Beyond The Lemon Jar

Photographs are priceless. We take them to capture moments in time and look back at them years later to remind us of that one moment that needed to be a memory. We take them to capture big moments like weddings, graduations, and the birth of our children. We take them to celebrate ourselves when we meet our goals or overcome trials and tribulations. We look at them to remember our loved ones who are no longer with us, but somehow shaped who we are. Physical photos are so important and in the age of digital everything, we rarely take them anymore. Photos are taken, uploaded to social media, and forgotten about likely to never be looked at again.

Head trash = self-limiting thoughts =, fears, and beliefs that hinder personal and professional growth.

Step one. Pick a niche'.

Crazy things begin to happen when you get lost in your thoughts. Sometimes it's a brilliant idea or dream you had about a partner. It could be a business idea or life plan. Whatever it is, you're thinking about it for a reason. You've likely been conditioned to think that certain things are out of reach for you, but I'm here to tell you that is simply false. You can have anything you want. Money. Fame. Love. You can have it. In fact, it's already yours, you just need to go get it. Literally, anything is always possible.

It seems now a days that the topic of making sure people are fed is a touchy one. It shouldn't be. I understand the current state of the U.S. Government. What I will never understand is why our current administration is fighting so hard to make sure that it's own people starve and no longer have access to affordable healthcare. Literally, the reason we are in day 30 of a government shutdown. Let me make it clear... the Democratic part is fighting to save the Affordable Care Act, which ensures that healthcare is accessible and affordable to all. The President wants to abolish it, meaning healthcare is no longer accessible to a solid portion of our country's population. In an attempt to "break" the Democrats, he has suspended funding to the SNAP program, a program that ensures people have access to food. In the simplest of terms, our Government is willing to starve the children and the elderly in order to get the Democratic party to agree to let the Republican party take away affordable healthcare. It's sickening to me.

Time is such a funny thing. Sometimes it flies by in the blink of an eye and other times minutes can feel like days. 8(ish) years ago I met a man who eventually became my family. I met him at a bowling alley, and we talked for hours about his 3-legged cat. Throughout the years, we always remained close, and I have always been grateful for his unconditional love and support. This year, he turned 102. No small feat for anyone. For the last few years, religiously, every Sunday, we would get together and spend some time together. This past Sunday was no different. We laughed and joked and smiled in the sunlight shining through the window, just before lunchtime. If you know him, his laughter is infectious.

This week has had its up and downs in the growing the business world. I'm not the most technical person at times and this week I really struggled with website integrations. I Googled, reached out to the more experienced, chat supported, YouTubed... all of it. And still couldn't figure it out. Until today. (Like, just now) I don't know what or how it happened, but it just clicked and legit, I just want to scream with joy.  I lost sleep over it. I got angry and upset over it. At one point, I wanted to just say "fuck it" and walk away, but I'm glad I didn't. It was frustrating, but worth it. 

Building a business is all about numbers. Not just money, followers, likes... you got profit margins, product volume, inventory, trending product analytics... it can definitely get overwhelming fast if you're not careful. 

One of the very first things you need to determine before starting any venture is... what is your why? Why do you want to start? Why now? Why not? Why? For some people its family. For others it's a specific person or a very specific reason or goal. Whatever your why, that's what you need to think of when you need a little encouragement to try something new or the motivation to when you're "too tired". When things get tough or you're starting to feel discouraged when success doesn't happen as quickly as you'd hoped, remember why you're doing what you're doing. This isn't just business, it's every day. 

So... funny story...

This is something is very personal to me. Silent gratitude. 

With all of the work we put in to growing our own food, why wouldn't you want to learn more about preserving it? We all are feeling the effects of the rising cost of grocery (and everything else, for that matter) Now a days social media calls it "Homesteading", but not all that long ago, it was the only way to live. You don't have to have a million acres of land or a full blown farm to start growing your own food. I've taught people how to utilize the space they have, which in some cases is a small apartment balcony or even just a windowsill. You don't need fancy equipment or expensive seeds. You can most definitely start a cleaner healthier lifestyle with things you already have in your home.