Have you heard the notion that things come in to our lives just at the right time?  Right after my blog post about my struggle with change and finding my passion I came across the website Stratejoy and more particularly this video.  Something about this resonated with me and was just what I was needing to hear.   I love the message Molly is putting out there and there is something about her “energy” that inspires me. I have signed up for the Joy Equation E-course and I’m going to commit fully to the 30 days.  I’ll let you know how it goes.  Maybe you read this post and check out Stratejoy and it is exactly what YOU needed, if so I’m happy to have facilitated a step in your journey and if not……ignore and continue on with your day.

May is ending and as I look back over the month I realise I’ve run the gamut of emotions.  I start the month off with renewed energy.  Those hours I would normally spend designing product to put into my SBG store are now free for me to do with as I feel like it.  I can take a class, paint, draw, work on my design portfolio…..hell I can spend the day baking bread if I want to.  So I make a plan, I sign up for some art and design classes.  I finish off my client work and I get my studio ready for some serious Art time and it happens……I get my last payment from SBG and then panic sets in……….I shouldn’t be so carefree with my time…..I need to make product so that I have money coming in and all of a sudden all that renewed energy and inspiration goes out the window.  Change is never easy.  When I made the decision to close my SBG store I knew that it meant letting go of some monetary stability but I had started to lose my passion and I was being pulled towards other pursuits so I had to make the change.  Don’t get me wrong I still love to design (which is why I will continue to work with my clients) but I no longer want it to consume all my working time.  So how do I quieten this voice of panic?  I’m fortunate that my husband is able to support our family but he works really hard to do that so isn’t it indulgent of me to want to take time to find my passion?  So here I was mid May feeling guilty…..I should be working on new product…..I should be doing my art lessons……I’m not designing so I should clean the house……I should be doing something…right? Surely I’m letting someone down….somewhere.  I am sure I’m not alone in feeling this way, you too have probably felt this way at sometime about something in your life.  I’ve had to have many “talks” with myself to squash the rising panic I feel when I’m not doing what I normally would be doing but why would I want to be doing what I was doing before….it wasn’t making me happy on a daily basis…… instead I was starting to feel stressed and uninspired.  So when that voice of guilt starts to rear its head I remind myself that I want to live a life of passion, happiness and fulfilment. My definition of this will be different than someone else’s but that’s okay because it is my life and I only have one to live…..and so I’m going to LIVE IT. (light bulb moment)

I don’t have it all figured out and I’m sure Panic and Guilt will come visiting from time to time but for now I’m going to take each day as it comes and make sure that I’m doing my best to live my life with Passion.  There are lots of articles, ebooks etc out there on “living your best life” and if I come across something that I find helpful I’ll be sure to share it with you.

In the meantime let me share with you a painting I did right after I had my “light bulb” moment.  It was quick and simple but it was such fun to create and it makes me smile when I look at it.

So I feel like I’m starting a new chapter of my life (personally & professionally).  I’m not sure where I’m headed but lets hope it is a good ride.  If your going through something similar or you have and come out the other side and have some words of wisdom I’d love to hear your thoughts.  You can post in the comments or send me an email at klewisdesigns@iprimus.com.au if you prefer.

Oh and in case I left you wondering, I’m not closing my business down I’m just going to take my time to produce products that I’m passionate about.

Have a great weekend.

Well I’ve finally got all my products loaded to my new ETSY store.

 It was a task and a half but I feel so much better now that it is all done and I can now focus on other things.  I’m not sure when I will have new digital content for sale as I still plan to take a break and focus my energies onto some new projects.  May is also going to to be a learning month for me.  I’ve enrolled in some business and art classes and I’m looking forward to immersing myself fully into the process.

What does May hold for you?