Being Successful

I was looking at the calender today and noticed that we're halfway thought the month. Time is really flying by this year. My Grandmother used to say that as you get older, time just flies by... You start out when you're a kid and you're always feeling bored, so you run around with other kids and even then, you still feel kind of bored. As you get older and there are more enticing things to do, you find that you're not as bored as you were before. Then you graduate from high school, you go on to college or you get a job or get married, and then there never seems to be enough time.

One day you look into the mirror and that 20 yo is no longer there...there is a more mature and, hopefully, more intelligent person than there was even a few years before. And time is flying by like there is no tomorrow. Kind of scary, isn't it? This is where I always wish that I was back at age 8 when I first started saying to my folks and grandparents that I was bored, but knowing what I know now.

Wouldn't that be terrific? Going back to an earlier stage in your life and knowing what you know at 50 or more? I'm not talking about what stock would be making money back then. I'm talking about the mature thinking, the mature emotions, and all the things we learned on our way to 50 or more.

Knowing which person to watch out for (not the exact person, but that certain type of person) or that you want to get to know better. Behaviors we had when we were young seem to have mellowed out by the time we hit 50. Knowing that we need to start saving when we're young so that when we retire, we can take care of ourselves and not worry about pensions (those would still be nice tough), social security (that will be long gone soon enough), and our families. Knowing that we made the right decisions that we won't pass on knowing that we screwed up when we were younger because of bad choices we made or not so nice things we did.

Personally, I'd only go back to age 23. I had a nasty childhood and wouldn't go back to before 23 even if I had the chance. 20 was the start of my life when I could made my own decisions, the right ones, so that I could feel good about who and what I was. I had saved $25,000 by that point, but I wouldn't have married my first husband--he went through my savings like it was water.

'd have made different decisions about my life...have gone back to college sooner to get my degree so I could have been promoted sooner and gone up higher in the ranks.

I'd have taken more art courses and more courses on sales and merchandising than I did, so I could have done better when I had my custom-made sweater business.

Oh well...as they all say, the past is past, and we have to look towards the future, which I am doing. I have high hopes for my future, despite of the head pain.

I want to raise more Icelandic sheep and sell the lambs. I want to make sure that I raise them well so they have nice fleeces that I can process and spin and sell. I want to teach more people how to do the crafts I love so they don't disappear forever. If the world keeps going the way it's going, we may need those crafts again for clothing and household goods.

I want to sell the items I create, from patterns, clothing, and home decor items to regular folks, to creating things that businesses would want for their front offices.

I want to learn more fiber crafts. I want to learn more about everything. I love learning and can usually do much of what I've learned, so I keep learning. It's a neverending cycle.

I want to enjoy my life more, and if that means creating things until I'm 100, then that's what I'm willing to do. I love doing it and sharing what I do.

Anyway, I'm successful at what I'm doing. I'm selling sheep and lambs, fiber, yarn, baby, teen and adult clothing, afghans and toys. I'm also selling patterns I've created myself for shawls, mittens, toys, etc. I'm teaching classes to more and more people, and I'm learning more about myself throughout all of this. I may slow down with age, but I feel that I'm happy I'm doing this now when I have the energy to do it, than to wait until it's too late and miss the boat.

So, do what you love and hopefully, the rest will follow. You'll be a success in your own eyes. Isn't that what's most important? It doesn't matter if you're a success in anyone else's eyes, but your own.

You are the most important person in your life, so take care of yourself. You can love people, but if you don't love yourself, they won't feel loved.

Hugs,
Jet