I should be Pricing Inventory, especially since I will soon need to load up the Newest Showroom and all that... and Princess T constantly Volunteers to Help me do it... but... I've run out of Steam with all the Medical Appointments and it being 115 degrees and all just about every day now, which totally zaps and saps Energy levels of even the sturdiest of us!
And certainly it's not as if I didn't get some of it Priced and into the existing Showroom... and get most of the New Showroom Painted with the Help of the G-Kid Force... after we did all of The Man and Princess T's Scheduled Testing and Lab Work for this Week. We got a LOT Accomplished... but apparently I'm such an Over-Achiever! *LOL*
Those of you who are Over-Achievers too can probably 'Feel Me' on that one... no matter how much is Accomplished and we're Excited and Enthusiastic about... it is still difficult for us to sit back and Revel in it when we're totally Distracted by how much still remains to be Done and Competes for our Focus and Attention... Taunting and Mocking us!
I Wish I could be one who can Focus on all that has been Moved Out, successfully Picked, Processed and Worked on rather than the piles that remain which Scream 'Hoarded Mess' rather than 'Inventory Waiting To be Processed and Offered for Sale'. *LOL*
Or just Concentrate on and Celebrate those Awesome 'Scores' that I snared for Bohemian Valhalla. Like this Upcycled Rare Smaller sized European Vintage Bottle Rack Converted into a Light Fixture with Edison Bulb that I bought from my Friends Kathye and Ken recently and just Adore because it couldn't be more Perfect!!! I've been Jonesin' for a European Bottle Rack for ages but they're usually always too Large, no place to put it and too Expensive to Consider. This one required no Consideration... Perfect Size, Perfect Combined Purpose to Work out, coupled with Great Deal well within Budget!
But I suppose that until my Home looks Orderly and not like a Chaotic Episode of 'Beautiful Hoarders' due to the piles remaining that haven't yet made their way Showroom Bound, I will have that Annoying Distraction. That Sense that I can't Invite Company over or inside because it's rather Embarrassing that the House is such a Wreck and so much has been deferred, Maintenance wise, due to the multitude of Priorities that have taken Time away from Maintaining it all the way I would LIKE for it to be!
And though sufficient Inspiration Exists almost everywhere I look, until my Spaces ALL Appear as Inspiring in a Panoramic View rather than the present Essential Close-Ups to Hide what's out of Frame *Winks*... I'll be Obsessed about the Goal of getting it that way and up under Control! Since a Control Freak Hates to relinquish Control or admit Defeat in Controlling the Chaos... even if a portion of the Chaos is admittedly Self-Imposed following what we're Passionate about and Led to do!
My Capacity for Living with and in a Mess was Enlarged exponentially when we bought our Dream Historic Property in need of much TLC, Work and Restoration, as most Old Buildings are... and was Expanded further as it became Evident that we would probably have Children in the Home well into our Senior Years if not 'til Death!?! And I've been Advised by those who have been in the Biz of Small Business Retail Sales that what I'm currently Experiencing with Product all over the place is quite Natural, Normal and goes with the Territory. *LOL* It just doesn't 'Feel' that way yet to me I guess!?!
Any more than it 'Feels' Normal or Natural for us to be Eating on the Run so much of the time lately even if it is in some of our Fav Restaurants Enjoying tasty Meals. Because I 'Feel' like I should be planning and preparing Nutritious Meals at Home while Saving Money. If only we were Home long enough to be able to Accomplish that... instead of on our way to or at an endless stream of Medical Appointments or at Work providing enough Money to make the ends meet better. Kinda a Catch-22 huh?
I could and would spend considerably more time Pickin' and Processing Inventory given the Option of doing so. Working my Retail Spaces, because those are my 'Happy Places' that I prefer to Retreat to and which I can Justify spending Time Doing since it's Profitable and a Blessing to the Family. As well as being something I'm Passionate about and gives me a 'Break' in a Strange sort of way that only another Full Time Caregiver could probably Understand or Comprehend even though it Looks like More Work. Because it's something Positive to throw one's self into when the Negatives stack up.
I'm also Fortunate that I Love what I do so it doesn't even seem like Work, and that the entire Family Loves spending Time where I Work and Assisting me as much as they're able. And I know Logically that there will now ALWAYS be Inventory to Pick, to Price, to get readied to be Showroom Bound... I just have to Embrace and get Used To the Process and have more of a Peace, a System and Organization about it as I become more Experienced at it.
To continue to Network here in the Land of Blog and at Work so that I can be adequately Mentored and Advised about how best to go about it all and what Works... and doesn't Work so well... and Receive the Education Necessary to Refine the Craft of it. There is still so much that I'm ignorant about... and I'm not certain ignorance is Bliss in this case, because I want to do it Properly, with Excellence and not flying by the seat of my pants.
I'm taking it all in and absorbing as much Wisdom and Knowledge as I can... everything from the Art of Display, to Styling, to Price Point and Bookkeeping. I know my Strengths but I'm also painfully aware of my Weaknesses in the realm of Self-Employment since it's all so New and sometimes Intimidating to me because it's not my particular area of previous Expertise and realm of Knowledge! I know what I know and I don't know what I don't know.
There are times when I'm just as Lost as if you'd thrown me in the Kitchen of a Fav Restaurant and asked me to Skillfully prepare the Meal as well as the Master Chefs that know what they're doing and present it to the Hungry Clients with Confidence and everything being Right! There's a lot more to it than just the Enjoyment of it! I Love Creating... I Love Pickin' and Rescuing Found Treasures... I Love having a stream of Income coming in again that Helps Support my Family while not having to Sacrifice Time with them or be asked to throw them under the Bus like a Corporate Life often Dictates. But quite often I'm Scared half to Death of all that I DON'T YET KNOW about Working for myself and of what Succeeding might Cost and Entails?!
You see, I've never been a Fear of Failure sorta Gal... I'm more a Fear of Success sorta Gal. And I'll tell you Why... a Measure of Success can Demand far more than Failure! In Previous Corporate Lives I always set Success Goals and Attained them... and there was ALWAYS that Cost that you didn't Factor in or Expect. There is always a 'Price' to everything and you've got to be willing to Pay it, whatever it is... and decide how much Success you can Adequately and Realistically Handle before the Balance tips or you're in over your head?
That's a Delicate Balance for me... because I fully Expect to Succeed in Everything I do... and I like to Succeed, I'm Driven towards it in fact... sometimes Wheels Off! Since Failure isn't a Concern it never crosses my mind that I even could Fail, because I'd just Re-define Success and Adjust accordingly and so that doesn't weigh on my Mind like what level of Success I will be Comfortable with does? And what will it take FROM me or my Family? People often warn of the Price of Failure or of being a Loser... but they often fail to warn of the Price of Success or that the view at the Top came at a very High Price and sometimes isn't all that you Imagined it would be. I could just stay Retired from Work outside of the Home and bide Time until my Pensions kick in from my Previous Career choices... but that's still a ways off and in the here and Now I want to be Productive and help take care of our Family Financially so that we have no lack or diminished Quality of Life Economically speaking anyway. I know I still have considerable Earning Potential and I Hate to Waste Potential or Opportunity, especially at this Season of Life! *Winks*
And if Circumstances continue to Dictate that we can't be Home as much of the time as I would like to be able to be... in order to do the 'domestic goddess thing'... I'd like to be able to know Gramma has it Covered so that nothing on the Menu isn't an Option when we have to eat on the run rather than have a Home Cooked Meal. That Seed Money for Pickin' is sufficient to Sustain the Vision and Dream at a Level we can Handle and keeps up with Demand... and the Future is Secure enough that Retirement and Resting on my Laurels doesn't seem like such an Outrageous Fantasy anymore. Or maybe get enough Stuff out the door that I could hire some Merry Maids and not be Embarrassed to think the Gals would wanna slash their wrists rather than come back again and tackle the Clutter and Chaos that has become Bohemian Valhalla! *LOL... and Yes, it's Seriously THAT Bad!*
And... even if I have to Work until the last of my days... which isn't such a Negative since I've always Enjoyed Working and don't have any Issues with continuing for as long as I'm Able. So long as I'm doing something I Love and it Nourishes the Soul as well as the Bank Account... I'm Good with that too. If you're flowing in Purpose then it just Feels Right and is Pleasing to God.
After all... look at what I get to do for a Living now! It totally Rocks even if certain aspects of it still Scare me half to Death until I become more Adept at it and Gain Wisdom and a Rhythm to it all so that it becomes Second Nature and no Big Deal or Mystery.
And even though some days I know that I should be Pricing Inventory, but Clearly I've run out of Steam with all the Personal Obligations that have sapped my Strength and Consumed my Attention and Focus. And so I'll have to get to it another Day...
And Roll with it... just like we have had to do with the Reality that Visiting and spending Time with the Precious G-Kids that live far from us will have to Wait until another Day. A Day when The Man and the G-Kid Force are all Well enough to make the Trips back East and out of the Country where each of them Lives. Or perhaps Wait until they can make the Trips here to Visit us one Day instead... it's all Worth the Wait after all... and perhaps they'll even Enjoy Helping Gramma Price her Inventory too and Help get this place in Order?! There's certainly enough of them now to be a Great Team!!! *Winks*
Blessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian