Over the years I have made some pretty big decisions. I have been up at night asking myself if I am crazy for making these choices. I have prayed, I have cried and I have manifested. But one thing was always the same. I never felt 100% ready to make these “moves” in my life. I was fearful and uncertain but I did them anyway!
You May Panic:
If you have read my early articles, I talk about my first day of work as an apprenticing nail technician. This was also the first time in my life that I experienced panic attacks. Looking back I feel it was mostly my insecurities that played such a major role in my anxiety. I was fearful of letting people down. I was not ready (or so I felt) to take the leap and put myself out there. I now know that this was the feeling of impostor syndrome.
I pushed through this fear as crippling as it was sometimes. I pushed through and did it anyway. For two years! These years really built the foundation for what was going to become a very thriving career.
You May Make “Crazy Decisions” :
After two years at this Salon, my husband and I decided to make some major moves in our lives. Literally. We sold nearly everything we owned, packed up the rest and moved to a small mountain community about four hours North. We moved from a city that had a nail salon on every corner, no exaggeration, to a small farming community that certainly wasn’t getting their nails done.
The fear and doubt crept back in. What was I doing?? I had a perfectly stable job and just left it behind. Starting from scratch, living in a basement suite with our seven year old son and huge dog. I certainly did not feel ready!
I managed to get a part-time job doing nails in a small studio and slowly tried to build a name for myself. We couldn’t survive off this money alone, so I had to get another job in retail to pay the bills. Working six days a week. I did this for nearly two years before I was able to focus on nails full time.
You May Want More:
I stayed at this spa for five years. I met some of the most meaningful relationships of my life at this spa. I built an incredible clientele. I was booked at least a year in advance and there was no chance of any “new clients” getting an appointment.
I felt successful. I was praised and respected in my field, for sure. But, darn-it, I felt like there was something missing. Like I had to take that next step. I had to keep moving the needle.
So I decided to go out on my own and open a nail studio in my home. Again, what was I thinking!!?? I had a stable clientele, security in my job and I was still on the hunt for the next experience. And now I was building something from scratch. I kid you not, I had never attempted drywall a day in my life, but somehow thought this was a good idea!
I wasn’t ready, but in two months I had built a beautiful sanctuary for my ladies to come and unwind and leave with gorgeous nails. It worked, I was thriving. Working from home, still fully booked and available for my family. Success!
You Might Feel “Stuck” :
Then COVID…..I mean, need I say more. This put the brakes on EVERYTHING! I wasn’t making a dime. I was stressed and felt so unsure of the future. As we all were.
My husband and I sat down again to reassess our lives, our goals and what we wanted our future to look like. We made another very pivotal move. We downsized again, moved even further north and decided to start building a tiny home. A dream of ours over the years.
I’ll never forget the feeling of throwing out my clients nail files and envelopes. Was I ready to give this all up? Everything I had built over ten years??! Well, ready or not I did it anyway!
Do It Anyway!
This all brings us to where I am at today. I dove back into my passion and my experience. I am definitely building a tiny house with my husband in the mountains of British Columbia. But, I am also fulfilling my dreams of educating, writing and creating content.
I find myself again overcoming the odds of not feeling ready or asking my self if I am crazy. I now believe that the crazy ideas, the ones that keep us up at night, those are the ideas we need to act on. Those are the ideas that make us reach farther and grow more than we ever thought possible.
I promise you, you will never feel 100% ready. But I encourage you to do it anyway. Take the risk and adjust as you go. Sometimes, or often times, our fear to take the next step becomes crippling. So we do nothing. So, nothing changes and we live a life with very limited experiences. We have to “risk it to get the biscuit”. Couldn’t be more relate able.
I want to share my stories as a way to encourage you. If I can do it fearful and full of anxiety, so can you! Please reach out if you are wanting to take the next step in your life but aren’t sure were to start. I may not be an expert, but I certainly have some experience on the matter. I am always available to chat and I love hearing from all of you.
Thanks for reading. I hope you all have an inspired day,
Love you!
Cheyanne – The Nail Lamp Tramp.
