“Keep away from people who belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.”~Mark Twain
Toxic peeps will rain on your parade, but true friends will build you up and help you keep sight of your dreams! So rub shoulders with those who help put the wind beneath your wings!
John Denver recorded a song called ‘Some Days are Diamonds” many years ago, and that song came and made itself at home in my head the other day when I was feeling a bit down. Going full tilt with the new book, new websites and a YouTube channel, I realized I was beginning to experience burnout. And then I started questioning, why I was doing all these things anyway?
Some of it was a case of, hey, it was a good idea so I went for it. Some of it was, life is short so go get stuff done! But I realize that my art channel isn’t as popular as some, and maybe I don’t need to stress about getting new videos up twice a week, whether I feel like doing art or not. It kills the inspiration when you have to instead of want to. So, I’m not doing videos there until I feel the inspiration come back! And I’m focusing more on my business at The Publishing Shop because that’s my baby, and I want it to succeed! The book is finished and published, so that’s off the table now. There are other ideas for books but they can percolate on the back burner for a little while. I need to remember that productivity at any cost is not a great thing. I’ll be more productive again when I have taken the time to rest my brain and relax and nourish my soul!
The biggest downer recently is that I’ve been working hard to promote my retail information website, ShopPetrolia.ca but it’s not gaining traction as quickly as I had hoped. People are unsure when they don’t personally know you, so I understand the hesitation to sign up. This is where the ‘some days are stones’ comes in. Sometimes, it is frustrating when people don’t see the heart behind the endeavor. I love my little town; it’s beautiful, has almost everything a person could need and the downtown is doing well even as the downtown districts suffer in so many little towns in Ontario. I had the idea of ShopPetrolia.ca to give a low cost web presence to merchants in town that didn’t have one, and also to try to collect all the businesses I can under one website that could be promoted much like the Yellow Pages of old. It’s hard to have patience sometimes, when stubbornness and lack of patience have been part of your personality since childhood! But I’m growing as a person and I’m learning to roll better with the punches. I’m not going anywhere, and I hope that the people sitting on the fence will give me a chance eventually! Gotta think positively!
Sometimes we do our best and still fail. But the trick to succeeding is to shake off the disappointment and keep trying. So for me, and for any of you who are currently experiencing disappointment in something that you’re worked for, listen up! You were brave to try, and you’ll be braver yet when you try again! You never know when success is just a breath away, so give it your best shot, again, and see how things turn out! It will likely be so much better than you think!
Since I got my life back last year when I lost a lot of weight, I have been making up for lost time and using all the newfound energy I have to jump into all kinds of endeavors: setting up my own new websites, doing more art and creating a YouTube channel to show my techniques, writing a book, and branching out further with The Publishing Shop by designing and hosting websites. And now, launching ShopPetrolia.ca and working to build it into a one stop retail guide for my fair town. It’s been a whirlwind and I have loved it, but I think I may have been overdoing things a wee bit. As much as I love all that I am doing, I am beginning to experience a bit of burnout. So I need to take a little time, breathe, and re-prioritize things.
Let’s face it, art is more fun when you do it because you want to, not because you have imposed a two video a week schedule. Nothing kills inspiration like forcing yourself to do something! So maybe the art channel will get videos published a couple of times a month instead of twice per week. The book is finished, and maybe my ideas for another one can sit on the back burner for a little while. And I think my family might like it if I spent more evenings with them instead of holed up in my office/den/studio working on all the things I love. They are what I truly love!
As much I love encouraging people to reach for their dreams and to do what they love, one has to remember moderation! Go for those dreams but remember to enjoy the life around you while you’re doing so!
I alluded to the fact that I was writing a book a while back, and finally, it’s done, edited, formatted, cover designed and boom! It is published to Amazon. It is available as a pre-order Kindle book, downloading to your Kindle device on Saturday if you pre-purchase it. The print version will be available by Saturday as well.
What can I tell you? It’s not a long book, but it’s full of insight and wisdom for those, especially women, who have struggled through life and are looking for a way to build their confidence and self-esteem. The description is over on Amazon, and you can click the photo below for more details!
