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Looking Back at a Grand Opening!

May 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

This past Sunday we celebrated our Grand Re-opening in the new location.  When I look back at the past few months I can’t believe we were able to get the new store up and running as quickly as we did.  In fact, when I look back it’s hard to imagine just how far I’ve come since opening Sewtropolis over 2 years ago!

I started out with just an idea and a deep desire to do what I loved!  Back when I first opened  I did everything myself from teaching classes to ‘manning’ the shop 6 days a week!  I eventually met a couple of women who wanted to be a part of what I was doing and offered to help me out by working a day or two.  That help has now grown to four women including 2 other single moms!

Laura, Harriette, Nikol, Alyssa and Avery (Raina – not pictured)

Laura watching the show!

Harriette manning the cutting table

Avery greeting each customer with a totebag.

To each her own… shoe

Looking back I see that I had already outgrown the old space and that I now have enough momentum behind me to grow into the new space!  I am excited to watch my business grow, but even more excited to share it with all of you!

 

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An Audi Moment

June 26, 2011 By 2 Comments

Today I want to share another ‘ah ha’ moment with you.  But first for those of you who missed my post about my Vision Board you may want to go back and read it so that you will understand the rest of this post.

Before I tell you what happened this morning I want to remind you of what my vision board looks like.

Lately I’ve been looking at it and thinking it needs a good update since there are a couple of things on it that I’ve already achieved, things I want to ‘renew’ my focus on and other goals floating around in my head that I need to get out before I forget them.  I’ve been thinking that when I update my vision board maybe I should set more realistic goals.  When I look at where I am today and where I’ve set my sights (goals) it seems so far fetched – on the boarder of being unrealistic and impossible.

I know it’s kind of hard to see it on my vision board, but I’ve posted a picture of an Audi A8 – my dream car.  Lately I’ve been looking at my dream car and thinking, maybe that’s too much to hope for.  Maybe I should lower my sights (expectations) to something more achievable…. like say a really nice Toyota Camry.  After all, I’ve had good luck with Toyotas.

And then I had my “Ah ha” moment.

This morning I had a meeting with a few other fabric shop owners.  I know that seems odd, but honestly the other fabric shop owners are a GREAT group of women.  I feel incredibly lucky to be a fabric store owner in Minnesota!   The ones who have been in business the longest have been so incredibly open and helpful to those of us who are just starting out.  One would think the opposite to be true, and frankly I can’t explain why it’s different with this group – but it just is.  Maybe we all watched the same episode of Oprah when she talked about the power of abundance and playing nice together.

But I digress from my story, this morning when I arrived at our meeting I couldn’t find parking close enough (i.e., right next to the door) so I pulled into the “Tenants” parking spot hoping that since it was early Sunday morning I wouldn’t be taking someone elses parking spot.  No such luck, before I even put my car into park one of the ladies came out and said I couldn’t park there, but to park my car over next to “Mary’s” car.  (Mary is one of the other fabric shop owner.)

My “ah ha” moment came the second I laid eyes on Mary’s car; it was a Audi TT Coupe!!  It hit me right then and there that I wasn’t setting my sights too high, I wasn’t setting them high enough!

I believe everything happens for a reason, sometimes the reason is obvious right away, and sometimes the reason takes years to reveal itself.  I believe that had I not seen Mary’s car I would have lowered my expectations and updated my vision board to those goals and dreams that I know I could easily achieve.  In that “Ah ha” moment I was reminded that the purpose of a vision board is not to dream small, but to dream big.  I should be envisioning those things that are my hopes and dreams.  Right now those hopes and dreams are just thoughts, but the vision board has taught(and retaught) me that if I can think them, then I can achieve them.   “Thoughts become things. If you see it in your mind, you will hold it in your hand.”  — Bob Proctor

I’ve achieved a handful of things on my vision board, I KNOW it works!  So the thought of lowering my expectations seems just plain silly – I see that now.  My ah ha moment made that crystal clear!   So now I’m going to work on updating my vision board and I’m taking down that picture of the Audi A8 and in its place I’m putting this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I can totally see myself in this car!  Can’t you?

 

 

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Law of Attraction in Action!

April 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment

>I have been having fun experimenting with my new camera.  Many years ago I took a class in photography using a 35mm camera and knew what f-stop was and all that.  It’s been fun to dust off those memories and “re-explore” photography.

The real reason for this post is to share my vision board with you.  (Stick with me, there is a surprise at the end.)  If you’ve ever seen or read “The Secret” then you will be familiar with vision boards.  Selfgrowth.com has a great description of what a vision board is.

“A vision board is simply a visual representation or collage of the things that you want to have, be, or do in your life. It consists of cut-out pictures, drawings and/or writing on it of the things that you want in your life or the things that you want to become. The purpose of a vision board is to activate the law of attraction to begin to pull things from your external environment that will enable you to realize your dream. By selecting pictures and writing that charges your emotions with feelings of passion, you will begin to manifest those things into your life.”

Here is a picture of my vision board:

(I know – will get better at taking pictures) in the upper left is a picture of my Auntie Pell, she’s the only person who told me I was special and I miss her every single day.  I love looking at her picture in the mornings as I’m getting ready to start my day.  I also have pictures of my kids and little trinkets that remind me of the happy days I’ve had.

In 2009 I ran the Iron Girl and I’m really proud of that accomplishment so I keep the wrist tag and my medal on the board to remind me of that accomplishment and that if I can do THAT I can do anything I put my mind to.

I keep a list of daily affirmations and look at them everyday before I leave my room for the final time.  On my hardest days it’s these affirmations that get replayed in my head – and not the self defeating ones.

I have a list of my values: family, friendship, honesty, creativity and fairness.

A picture of my dream car: Audi A8 – saaa-weeeeeeett!

My goals and visions written out as a Mission Statement and a piece of paper that says:

Focus on:
1. What you want to feel
2.  What you want to have
3. How will you make it happen.

I read that piece of paper 2-3 times EACH time I look at my board.

I’ve posted pictures of things that represent my goals and visions. (being debt free, my dream income etc.)  You’ll notice the yoga poses… I accomplished 1 of the yoga poses and if you remember last June I managed to do a head-stand.  It was these things that affirmed for me that my vision board really works.  I envisioned those poses everyday, telling myself that I could do it and sure enough…. I did it.

I’ve also posted my goal weight, which I’ve discovered, that when I get close to it I sabotage myself.  I’ve learned that I need to figure out why I do that.  (I have my ideas).

One of my life long dreams has been to go to Greece, so I have a beautiful picture of a Greek dome that best represents Greece to me.  I also want to learn the Greek language so I posted the Greek alphabet and I try to pronounce (and remember) at least one letter a day.

A couple of years ago I converted to Greek Orthodox and of all the good things I have done for myself, joining the Orthodox faith is in the top 5.  I absolutely love the church I go to and all the people I’ve met by being a part of it.  Because I didn’t grow up Orthodox I keep the Orthodox calendar on my vision board so that I will know the Feast and Fast days as well as other ecclesiastical events.

And finally, the whole reason for this post.  Take a look at the bottom center image.  I circled it for you; do you see it?  It’s a camera – a Canon Rebel to be exact.  I hung this picture about 4-5 months ago and even though I was looking at it each day – I wasn’t really ‘seeing’ it.  Today while I was getting ready I saw it peeking out and when I looked closer and saw that I had posted a Canon Rebel camera – I got the chills.  The Vision Board works!  The law of attraction brought my camera to me and if I can attract my smaller goals and visions, then I can certainly attract my larger goals and visions!

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