A little more that 3 years ago I decided that I had a passion that I MUST follow. I, along with my uber-supportive husband, I decided to walk away from a six figure income in hopes to find a more fulfilling life as a creative. What I didn’t’ know then is that following your passion means taking responsibility for your path in life. When I didn’t get it right on the first, second, or third try, I became frustrated with every turn. I became fearful, controlling, and that didn’t go so well for me. I am writing this piece because I want to share with you some of the mistakes I’ve made along the way in hope that it will save your passionate, creative soul a bit of misery along your own journey.

Perfection

I had a plan, I did! I thought about what I wanted and made a plan. It was a perfect plan, with perfect little steps along the way. It was grandiose! Everything about what I was doing was rooted in perfection. Whether it was pitching a client, painting a piece of furniture, or finding the perfect place to sell my goods… I had a perfect vision. The problem? When your goal is perfection, the end result will most certainly be disappointment. I was becoming disappointed with myself and with my work. Instead of looking at my little side-gig at the wine bar as a means to help me get to the next step, I viewed it as failure. Every-time someone passed on purchasing a piece from me I looked at it as, “I am not good enough”, rather than, “It’s just not their style.” How did I overcome this trap? I began to look at my prior career as a preschool teacher, and what one of my main mantra’s was… “It’s the process that matters, not the product”. I began to apply that to everything I was doing, and realized that if I just enjoy the process, being fully engaged in it, whether the product is perfect or not, I learned. I learned what to do differently, what was working, and what was not. I threw perfection out the window and that allowed me to just DO THE THINGS! Perfection kills creativity. Perfection kills progress.

Thinking About the Big Instead of all the Littles

Looking back, I think worrying about failure was the most paralyzing part of my journey. Looking at the big end and thinking that there is no way I will make it, literally stopped me in my tracks many times. It felt overwhelming and unattainable. What was I missing? I was missing the focus on the small everyday tasks that would take me in a direction of progress. I was not recognizing that progress, no matter how little, was moving in a direction that I needed to go. I wasn’t giving myself credit for the small victories, just looking for the big ones. I was not enjoying the process. That’s one way to set yourself up for failure!!!! What changed? I read lot’s of books.

I learned that when you follow your heart and go after your dreams, you will have to let go of your fears so you can soar even higher. I stopped letting fear scare me, instead took it as a sign that I was on the right path. I learned that If you want to follow your passion you have to feel your fear fully. When following your passion, you have to start looking inside for answers and stop looking for permission. You have to stop making excuses for why you can’t take action and just take the next step, and the one after that, until you end up where you want to be.

After years of struggling, I can finally say that I am right where I need to be, doing what I love to do and growing through the process. I am the facilitator of two online coaching groups, Cara’s Color Me Vintage - Artists in the Making and Color Me Creative Business Business Builders I pour my creative heart and soul into these groups and love every minute of it. My growing business, Cara’s Color Me Vintage, keeps me busy, and although I really don’t enjoy the businessy part (paperwork, taxes, sales, etc.), I now understand that balancing the tasks at hand with the passionate pull to create, encourage, and inspire is what will keep me rock’n!

Rock on ladies and join the journey!

Cara