Eat, Sleep, Breath, Dream
A few years ago, I took a business course taught by someone named Marie Forleo, and even though it hasn't quite been as life changing as I thought it would be up until now, many of the very wise words have stuck with me to this day.
At the very beginning of her program, she offers up some filters to be thinking about when starting a new business. I love that she brings a dose of reality to a space that is frequently filled with dreamers, and the question of hers that I remember most has brought me back down to reality many times...
She says, "Once you think you've narrowed in on your core genius and honed the best idea from all your brainstorming, ask yourself this question:
“Is this business something that I could eat, sleep, breathe, and pour my heart into for every minute of every hour of the next several years of my foreseeable future?”
I have used this very question many times in my own daydreaming, and there have been so many resounding "N.O.'s" that I was beginning to question whether I'd ever find that sweet spot between my desire and my skills and my unbridled enthusiasm.
To be honest, I finally got to the point where the anticipation of each "no" began to stunt the amount of ideas popping into my brain.
These dresses (in some form of their earliest inkling) have been hiding in my heart since 2003.
The concept has only fairly recently resurfaced as my own struggle with size has returned, and I realized this morning that this project DOES pass the eat/sleep/breathe test seemingly more than anything I've ever worked on.
This dress is a mash-up of a few things that I've always been truly excited about:
- A passion for encouraging people to express themselves through personal style.
- My desire to connect women to a true identity that is rooted in faith.
- The love of beautiful design, combined with functional, ethically-made apparel.
I believe in this dress SO much and cannot wait to pour myself into something that is clever enough to work for any occasion (regardless of how long it's been folded up into a suitcase) and gracious enough to look fabulous on any body type (regardless of how much someone's size may fluctuate).
To that concept...
To Marie Forleo...
To my occasionally-unsure heart I say...
Sign me up for the eat/sleep/breathe.