By Ghislaine T. Vode

This post is written as a personal testimony. It should have actually been called "on the road to meeting with destiny and living the best season of your life". It was written to provide support and encouragement to people going through a life transition, minor or major, especially: women, small business men and women entrepreneurs, and independant business owners, and work at home moms (dads): Dress for your (best) season yet…

What season am I referring to? A season to start and enjoy your life transition….

started my jewelry making journey with buying a good friend's jewelry creations genuinely and wearing them because i used to love them so much. Little by little, i started noticing the techniques she would use to make them; and i would ask her questions, make suggestions ; and give feedback. Suggestions turned into full blown ideas; and ideas of jewelry turned into designing unique fashion accessories. I had no plan to grow that passion; and didnt even think it would last long. To me, it was just a phase. And sooner or later i would eventually stop trying. I' ve waited for the time to come and stop me from making jewelry. Thirteen years in, i m still waiting… but i finally realized that jewelry making isn't going anywhere out of my life anytime soon because i have finally found why it is here in the first place: jewelry connects me to people. Jewelry is my way of connecting with people.

Have you ever tried to talk yourself out of doing something good, unique, that makes you happy; yet that something seems off, unexpected, hard to explain to yourself ( it gets difficult for you to share it with others), because of the fear of rejection, or judgement? I want to encourage you. You have to test and try a new tool so that you finally discover how well it can serve you and make you grow. Jewelry is my tool. My goal is to touch people's lives.

I am living a testimony that being afraid of taking a step forward with your gift, skill, a talent seriously because you never heard of anybody your age, your background in your community make a good living doing it will not stop your gift, talent, skill or call. Your gift will simply instead go unclaimed, putting you in a very odd, unfulfilling, unhappy place along the way.

Not everyone will understand your gift, talent, skill, call whether they accept it or not. Some will accept it, others won't. Have you accepted it yourself? What matters is that you understand the assignment and claim your happiness the best way that you can ….

Confidence in who you are is everything. I am grateful to having come a long way and perservering into what seemed at first like a hobby or a phase. This year , I am teaching myself to grow even more by investing time and money into who i am becoming, what I've learned and what i do. I have made a decision to start supporting other small businesses' visions in the field by way of providing self help resources that I, myself am currently working on. I am starting slow, and hoping to achieve more as time goes by. Today, I am not only dedicated to creating more networking opportunities for myself and others by way of writing, speaking, trainning, and learning than i have never been.

I am encouraging you this season to find a niche market that looks like you and fits for your set of skills. Go where they are needed and valued. Make what you make or sell or do as a service is so unique that it fits perfectly into your lifestyle, and becomes part of your testimony and speaks exactly the lives of the people that you are dedicating yourself to serving. Then dress everyday to meet your audience.

If you are only beginning your activity, i am encouraging you to look for a small customer base that you can provide service for on an individual basis. Taking the time to meet and get to know everyone and follow up on every one on a regular basis is something valuable that will help your business on the medium to long run. Deliver that skill or product one person at time, taking the time to get feedback. Don't forget to add value to your work by sharing your experience, background and personality. Just because you are small in a huge world, doesn' t mean you can't be seen by people who need what you have to offer.

If you serve the right people, "your" people will notice you. So stay focused and enjoy yourself.

Don't be so focused on yourself that you forget to reach out to friendly business owners near you, on the net or in your community. Lift your expertise up by introducing yourself genuinely and offering advice to "your" people in need of your service. Just developping a friendly business attitude can make you grow as a person (and also as a business) faster. creating the type of environment you want to evolve in, collaborate, develop business friendships and opportunities are all valuable as much as making something …

This season i challenge you to buy and support on other peoples small businesses as a goal.

Go to work for it and talk about it around you. Communities are always better when people talk To people. It is hard To reivent the wheel so invest in new partnerships with people that you are around you (or whose work you love) and make yourself available…

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