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[…] April challenged us to do something that scares us this weekend and this trip totally counts. It was our first hiking trip of the year and a major change in the boys routine. He was not too happy with that. We decided to bring the dog. That ended up being a bit of a problem since dogs aren’t allowed in national parks (and I forgot to check on that before we left). But the really scary part was the drive up to the trail-head. It was this narrow twisty gravel mountain road that just went on forever. Keep in mind that the unhappy boy and freaky dog were both whining the entire time while I was white-knuckling the car door. Just to keep it interesting DH made smarmy ’hills have eyes’ references the entire trek. And then when we finally got to the ‘end of the road’ it was closed due to snow. The warmest, nicest day of the year and we were up to our shins in snow. […]
love it! I’m in the middle of sacrificing my bedroom to make a studio with a door on it. that’s kinda scary but also I think completely necessary for my quality of life/sanity. So i’m doing it. Also maybe i’ll try soymilk in my coffee and cereal… it scares me a little but, i’ll try it and let you know how it goes 🙂
Thanks! Oh wow…seems like you’re taking on a big project. I’m not a huge fan of soymilk–even though I’m vegan, I just can’t jump on board of soymilk in cereal. It’s just not the same. I like almond milk and rice milk better–but that’s just personal preference and it still isn’t the same. I just don’t eat cereal anymore which is kinda sad–but I have new breakfast favorites that include my delicious green juice!
You should maybe start with vanilla flavoured soy milk for your cereals! Since it tastes like vanilla, it might be easier!
I literally spit the vanilla soy milk out the first time that I tried it–I didn’t like it. But, I know others who love it–so ya never know 🙂
I think it depend on the brand too! There are some soy milk i CAN’T drink at all and some others I love! I would share the name with you but I don’t think you could find them in the US…
i like the chocolate silk milk so maybe I could give the vanilla a go…
I love fresh made almond milk and soy milk is okay in coffee, but my new fave is coconut milk made by “So Delicious” brand. I got the original flavor the other day and have been using it in my coffee and my cereal and its awesome! Doesn’t have a strong coconut flavor, so it’s perfect! 🙂
that’s a touching video… i almost cried.
I guess for me, doing something that scares me would be to do a video blog, like yours!
I think about it from time to time but it is way to scary for me … What will people think about me… they won’t read my posts the same way after they that, they won’t take me serious anymore if they hear all the mistakes I make… in writing, i make mistakes too but I can at least correct my posts with a plugin called Proofread writing before I hit “send”…
I guess I would feel great if I could post a vlog, even if I think it’s scary…
oh i forgot to mention i almost cried too. it’s so amazing that a bunch of people who never actually met can come together and support each other isnt it?!
Thanks Danielle! I was honestly awestruck by the response that I got from people I only know via the internet–it’s a great thing!
I hope you do it Marie! I’d love to see your video post. And, I think it actually connects you more to readers–just the opposite of your fears. Nobody is perfect–and the mistakes make you who are. I know I don’t want to see perfect Marie–I just want to see Marie 🙂
Great video, April. I am proud of you for taking such a crummy thing and finding a positive in it. 🙂
I haven’t been feeling quite “right” for the past few weeks. I have the worst fear of going to the doctor, but I’m going to call and make an appointment. Going right now…
Thanks Kelsey.
Ugh. Going to the doctor when you have a “not-quite-right” feeling is SUPER scary–but I’m glad that you’re taking action. I hope everything turns out alright.
I got all emotional too! And what a coincidence that I have a blog post that I am afraid to post, and is almost ready… I hope you’ll take a peek in a couple of hours..
You’ve got my attention…the blog posts that are scary to post are usually the best 🙂 I’m cheering you on!
Awesome video – so heartfelt & genuine. I am attending the Midwest Craft Caucus this weekend & it scares me because I’m an introvet. So my plan is to introduce myself to a different & new person at each session I attend. In the first day there are 9 & the second day, 6.
What an awesome goal Danielle. I’ll bet that you’ll be glad that you pushed yourself. Remember, that most people are a little nervous about meeting new people, so you’re not alone!
Wow, really inspiring video today, April. Thank you so much for having the courage to share that with us. I am equally emotional, so I can appreciate how difficult that must have been. I’m not sure I could have done it. But you did, and so I am going to challenge myself in a similar way, although the thought of it terrifies me. I’ve been hurt very badly in the past year by a situation involving a couple of my closest friends, and as such I’ve put up a lot of mental barriers to prevent myself from being hurt again. Unfortunately the barriers have meant that I have been pushing my other friends away – I’ve been so scared someone else would hurt me that I wouldn’t let them get close to me. But one friend in particular has stuck by me through it all and has never doubted me for a moment. I have a pretty card here that I purchased from an Etsy seller, and today I’m going to write her a message to say thank you for that. It scares me to let my barriers down and show how I really feel, but she’s worth it.
I saw our introduction video today from way back at the start of this blog and I was so encouraged by it. I was particularly interested to learn that you had worked in social work. I currently work in social work with children, some of whom are very vulnerable. I’ve often thought that my career background and skills were an obstacle to me being successful in creative business. It seemed like a huge transition to make. But knowing that you had a similar career background and made that transition gives me hope that I can do it too.
Thanks for a great video, April, and I hope things look up for you soon!
Thanks for sharing your story, Suzi! Being hurt by the people we trust the most can be a huge setback, but it makes me smile knowing that you’re going to send that card.
I thought it would be a big transition, too–but it wasn’t. I’m gonna guess that you use a lot of creativity in your work. And, that you have to juggle A LOT of things and have learned things that you like and don’t like about the company that you work for. Those things all apply to a creative business. You just have to be willing to learn about the stuff that you don’t know much about. That can seem like a lot–I’ve been there–but it’s definitely doable.
Things are definitely looking up for me–I’m having a much better Friday this week 🙂
I am so sorry for all of your troubles April and I am glad that you are well again. I have a HUGE scary thing to do in my personal life. Thanks for the extra push.
xo
Thanks Dana! I hope your huge, scary thing goes really well. I’m cheering you on!
Oh honey…you brought tears to my eyes:) I am one of the people that you have enormously helped! And it started before I even knew you as April. Danielle and I were talking and she was like, “um did you watch April talk about product descriptions at the etsy symposium?” I was like what…tht was April?!? I watched it before I even went to your site. So you were affecting my business, my success, and boosting my confidence before I even knew your name…how cool is that:) And man, I had 4 sales then.
Something scary for me, is coming at the end of this month…eek!
Relax this weekend:)!
Awww…thanks Erin! That’s so funny–and makes me feel really good 🙂
I wish you luck at the end of the month!
I did not see the Friday posts or tweets so I’d like to offer my support now. April, if a customer was not satisfied with you, I doubt it was your fault. In my experience, the people who are never satisfied are the ones that I’ve gone above and beyond for, and it’s their own disorganization and lack of follow through that gets them in situations that upset them, which they then blame on others because they haven’t yet learned to use their inner lens of self-evaluation to identify and accept that they are the source of their own frustration. Not to go a pop-psychologist on you but this has been my experience. You keep on being you, April, and you’ll be fine, you’re one smart cookie!
Wow. I admire your confidence and your willingness to take a risk. Thanks for such an honest post. (and I had to laugh at the conversation about soymilk above, I was a vegan for 10 years and drank a lot of soymilk and rice milk but could never tolerate it on cereal either.)
You have already inspired me to step out of my comfort zone and do things that scare me long before this post. It is because of you that I have posted video on my blog and let the world see my face in my blog photo. (It doesn’t seem so scary now, but at the time it felt like a big deal.) Today is almost over, but tomorrow I will go for a driving lesson (driving is definitely the biggest fear I need to conquer right now.)
Thanks, April, for all that you do and share!
I know we don’t know each other in person (yet) or technically share the same DNA, but I sensed your kindness + ability to give unconditionally from the first e-mail you sent. Do you remember? It was about the Social Media book idea 🙂
Ever since I’ve known somehow that I was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO lucky to have you in my life + that your friendship was the most precious of treasures.
I might have helped you last Friday, but you need to know you have transformed me forever with all the million little ways you make me feel special.
Infinite gratitude. Words are not enough.
Good morning, April–
Boy, I hope I wasn’t that difficult client…and I felt like a real meathead after our Skype chat because I knew about your hard week and didn’t mention it. So the first scary thing for today is apologizing for that–I think apologizing is hard because you have to own something that you’re not proud of. And here’s a thought about that awful week: When you think about what an AVERAGE day is, you realize it’s pretty good, right? And so there have to be some bad ones to average it out. And how would we know when we were having some really GREAT days if we hadn’t also had some really AWFUL ones?
My 2nd scary thing–in fact, the scariest part of my life right now–is working on getting this creative business up and running Every part of it is scary because I really don’t know how to do this. But what’s getting me not only THROUGH it but also EXCITED about it is you. Seriously. So, see? Thank you for that. You’ve really helped me with my scary thing.
Katy,
You’re a pleasure to work with and super funny–you definitely weren’t the difficult client 🙂 And, you don’t have to apologize. I don’t expect you to keep up with what’s going on with me…but thanks for it anyway.
Awwww…and you are so sweet. I’m glad that I can help you get your creative business up and running. We’ve got 3 months to get this thing together–and we’re gonna do it! Thank you for your support! That really means a lot.
And, I completely agree that we wouldn’t appreciate the amazing days as much if we didn’t have those awful days. Thanks for that reminder 🙂
Thank you, April!
I have taken a few scary steps this year. For year I’ve comfortably hidden behind my kids in my kooshy stay-at-home-mom gig but this April I finally opened an Etsy shop. I am now bravely trying to figure out all the ins and outs of starting a new business and how to get myself out there. I’m a very private and quiet person so all this is stepping outside my boundary for sure. Even writing this comment is new for me. ; )
I just learned about your site a couple of weeks ago and now I look forward to reading (and watching) what you have to say. It makes me feel like I might actually be able make something of this eventually.
I’m sorry you had to go through such an awful week. Things happen in threes so hopefully you’re in the clear for a long time to come. You’ve certaily earned it after all that!
Thank you again for all the great work and for this inspiring video!
Maya
April-
Although we don’t know each other, I just wanted to say that I am glad to see that you are better and I hope that you will be able to overcome the difficulties that you are facing at this time. Your video today created a spark in me. From time to time I fall into a comfort zone and I’m actually the last person that would want to be comfortable b/c I know that being comfortable means being stagnate. And I’ve been feeling for some time that things are getting stale and I need to shake things up.
I’ve realized that getting out of our comfort zones is when we actually grow. If we want to be “alive” and thrive and flourish, then we’ve got to get out there and get dirty and fall down and get lost occasionally. Children are wonderful examples of this. They have zero hang-ups, they’re not shy about anything, they don’t care if the make a mistake, but in the end they learn and they discover amazing things.
Tuning into that child within us that we once were is one way to get us back on track with our dreams and to get us out of this shell that we have created for ourselves to protect ourselves from everything that we’ve been through in life. Sometimes we need to shed a few layers of that shell in order to really live our lives.
So I’m going to take up your challenge and since you said it has to be a non-biz challenge, I’m going to learn how to drive a stick shift. I live in Spain now and I only know how to drive an automatic. So here I have to have my husband drive me everywhere. Driving stick scares the daylights out of me becaue there is so many things to control, but I’m just going to do it.
Thanks again for all that you do. I have truly benefitted from all of your biz advice. Take care!
April, Thank you for showing that we all are “Human” in the midst of trying to run a business or go to work or continue on with family life. I hope that things will be better for you this week. One of the things that is scaring me is starting a business on Etsy. Trying to be creative while still having a full time job is hectic yet exciting. I love you blog/website- as i am knew to all this too. Good luck in your endeavors.
The plan was to setup a video studio and try to vlog. Instead we went on our first hike of the summer. I think this was by far the scarier choice. Crabby children, steep mountain roads, and snow made for an interesting day. Its probably not what you had in mind – I consider it a good warm up exercise. Off to create a video studio. =D
Hi April!
Thank You for your VIDEO!!! I try, everyday, to push myself. I’ve actually made it part of my way of life. At 38, whenever I go off on a tangent about something I did or a conversation I had – MY PARENTS – just sit back and smile (or come give me a big hug). It’s strange, really – that I think they’ve FINALLY realized I AM an adult and can handle my own “things”.
So – my VERY long story made very short… 2 1/2 years ago – I walked out of my house. Left my husband of 8 years after being together for 13. Shortly after that, we sold our house, I got a divorce, had to move back in with my parents and then lost my job.
In a couple more days, I will have my 2 year anniversary of my divorce, I’ve started my own etsy shop and have also secured a regular full time job. HERE’S THE SCARY PART. I just started to look for a house to buy – ON MY OWN. I’m SO scared, I’m not even excited about it!! Since I was little, my sister and friends have always called me “suzie homemaker” and crack jokes about all the things I do. I can’t walk into someone else’s house without commenting on their decor, paint colors, accessories, or even their walk way or choice of plantings. People who don’t know me, just look at me in awe when I open my mouth. I can’t control my “input”. Creativity is IN MY SOUL.
I actually haven’t been on my etsy site, or in my email for a couple weeks – and tonight I opened it up and found your video. I’m sorry you had a rough (miserable) week last week, I’m glad you are feeling better!! I think that you are AWESOME for having this website and keeping the rest of us in check!!
YOU ARE JUST WHAT I NEEDED – RIGHT NOW.
thank you.
<3
I set up an etsy site last fall and have yet to list anything for sale, I’m afraid of what the customer will think of my product. I’m afraid I won’t get it out fast enough. I am afraid of awful picture taking skills, Also I have trouble deciding which venue to pursue for sale. I like many crafts, but I also love to shop for antiques, vintage, and just simply beautiful glassware and small items. I don’t know where to focus, or what I should pursue. I would love feedback and suggestions. Most etsy sites have a theme, is that necessary?
I was out of town camping so I missed watching it when you first posted it but I promise it came right on time. I really needed this today. I got teary eyed but I thank you for pushing us the way you do. I am brand new to your blog and I have been inspired by everything you have put out.
The crazy thing is I did my crazy thing this weekend. I went on a camping trip and my friend backed out at the last min so I decided to step outside of my comfort zone and go by myself with a group of people I had never met. I was the youngest one on the trip and totally alone but I made fast friends and have the most amazing time of my life. It was crazy and scary but I’m so happy I pushed myself and learned to enjoy myself with new people. Thanks again for being you!
Thanks April,
I can so relate….I just went through difficult season of life, while trying to keep up with my business and all of life as well. I was sick for three months…It took a team of Dr. that long to diagnose me and then I had major surgery, having my left ovary removed….Then a few weeks of recovery before diving back in to work. Today I came home feeling overwhelmed and had some good strategies to transition myself out of overwhelm mode and into proactive productive happy, thankful mode.
It has all been very challenging, but has made me stronger and more empathetic. I look forward to having my regular energy and endurance back so I can better serve my audience. I am sorry you had such a rough week and wanted to let you know your vid game me some needed inspiration today and a feeling of sisterhood.
Maybe at some point we can team up for a venture project. My website is http://www.launchingcreativity.com
I signed up for your 4 day class…because making business as fun as possible right now, after going through this tough season of life is SO what I NEED right now. Can’t wait!
So the first scary thing for today is apologizing for that–I think apologizing is hard because you have to own something that you’re not proud of. There are some soy milk i CAN’T drink at all and some others I love! I’m sorry you had a rough (miserable) week last week, I’m glad you are feeling better!! I’m not sure I could have done it.
Thank you for sharing your story 🙂 I can relate on it. Awesome and very amazing time of your life. Perfect!