You wake up every morning, grab a cup of coffee, and prepare to start a new day. You chant in your mind, “girl, you’ve got this! You were made for this!” But something still feels. . . off. You scroll through Instagram (or Pinterest…whatever’s your flavor) for a little inspiration, and you see a bunch of posts:
“You are enough!”
“You’re such a boss!”
“It’s your time!”
And while you feel uplifted for just a moment, there’s still doubt in your mind. There’s doubt that says:
“Am I where I’m supposed to be in life?”
“Am I doing everything I have been called to do?”
“Am I living to my fullest potential?”
Here’s what I can tell you: the answer to these questions is always yes—as long as you’re pushing forward to be better than you were the day before. That’s because owning a business is all about the journey.
See, if there were no journey, this whole creative entrepreneurial thing would be a boring blur. If there were no journey, then you wouldn’t be the inspiration needed for the next young woman struggling to find her “why”. And if there were no journey, there would be no way you’d appreciate all you’ve achieved in this life.
So when doubt comes, it simply means that it’s time to forget all the distractions that surround you and focus on your “why”.
Why do you do what you do?
I mean, why do you wake up every morning, turn on that laptop, and push to “make it”? To succeed? To win? I mean, it can’t be just “to get the coin”. Girl, you can do that anywhere.
When you sit down to plan out your content calendar, why?
When you craft all your business’s workflows and templated emails, why?
When you sit and curate your Instagram until it looks so perfect and pretty, why?
Why. . . why. . . why?
Listen, I am not asking for some deep-rooted heartfelt answer here. But I assume you wake up every morning to grind on that brand of yours because there is some sort of tugging on your heart that calls you to your work, right?
I want you to know that most people don’t hire you (or engage with your brand) because of what you do, but mainly because of why you do it and how you tell your story.
So, really understanding your why is crucial to your business.
Here’s what that meant for me personally:
Growing up, I was told to major in something “smart”, get a great-paying job, and maintain tenure at a company so I could advance in the ranks and have social security.
I was never taught to be a business owner, to explore my creative, or to monetize my passion. So I did what I knew—I got my master’s, got a good-paying job and got real comfortable. But something was always missing, and I couldn’t explain it.
Then, while studying abroad in Valencia, Spain, I took a photography course! And I remember how it was such a funny thing to my family. See, to them (and maybe me, too), photography wasn’t a “real” class. But for me, it was the first time ever that I tapped into my creative side (and I was darn good at it, if I might add).
It was during this time when I started to think, “what if I could do something fulfilling like this, and actually make a living?”
So, I started to think about the creative things I was already doing in my life and ways to possibly translate them into careers. I didn’t realize it at the time, but this was the start to my creative entrepreneurial journey.
When I was planning my wedding I said to myself, “you should be a wedding planner”. And I was. When I was shooting pictures for friends just for fun, I said, “you should be a photographer”. And I was. When I was building a website for an upcoming event I was hosting, I said to myself, “you should be a web & graphic designer”. And I was.
But you know what? At the time, I never stopped to realize that it wasn’t the job or career I loved. It was the concept of transforming visions into real, tangible outcomes—outcomes that in the end produced really happy people.
Happy couples.
Happy friends.
Happy business owners.
I was addicted to showing people, “look, you can make anything you envision come to life—and be happy!”
Looking back now, my “why” was sprinkled throughout my journey this entire time. I now realize that my why is to help people transform ideas into real tangible outcomes that allow them to live happy and fulfilling lives.
You see how it took the journey?
You see how it really doesn’t happen overnight?
You see why every twist and turn plays a part?
To leave you with an encouraging word, remember that the journey to your “why” will always be evolving.
So evolve, my friend. Evolve.
Ready to get started? Grab a notebook and write out the story of how you got to where you are today (as it relates to your business and brand). Are there common themes that you now recognize? Was your “why” hidden behind the scenes this entire time?