Scary side of Business in Covid-land

Starting a business at age 60 is risky but what the heck! Let's go for it....
No joke, it was a struggle. Slow slow start, working to bring people in and have happy customers at our little art studio. Very slow take off, barely to cruise... and then...

COVID-19 smacks us right between the eyes. Closed down for 2 full months. No money in and still money goes out to maintain our space. Our savings is draining away. We are constantly asking if we should throw in the towel or keep fighting. There are no answers. Covid-land doesn't let us see through to the other side.  It's not like a hurricane where you take the hit, clean it up and move on. Some say this could last another year. Can we?

So, how to keep from spiraling down into a deep funk? I concentrate on the things I can control.
We're open again but business is super slow. We are not making our rent. We applied for a grant and got it. Okay, this month we're paying rent. Worry about next month then. I often go from freaking out, to crying, to anger. When I walk the dog I talk to myself. It helps me work through the myriad of feelings coursing through me every day. Then I recite a mantra of wishes but I speak as if they're all ready here. I learned that from the Law of Attraction. It's part of my plan to retain my sanity during crazyland.

In the mean time we're trying to come up with ways our customers can get the same great experience we offer in our art studio at home. Don't want to risk going out? Let me see what I can do for you. (and make $$ to pay the bills)

It's a daily struggle. When I'm ready to splash down into a puddle of misery I stop and think, "What else is out there? What else can I do to bring $$ in?"

Luckily I know a great group of business owners who brainstorm together. Are all our ideas great? No, but some have possibilities. Success will come. I will it to happen.  We all know, Success comes but it has to find you working.

I think of that fish, Dori; Keep on Swimming, Keep on Swimming....

Making of a Badass...

When did I start trying to please everyone? Was I born this way? Accumulate this weird need to make sure everyone is happy?

Sometimes I wonder if this is what held me back.

A psychic once told me when I was older I'd be famous....
WELL HELLO! How old do I have to get to find the fame? Not that I crave fame. Mostly I crave happiness. Sure money will help, but it's not that important. I grew up fairly poor and we were happy. In fact, I didn't realize how poor we were until I was much older. I looked back at the things we didn't have and realized that others had so much more. I never knew. When you're happy and surrounded by love, why would you care about other stuff? I remember looking into the refrigerator with my brother Mike. It must have been summer because it was mid day and we had just come in from playing. There was a loaf of Wonder White bread on the counter. We opened the door and all it held was a few condiments, a bottle of Kero syrup, a half a gallon of milk and not  much else. Mike grabbed the ketchup, I took the mayo. We made scant sandwiches. He had ketchup, me; mayo. We ate our condiment sandwiches and watched some TV, then headed back out to see what was going on in our neighborhood.  It was a normal day, hanging out in the neighborhood, playing handball in the street, a warm and sunny day. We had no clue we were poor. Didn't everyone eat mayo sandwiches? Cold cuts? What were they?

My kids are 1000 miles away. Living in Florida. I want to move closer to them. It kills me to be so far from them. They are bright, young adults and I am so proud so of them. And I miss them terribly.

I'm listening to  a book; You the Bad-ass. Basically its a kick in the pants telling you to make it happen. If you want it in your life, go for it. Stop being a wus and do it, take the leap. We all have a superpower. It's not that we don't have it, it's that we don't recognize it in ourselves.

We all have the ability to change our destiny. We are the bad-ass of our own life. We can create an alternate destiny and move toward our goals.

So now I'm planning...