It’s the quiet ones you have to watch out for…
I remember hearing that growing up. And yes, I was always the quiet one.
I wasn’t a nerd, but I was quiet, awkward (like most teenagers) and really afraid to put myself out there.
As I grew older, I realized that sitting in the sidelines and being quiet wasn’t going to get me very far in life. It was really, REALLY difficult to put myself out there and follow my heart, because those people who followed their hearts either got picked on or were considered weird. Why did I care?
Because that’s what you do. As a woman, I really cared about what other people thought about me….don’t we all feel that way?
One thing I always did dream about as a young girl was to have my own business and to be a leader or be in a position where others followed me (funny because I was a follower my entire life).
I remained small, shy and quiet for 30 years of my life. And after having my first baby, I left work to be a stay at home mom, which was the “dream life.”
After I became a mother, I remember sitting on the couch with my son Zachary, after he fell asleep in my arms. He was so tiny and precious but so difficult to put to sleep. I was exhausted and that particular day, I just sat there holding him & staring at him (like most first-time moms do).
After my few moments of admiration was over, I thought to myself, “this is it?” “this is my life?”
It was at that moment I knew that I needed more out of my life. As much as I loved being a wife and a mother, I wanted a career and to be able to provide for this little baby I held so lovingly in my arms.
A year later, it was time to buy a house and the one thing I was insistent on having was a separate basement entrance so that I can eventually build a room and open up my own facial business.
After moving to Elmhurst, Skin Deep was born!
Having my own business meant that I got to design a business that I wanted and do the types of services that I wanted to do, not do because it was on the menu or because the company I worked for offered them.
I focused my energy and attention on facials and one thing that I realized I did really well (from all my clients telling me) was teaching them not only how to care for their skin but educating them about the skin, how it functions and works as an organ.
I loved to share my knowledge with clients and educate about the importance taking care of your skin.
Along the way, I accidentally cleared up what I thought was “hormonal acne” that I suffered with on and off for 7 years.
I did a cleanse after baby #3 and when I removed gluten and dairy from my diet, in less than 2 weeks, my skin completely cleared up; as long as I avoid it, my skin stays clear.
I still do get those annoying monthly zits that pop up along my jawline (which is SOOO annoying).
At one point during a facial with a new client who was totally blown away by my knowledge and educational skills, I remember thinking to myself “I wish I could stand on top of a mountain and scream my message about why taking care of your skin the right way is so important.”
Deep down I always wanted to write a book, but like most people, I had no clue how to even start, where to begin or even what to write about. I sat on that dream & put it in the back of my mind.
Fast forward to January of 2016, when a women I met at a women in biz networking meetings scheduled her first facial.
We were talking about the skin & I was helping her with her skin’s problems. Suddenly, we got on the topic and I learned that she was a ghost writer!!
OMG…what?
I told her my dream of writing a book & she told me that she loved my newsletters & videos and would be willing to look at them & help write up a guideline for me to write my book.
And so it began.
Let me just say that writing a book is no joke and it is no easy task either. It takes dedication, passion and hard work – but most of all, if this is something that is so important to you, you will MAKE time to make it happen.
I skipped morning workouts and got up daily at 5am, as well as weekends and evenings – it was a sacrifice but I was able to complete the book writing by the end of April.
Summer we took a break due to my move from Chicago to Austin, but picked up in September & went full steam ahead to get it perfect.
This project really taught me to be patient and trust in the process. Most of the steps were completely out of my hands and I had to learn how to release control to others. Seeing the finished product and seeing the hard work from my team, made it easier to relinquish the control.
Other times, I had to totally step out of my comfort zone and lead the team & tell them how I wanted it all to look and layout. That was scary because I’m not used to telling people (other than my kids) what to do.
I learned that in order to be a leader, you have to step outside of your comfort zone and tell others EXACTLY what you want. No one is a mind-reader and if I didn’t say exactly how I felt, the team didn’t know and we would not all have been on the same page.
Through this process I made the best of friendships and I honestly hope that this book opens many doors for them and their businesses in the future. They are an amazing team and I am truly proud of the work we did together and how well we worked as a team.
There was always 100% support and love from all ends.
Now, the book is done and it all happened exactly as it was supposed to happen.
Unfortunately, I am having to close the doors to my Texas biz, but I will always have my IL biz and fly back to Elmhurst every 4-6 weeks to continue to pamper my clients there.
The plus is that now that I’ll be working in a spa-setting and working for a place where clients will be provided for me. I now have the strength and motivation to focus my extra time & energy on getting this book into the hands of people who are looking for my help & guidance.
At first I was really sad about my decision and about the fact that a business I worked so hard at for so many months fell apart.
I have done enough work on myself over the past few years to help me see that, just because I’m closing my own biz doors doesn’t mean I’m giving up!
I can focus 100% of my time away from work and dedicate it to the book and getting out to help other people either through the book promotions or by doing speaking events to business networking groups or other women’s groups.
I’m seeing this as a HUGE opportunity for me to grow as a person and professional. Over the past 7 months here in Austin, I have built the most incredible friendships and learned to again step outside my comfort zone to ask for help.
I’ve been humbled by the fact that during all this struggle, I am still able to hold my own as a mom, head of a household, business owner and journey to becoming a first-time author.
I’ve taken huge risks and turned my faith over to God and allowed him to show me the right path. It wasn’t what I wanted to do, but I’m learning that there is NO such thing as failure.
Failure is just a detour to make you stop & realize that maybe something isn’t working like you planned and that you need to redirect your plan and follow one that’s been pinching you to follow it.
HUGE doors are already opening up for me because of my willingness to surrender and follow a new path.
Thank you all for the love and support this year. 2016 was definitely a challenging year, but I survived it and even though I hit a road bump, everything will be OK!
