Welcome to the Wildernest!
I've been wanting to start this for over a year, and now we're both here.
Why did it take me so long to get this thing started? I could blame it on my toddlers, or my husband, or my trudgingly painful separation from the Navy. Or my ADHD. Or my lack of energy. Or a lot of other things.
But at the end of the day, I just wasn't ready. I'm the reason.
And after much consideration....(drum roll please)...I'm still not ready! Or not as ready as I'd like to be anyhow.
And it took me over a year to be okay with not being ready.
Maybe you can relate to that feeling? Maybe you've got a particular passion or aspiration that keeps coming to mind, you can feel it pumping through your blood- but something keeps it there.
If so, I'll give you a simple Wildernest-proof test to help you decided whether or not the time is right.
#1 Are You Acquainted With Sacrifice?
Ah, Sacrifice, the new friend that I wish was an old one. I wish I had learned to do genuine sacrifices at an earlier time in my life, so that they didn't feel so hard now. Not that I didn't do any sacrificing in my early years, but now with an aching back and little people relying on me (and big people relying on me) it's got a different weight.
Some days, I sacrifice more than others. Some days, it's an hour of sleep. Some days, it's time that I'd just be rather doing something else. Some days, it's the quality of my food intake.
Most days it's sleep who am I kidding.
But if you are willing to make sacrifices in areas in your life that feel pretty comfortable, if you are willing to indulge in some front-row grit, to dive into the oh-so-cliche "comfortable with being uncomfortable," then you have passed the first test.
And if you're not: THAT'S OKAY. Sometimes we want things, really really bad, and God is saying "hang on, I've got something better."
#2 Is Your Heart in it?
The first business I began to seriously plan for was a coffee shop. There was a beautiful location in my local downtown area that hadn't been running in over a decade, had an up-to-date commerical food license (and even a liquor license), and the owner was looking to sell.
I thought this opportunity had fallen into my lap.
I started attending a business class, I had friends who were willing to help me invest, my partner was supportive, everything seemed great!
And after months of tenative planning, I walked into my business class and said "I'm not going to start a coffee shop, I'm going to open a home-based art business and be a mission-oriented content creator." Or something like that. Because I had realized that my heart wasn't in opening a coffee shop. Even a really cool one.
Like, I like coffee. I drink it often. But when I look behind the curtain at modern coffee shops, they actually make me cringe. Shudder. Walk out of an interview (you can read about my Interview Escape here). In summary, my heart wasn't in it.
So the question of course: is yours? Is whatever business or passion that you want to pursue, is that something that will make you feel excited to get up in the morning? Not every morning of course, because businesses take work and sacrifice, but some mornings I would hope.
And if not: THAT'S OKAY. I would encourage you to figure out what does bring you joy, fulfillment, hope. What value do you have to offer the world? What would the world be missing out on without you in it?
And sometimes the answer isn't to start a business, or write a book, or a blog, or cure cancer. Sometimes the most important world you can bring value to is yours, and the people closest to you. So do that :)
Ready, Set, Go!
So here we are. Here I am, sharing with you, hoping to create a community with my art and my mission. There will be plenty to read about on those subjects in coming posts, I just wanted to start this off with some practical encouragement to accompany my welcome, so you can get an idea of what you're getting into.
Here, we'll be raw, we'll be vulnerable, probably controversial. Here, I aim to create a space for wholesome creativity that challenges the modern narrative, fills hearts, and brings people together. Thank you for being here with me.
If you want to be even more involved in the Wildernest world, consider subscribing to my email list so we can keep in touch.