management positions. The road is not too slippery either. It’s just a long windy road that takes time, commitment and patience.

Now I’m not too sure how smart it is to be laying my ideas and my visions out for the whole world to see but I think the journey is worth noting. So my idea (not that it’s an original one) is this…. I want to open an online thrift store. I moved from a large city where there were countless amounts of thrift and vintage stores to a small city where there is a very limited amount. That’s where my idea has come from. I wanted options and the internet is such an amazing tool. I have actually already begun the process. I have the domain name and I have the online store started. I have already made the venture to the thrift stores within my town picking out pieces that I believe people might be fond of. I have even gone out of the way to go out and do some photography (another hobby of mine). The photography centered on my products in various locations. I have a set vision for these pieces.

The problem is I got to the part where I knew I would have to figure out the shipping costs and I got lazy. I did not proceed in weighing or measuring my products to see how much shipping would cost. I did not do research on how I would package these products. Nothing. I wasn’t willing to invest my time or my money. My website sat for months and now I’m ready except… my idea has changed.

I don’t want just any thrift store I want to create new product out of old thrifted items. Now I’ve seen this done before. I love the idea of upcycling. I even have some ideas floating around in my head. Pinterest is a big help might I add. For example I have a big cloth bag full of china tea cups and matching plates. I would like to create tea cup candles. The best thing about this is all I would have to pay for is the cost of wax and maybe some coloring and scents to put into the wax mixture. The china teacups were a gift so there is not cost there. I’ve also already checked to make sure that none are valuable.
So it’s a start. I just need to create some product and see where it goes from there. Once I have product I can figure out packaging. I could go ahead and make a list of all the things I need to do step by step but once again I’m focusing on one thing at a time. I’m trying to focus on the moment. Focus on what is in my control.
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Picasso didn’t become Picasso in just a day.
 
                                        “Inspiration exists but it has to find you working.”
​                                                                                              Pablo Picasso

 
                Instead of finding your dream job why not create your dream job? There are so many things in this world that affect our thoughts, our visions and our ideas. There are way too many influences. There are way too many closed minds. There are way too many factors and way too many excuses that are holding us back. If you’re like me you feel like you are floating through life. You have a hard time believing in yourself and you have a hard time believing that you are going to go somewhere in life. That those kinds of things only happen to people who are lucky.  To the people who happen to fall upon a good idea. We’ve got to stop thinking this way.
 
Recently in my life I’ve been working on staying grounded and I’ve been working on focusing on the moment. I’ve been learning to let go of the things that are not in my control and I’ve been learning to keep an eye open for the things that are in my control.
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To stay grounded I’ve been focusing on keeping things simple and easy. I started by working on the one thing in my life that has been bothering me the most. Luckily, for me it’s something I can control. Something I can easily fix without taking up too much time and without leaving the house. That thing I am working on is fixing my weight. I don’t have any specific goals which may seem irrational but not having a destination has allowed me to focus on the journey. The most important part. It is also the part I hate the most because I like to see results.

So to begin the process I simply started with just getting into the habit of working out most every day. I didn’t set up any timeline and I didn’t create a work out calendar. I did however do a multitude of different exercises and picked out the ones I enjoyed doing the most. I already am not fond of working out but there are always sacrifices to be made so why not make it fun. As I continued on each day just getting into the habit I found a nice steady rhythm to fall into and I began looking forward to working out. I enjoyed it. I noticed my depression and anxiety levels dropping. I felt good. Nothing in this world is on a “Have to” basis it’s all on a “Want to” basis. I’ve really been focusing on that. Focusing on remembering that only “I” can make the difference and only “I” can get what it is I want in life. As scary as it first sounded (considering I can be very dependent) it’s the truth. You have to look out for number one first. It doesn’t mean you have to be narcissistic, it just means you’re allowed to be a little selfish. Otherwise you are a blubbering babbling mess. Take it from me. It’s nice to do things for other people but you can’t forget about what it is that you want.
 
To stay focused on the present moment I have stumbled upon Mindfulness Meditation. I haven’t been doing it long and I haven’t been doing it as often as I would like. Trust me it works. It is unbelievable how much I vouch for this activity. You simple close your eyes, breathe and focus on not thinking. The only thing you focus on is your body and your surroundings. Whatever it is that you feel in that moment. The best part? If you’re feeling sad or broken or if your thoughts lead you astray. IT’S OKAY! IT’S ALL OKAY! After all you are only human. It’s okay to make mistakes. It is okay to not be good at it. It is okay to feel the way you are feeling. Be you. Be beautiful. Be free. Be natural. Be in the moment. Take it all in.

Simple hey? I bring it over into every aspect of my life. If my loved one is talking to me and I find my mind drifting I bring it right back to the conversation. You begin to catch your mind in the act of straying quicker and quicker the more you do it. You feel calmer in stressful situations. You stop to smell the roses a hell of a lot more then you could ever think. You’re thankful for every little thing. It’s beautiful. I can’t say you will have the same experience BUT maybe you can take away from my experiences.
 
Stay Grounded, Stay Focused 
·         Keep things simple and easy
·         Don’t focus on the destination focus on the journey
·         Be in the moment. Time is no longer of the essence.
·         It’s okay to make mistakes
·         Forget about the things you can’t control.
·         Focus on the things you can control.
·         YOU are the key to success. YOU CAN DO IT.
 
With the few things that I’ve come to learn over the last little while I do plan on WRITING MY OWN FUTURE. I plan on trying as many things as possible and I plan on sticking to it. I plan on making mistakes I plan on failing and failing hard. I have no expectations and I will have no regrets. You can call me crazy if you’d like or unorthodox or unorganized but I tend to find the Chaos quite beautiful. After all…..

                                       " It's all about finding the calm in the chaos."
​                                                                                      Donna Karan

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​So instead of finding my dream job I will create my dream job? Sound easy? Well it can be. It’s easy to quit but it’s even easier if you just do it the first time round. So follow me on my journey if you wish to. I’ll show you how to fail and how to make mistakes and maybe possibly how to get somewhere.