​ So, it has officially been one month since I took the major leap to jump into business working for myself.
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What a crazy learning process it has proven to be already.
Well, I’ll be honest, it was a challenge even in the planning process (which took over a full year in itself). Don’t worry, I am not surprised or shocked by any of this. If you know me well, you’ll know that I am a planner. It’s virtually impossible for me to take a large risk without doing proper research first.
Okay fine – Rephrase. I do not take ANY large risks and I always do more research than is necessary even in small endeavors.
 
Sure, I want to be the girl that can live life vicariously on the edge. I would love to just be the yes-girl; act first and think later. But that is just NOT me. My husband is the one that is constantly getting me to test my own boundaries and get me to challenge myself. He’s honestly what balances me out. I definitely would not have gone parasailing or paragliding if it wasn’t for him pushing me to try; I am terrified of heights! And, guess what? Those were some of the most incredible experiences I have ever had. (Don’t get any ideas, hubby, I still say no to skydiving. Kudos to you out there that could handle that kind of adrenaline.)
 
But still, here I am, doing the crazy scary thing I was most terrified to do. I stepped out of comfort zone and into the unknown.
​And…..I didn’t self-combust.
I’m not sure what exactly I thought might happen but I had all kinds of fear, anxiety, and stress around quitting my job and going out on my own.
But, now that I think of it, if you can’t trust in yourself, who CAN you trust?
 
So, the top five things I have learned this month:

• I am working harder than I have in any job in my entire life.

I mean, I sometimes work 8am-8pm Monday through Friday, I always work on Saturday, and I have to literally force myself to not work on Sundays. Even when I am not at the spa, I work from home. The beauty of it? I feel so satisfied knowing I am building an empire that is for myself that I've earned.

• As an entrepreneur just starting out, you kinda have to be the jack of all trades.

I am the esthetician, the promoter/marketing manager, the website builder, the programmer, the social media expert, the scheduler, the blogger, and the sales consultant. Thankfully, I am organized (heyyy you fellow Type 1s), I like to be in control, and I am fairly good at most of those things. Although I have a lot to learn and I would love to contract out, I know that will come in time.

• Manifestation works!

I am now a strong believer in this. I swear, with the right energy and positivity, anything is possible. For me, it is all about what I am listening to (podcasts), reading, and who I surround myself with that really helps me to be in control of my thoughts and gain success.
Trust me and try it.

• I can’t say yes to everything.

I tend to want to make everyone happy. The thing is, what if I say yes to everyone else and yet here I am being the one that is unhappy? My main goal is to have success in my business and happiness. There are ways to politely say no or suggest something that works better, without completely letting EITHER party down. This possibly has been the toughest thing.

• I will ALWAYS be learning how to run a business.

This is maybe the most important thing I have realized thus far. I’m not perfect at running the business, nor will I ever be. I will always be able to utilize advice, opinions, and suggestions from other business owners and experts. I think it’s crucial to be aware of this so I can constantly expand and grow. And that is the most exciting part! I love receiving knowledge and getting challenged.
 
So, my friends, I hope you gained a thing or two from my sharing in this first crazy month of entrepreneurship.
Onto the next month – I’m sure I will be faced with new obstacles to overcome.
 
Bring it!

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

Isn’t that the question we hear countless times, over and over throughout our lives? 
We spend our entire childhood hearing the question as we search avidly for answers and, as our graduation from high school nears, the overwhelming pressure begins to really set in for us to hurry up and choose our career path.  Most of us choose quickly, randomly, feeling as if we are running out of time to consider it further.  My career path has altered countless times, just as I know many of my friends have.  I’ve always thought that my first response in Kindergarten the most brilliant one.  I got on stage and announced to all the parents and children in the assembly that when I grew up, I wanted to be a baby that played with toys.  After all, isn’t that essentially what we all want in life; to be happy and have no worries?  That is the epitome of happiness and satisfaction, to simply enjoy our careers.  No one wants to dread going to work every day.  It takes a major toll on us and on our personal lives.  But I can be sure of one thing already, and that is almost 100% of the individuals reading this article have worked at least one job that they were unhappy at.  I am almost willing to bet 100% have.

I recall all the adults chuckling at the Kindergarten ceremony at my response. 
After that I decided to be a veterinarian (until I realized you had to do surgeries on the poor animals), a pop-singer (until I was told I couldn’t carry a tune), a song writer, a professional cheerleader, an interior designer, a marriage and family therapist…. The list goes on and on.  So here I sit, at age 29 after having started college for Interior Design, taking the next semester off, switching schools and majors to then graduate with my Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, with a Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy, then to school and graduating as an Esthetician.  Impressive to some as having a Master’s Degree may be, however, since I have not gone further to utilize that degree, I often question that assumption.  They neglect to inform us during our childhood just how difficult it can be to choose a career path and stick with it.  There are many reasons to change and become unhappy with the choice.  Most commonly it is lack of employment opportunities within the field, or the salary, or the licensing process and cost of education to move toward it, or sometimes we just don’t fully understand what the career entails and that it may not bring us the happiness we once thought.  We were lead to believe it would be easy; teachers, adults, professionals say just pick a career path and go to school and find a job. 
Period.  Easy peasy, right?

But yet here I sit writing this, still trying to find my place in my late-twenties and here you sit, reading this so you can find your place.  So we must ask ourselves, what makes us happy?  How do we find joy in our careers?  How do we do what we love to live more stress free and satisfying lives?  I think I just found my answer as I write this, words flowing from me and happiness growing as I share it with all of you. 

Through all of this, if there is something I have realized, it is this:
I love to help people, I'm extremely hard-working, and I have the desire to be incredibly successful.

I just took a huge leap of faith and dove head-first into becoming an Entrepreneur and owner of my own spa. I've heard the saying without risk, there is no payoff and I have to believe that's true. 
Trust me when I say, this journey has not been fast and it has not been easy. Planning my own business has been stressful, taxing, and extremely terrifying.
My thoughts? If it was easy, everyone would do it. 
I'm not starting it to float through life and have things easy. I'm not starting it to have weekends off. I'm not even starting because I don't want to report to a boss.
I've started Saving Face because I want all my hard work, my time, my energy, and my passion to pay off. I want to feel the sense of satisfaction and pride of what I've built and worked so hard to achieve.

It's been a long time in the making and I know I have a long road ahead, but I am so excited that I finally took the leap to be all in.  

Who's with me?