Late bloomers have deep roots

If you find your inner voice telling you...

1. "I'm too old to do (fill in the blank)"

2. "It's too late to start (fill in the blank)"

3. "I should have started this years ago, now I'm behind and I can't catch up."

Well, I can relate. Those are the exact things I was telling myself not too long ago. It seems crazy now but I actually believed that I couldn't successfully start an online art business because I wasn't in my 20's, 30's or even 40's anymore. I felt that I had missed out on what I really wanted to do and so I just had to make the best of things as they were.

Let's face it, we live in an age where it's all about the newest, youngest entrepreneur, and we know our societal messages are all about being young. I didn't realize it but all that crap had gotten into my consciousness and I began to tell myself that story about having "missed my calling."

But the thing is, I wasn't happy with myself giving up, I was depressed, bored, anxious and really got sick of myself and my excuses. So I realized I needed to do this anyway - to save myself really. The book, "The War of Art" was incredibly helpful through this phase. I finally internalized that it's about the journey, who I become while pursuing my vision and passion - not about the end result.

In fact, when my mind goes to worrying about the end result, I've gotten pretty disciplined about bringing it right back to my huge and exciting to-do list and plan. That's the beauty of this. I have so much I want to do with this business that I don't have time to fret about it. I wake up excited about connecting with collectors and students and finding ways to serve them and my art better.

I realized that I am in the perfect season to do this, that in some way all of my previous experiences feed into my growth as an artist and business owner. That, for whatever reasons, now is the time for me to do this. Maybe I am a late bloomer but I think the season is just right for me and what I want to do.

So, if you are holding yourself back from anything you've wanted to do, something small (learning to paint) or big (starting a business), know that if it's an idea that won't go away, then it's meant to happen. That pursuing it beats the alternative (giving up on yourself), and that you start small with something, anything and build on that, get momentum and don't stop. You are stronger than you think and braver than you realize. XO