Friday Flip Out - Taking Time Off

For the last week, my family and I have been on vacation. I think it took me until Wednesday to start relaxing.

The last six months can only be described as a self propelled rollercoaster in my mind. After prayer, consideration, counsel and affirmation from my husband, I decided to start my own business. It is amazing how much I did not consider or think of when deciding to do that.

It seemed like such a simple concept and the pieces started falling together quickly. But then reality started to set in. A friend of mine told me there are over 250 million websites out there...and I'm in competition with them? Me, an occupational therapist, is attempting to run all aspects of a business and blog with no prior experience except I know how to take pictures, I like to organize and do research and I have dabbled in Quick Books a little. Oh, and I like to shop. That's my experience.

When I was a teenager I worked in a family run petting zoo. I watched my aunt and uncle leave church early, stress out, argue with one another and miss important functions all in the name of their business. After watching them I vowed I would never own my own business.

Guess what? I own my own business. I have learned since becoming a mom that every single thing I said I would never do, I will absolutely do. This is one of them.

I want to talk about the experience of starting a business/blog more here, but for the time being I think it is sufficient to call it a man made rollercoaster of an experience. I decided to do it and now I'm on a rollercoaster.

Terrific ideas, the drive to tell others and develop community and even to help others, yet getting off the ground is not easy at all, nor is it guaranteed. In my small part of the canvas, I'm not sure I have even wobbled off the ground yet. I think many bloggers and small business owners feel that way.

It is a mind and soul consuming process and it's important to take a break. It is nearly impossible for me to take those breaks but intermittently they have happened over the course of the last week. It is indeed something to flip out about. It eases the guilt of the time it takes to develop these things. It refreshes the soul and in my case, my family. It reminds me of the peace that existed before "the business".

When I'm in my "good place" I KNOW that this blog, this business is NOT to be about ME. So much, so much I'm ashamed to say and even admit to myself, is about me in my life. I consider myself first almost always; a great character flaw of mine. I want to and need to remember that this and all I do and all that happens around me is to communicate to others how wonderful God is, to glorify Him, not me. I want to be wonderful. I want other people to think I'm wonderful, but that is a temptation. It is true that I still need to work hard and I need to focus myself to pray that His will would be done and what I do would glorify Him. Ultimately He is in charge of what happens here. That's a fact. When I remember that, I can take a break.

Are you starting your own blog or business? Let's relax together for the moment, taking a deep breath, saying a quick prayer and remembering, it's not about Him.