The last two years I was dreaming about a change in my life. And well, recently I decided to make it happen. From a successful business owner I became a freelance blogger and jewelry designer.
Of course it’s easy to write down these words now.
But the transition and making the decision were a lot more complicated than that.
I was just as frightened as you are, if you are thinking about a change in your life.
And I hope that by reading my story you will get that extra push you need if you are in a similar situation.
The last six years of my life were strongly connected to my bead shop in Bratislava. It was the first of its kind in Slovakia. Building it from scratch (at the beginning together with a business partner, than after two years going solo) until it became the biggest of its kind in Central and Eastern Europe offering more than 17,000 different products was the most difficult challenge I had to face until than.
We were determined, hard working and lucky, too. The project was very well received and grew faster than we could imagine. At the beginning I never thought I will ever have an employee. And when I handed over the job, there were four helpful, professional and kind girls tending to the customers all day long and two teachers responsible for the workshops.
Sometimes I invited well-known jewelry designers from abroad to meet our community: Zsuzsa Veres (Vezsuzsi) and Éva Dobos (deEva Design) were both very well received. And I also like to remember the pre-summer and winter holiday parties as well. Chatting with the customers and helping to find the best color combinations for them, drinking fresh mint or ginger lemonade together when hot outside and warming up with a sweet, aromatic tea when it was snowy and cold.
And most importantly I got to know dozens of kind, interesting and creative people all around the world. My customers in my home country and abroad, my colleagues, suppliers, business partners and students who attended the workshops. I really enjoyed those six years.
Most of my friends and acquaintances saw it as a dream job, and most of the time it really was one.
However, after the first four years of working and living for the shop I noticed the first signs of getting tired. I didn’t enjoy browsing the huge inventory of the wholesalers and ordering beads and components so much any more. I still liked the field, but somehow it was different than in the beginning. It would be unfair to say it got less exciting or less interesting.
Because of the shop being my love child I had a strong twinge of conscience nearly constantly – towards the customers, the colleagues and towards myself. There were always challenging and unexpected issues to solve, which required learning and growing. It just wasn’t the way I wanted to walk, so I couldn’t dedicate myself to the job any more for the usual 100 percents. The enthusiasm was slowly but surely fading.
With the shop I was self-supporting and I had no boss to answer except myself. I was working with colorful, shiny treasures all day. Even price calculations and Excel-tables look better if there are beads and crystals listed in them. And yet, I wasn’t myself any more and I wasn’t really happy doing my job.
Feeling unfulfilled by the daily routine was the main reason why I decided it’s time to move on finally.
Suddenly, only by making the decision I became more calm and content, like walking on air.
It didn’t feel easy, but it felt right.
As if I was at the beginning of a big adventure.
Of course, resetting my life and starting again to build something new scared me, too. But it was a good kind of fear. It was combined with motivation and an unbelievable amount of energy. I work very long hours nowadays, but I feel totally recharged. I am looking forward to Mondays again and the phone ringing doesn’t give me the hiccups. And most importantly, I have about fifty pages in my notebook filled with ideas and plans I would like to make happen.
As for my shop, the colorful bead paradise has new owners now. And I believe it is in good hands. I visited the shop some time ago to pick up a handful of semi-precious stones.
And the shop was buzzing with new energy – just as I hoped it to be.
And just as I am, walking a separate path now.
Tell me in a comment, if any part of this story sounds familiar!
Are you also thinking about a change in your life?
Is there something what keeps you from taking the step?
What helps you to get motivated?
The Monday monologues will continue – as the name suggests – next Monday.
During the following weeks I would like to tell you more about how did I plan the change (because it’s definitely not only about shiny, happy words, but hard work, too, and about the changes I have to deal with and accept because of restarting my career.
And if you will be good, I will maybe talk about the source of my motivation, too 🙂
So be back! Looking forward to see you around!
Definitely! I´m at a point of my life where anything can happen and I´m trying to get out the most from it. I realized that I like web design and I also try to fit into my new life in Catalonia beside my Catalan boyfriend. As you said, changes are not easy, but sometimes they are necessary. It doesn´t come easy, but it just feels right. I wish you all the best on the new path!
Dear Gabriela!
Thank you very much for sharing your story!
I can imagine it’s not always easy to fit in, even if you live in such a beautiful place as Olot in Catalonia. (I love the pictures and the posts about it on your blog very much!)
Starting a new career definitely is complicated sometimes. But I strongly believe that all the learning, trying, failing and trying again is an important part of the process and teaches us to get up again and take one more step, even if it seems too hard.
And I know you can do it 🙂 Good luck and keep gooing!