There was a girl who decided to change her life. She blogged about each part of the adventure and people started to get involved and be part of the journey. Magical things started to happen.

One day she decided to leave her home and travel to wonderful places and meet wonderful people. But she pondered… what if the travel could have some meaning? Just as that very thought crossed her mind, whiz-bang-pop! a lovely lady appeared who said “I work for World Vision and we can help you meet people who do wonderful things”.

So the girl spoke with the lovely lady about how they could meet wonderful people that do wonderful things, and film them and make magic moving pictures that she could share with the people on her blog.

That night she realised that all her dreams had come true. She booked her tickets to South America and whistled a happy little tune.

The end… (yet just the beginning)

The times they are a changing

I am just starting the process of packing up, selling up and leaving my Australian life behind after 11 years. John (my husband) and I are reducing our physical belongings to what we can carry and we are starting a new life as travelling lifestyle bloggers/reporters.

Exciting or what?!!

The countdown is on, we are now looking for sponsors for equipment and production and then up, up and away, off to South America.

What is fresh on my mind is absolute gratitude for you, the community that has supported me in the last 2 years, the challenges, the grief, the celebrations, excitement and discovery. Without your participation none of this would have been possible so, thank you, thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

Here we go!

My theory is that finding “the one” is all about mindset. Amanda was keen to test my theory, so the 12 Months challenge was set and the blog was born.

From my own experience blogging has been life changing and opened many doors. What rocks now is to see was that Amanda is now experiencing the same effect! As well as front page of the paper this week, she made her first TV appearance and is being featured in a documentary called “Going the Distance”. Here are some reasons why having a good blog will open doors to opportunities that blow your mind…

A blog shows how committed you are

Blogging is to make a public declaration to an outcome, and then contribute every week (or day) to the story or the body of work. To be consistent with this takes a huge level of commitment. A blog by definition shows how committed you are to a certain topic or goal.

Having a blog makes you an attractive proposition

As well as the commitment, (which people find VERY attractive!) your blog makes you an asset to any likeminded organisation, or interested party.

Say you own a sales organisation and you have two candidates for your sales manager role.

1. Bob seems great for the job, has an excellent resume and references
2. Bill seems great for the job, has an excellent resume and references and a blog with over 100 posts on his passion: How to empower sales people, maximise results and transform corporate culture.

Who do you think will get the job?

A blog is a walking, talking shiny resume that shows your passions, your skills, your ability to communicate, your sense of humour, your humanity, your achievements, your experience and of course, your commitment.

Amanda showed up to the casting of the documentary that had been short-listed to 12, the majority of them were bloggers, coincidence?

Blogging opens doors

Blogging helps people know what to expect with you. You write a certain way, you speak a certain way and you have certain values. If someone is looking for these things and finds your blog, doors begin to open.

I wrote my first book because my publisher contacted me after reading my blog. Other typical offers are speaking engagements, partnerships, consulting offers, gifts, sponsorship and of course, monetisation and lifestyle opportunities.

Yesterday Amanda left for a two week, all expenses paid trip to film the documentary that is designed to introduce her to lovely guys from different cities and towns. Talk about the world of opportunity opening up to meet you!

Bloggers are pretty cool!

It is so refreshing to be involved in such a sharing, caring community of people who think and then take action.

I attended my first blogging conference last year hosted by ProBlogger and what struck me was just how lovely everyone was! Friendly, interesting people who were real, had purpose and were up to something with their lives, no matter how big or small their community was.

I have been to a lot of small business and IT conferences (back in the day!) and the bloggers conference was very different. I am guessing they were so relaxed and friendly because they are doing things that are true to their hearts, but who knows?! Whatever it was it works!

What’s next?

Over the next few weeks I am going to share lots of tips I have for creating successful blogs, but in the meantime, if you are ready to:

• Launch into this industry
• Set yourself up with the foundation for building a solid community
• Create a new lifestyle

Then register for the Website Launchpad Course that starts January 30^th.

If you already have a blog please share it below and any opportunities that have come as a result.

Happy blogging!

Once again I am the proud mother of some bouncing baby website owners! This week I interviewed three of the October Website Launchpad participants about their new websites, please check them out and if you like what you see, download their eBooks and follow them as they take their first steps.

Susan Saad – Suzanna Style

www.suzannastyle.com

What inspired your website and who is it for?

For quite some time, I wanted to create a platform that utilised my makeup artistry, fashion styling & teaching skills to help women develop confidence & live with authenticity. I’ve been able to create this platform through my website which will support me in achieving my mission to inspire women all over the world.

What has been the highlight for you so far?

To have my website ‘up & running’ & my first eBook published so quickly. I’m absolutely amazed at what I’ve been able to accomplish in such a short timeframe!

What advice would you give to other people who are just starting out?

1. Persevere! It’s worth putting the time & effort into building your website on a solid foundation.
2. Love what you do. It’s important to be passionate about your content, products & services.
3. Focus on adding value.
4. Leverage – utilise the tools & networks that are available to you. You don’t need to ‘reinvent the wheel.’ I’ve been so grateful for the support of my network & never imagined that so many people would spread the word about my website. Serena’s course has helped me realise the power of social media & networking!
5. Don’t be afraid to put yourself ‘out there’! Initially, I was apprehensive about putting a photo of myself on my website & Facebook fan page. I soon realised that it wasn’t so bad after all.

What can we expect from you in 2012?

I have an exciting vision for Suzanna Style & my mind is constantly overflowing with lots of creative ideas. I’m in the process of developing an awesome new series of eBooks, webinars & live events.

I’m looking to leverage affiliate products that are aligned with my longer-term strategy & philosophies. I may even launch my own ‘signature’ fashion products.Beyond that, ‘the world’s my oyster’!

Erin O’Brien – Activate 28

www.activate28.com

What inspired your website and who is it for?

My website is for 28ers – people aged 28 (give or take a few years). I was inspired to start this website because there’s not much support out there for people ‘in the 28 zone’.

When I was 28, I experienced lots of change (in my career, my relationships and even moving countries). I thought what I was going through was unique. I’ve since learned that lots of 28ers experience similar feelings and life changes. This website is to help 28ers move towards their goals by shifting out of procrastination and into action.

What has been the highlight for you so far?

The highlight so far has been creating my website all by myself. In 9 weeks. And for $40. (Still pinching myself about this one). Figuring out how to use HTML to insert “Buy Now” buttons into my webpage felt pretty amazing too!

Another highlight was my first experience of word-of-mouth marketing! A friend recommend me to her friend who recommended me to his client … well, it was certainly a surprise the first time having a complete stranger sign up for one of my webinars!

What advice would you give to other people who are just starting out?

Do Website Launchpad! Seriously. This course has all the ingredients you need to succeed: accountability to get the website up and running; a community of likeminded people who have been awesomely supportive; access to professionals when you have a question or want to outsource; and a dynamic presenter in Serena! Do this course. That’s the best all-in-one advice I can give.

What can we expect from you in 2012?

Webinars, webinars, and more webinars! After running six Conquer Procrastination webinars in 2011, I’ll continue to run these free webinars on a regular basis in 2012.

I’m also creating more webinars based on the popular Power Action Hour (where you actually get stuff done during the webinar). I’ll be launching the 90 Day Action Plan every three months and have plans for an Email Inbox Bootcamp too.

In 2012, you can also expect to see the activate28 Facebook community grow as more 28ers from around the world connect online.

 Elizabeth Jones – Eye Kandy Jewellery

www.eyekandyjewellery.com

What inspired your website and who is it for?

The inspiration for my website came from reading How to Retire in 12 months. After reading Serena’s book I was inspired to create my own website for my handmade jewellery, which I love to make as it is great therapy for me. Not only did I want to sell my jewellery online but I also wanted to learn how to blog so I decided to do the Website Launchpad course, which I have to say has been one of the best choices I have ever made.  My website is made for women who love jewellery, fashion or beading.

What has been the highlight for you so far?

The highlight for me so far, would be looking at my website and knowing I built it and am able to add to it and change it as much as I would like to, because I have been taught how to build it from the start.

What advice would you give to other people who are just starting out?

I would say to anyone starting out to write out your business plan and all of your ideas in a book, so you can refer back to it when you are starting your online business.

What can we expect from you in 2012?

My plans for 2012 are to really improve my blogging skills and work on my blog so it is a site people really enjoy coming back to visit. I also have plans to build another website on a totally different subject, but for now I am enjoying my new jewellery site and am looking forward to 2012 and creating a new lifestyle for myself and my husband.

This week we took some time to interview Janet Cameron who took control of her health problems with such passion that she made a career out of it.

Where did it all begin?

The catalyst for my ‘Good Life Crisis’ was struggling with my health. I had a lot of surgery, but the main thing that affected me was debilitating migraines. I had never even suffered from headaches so when the migraines began I had no concept of how debilitating they can be, often lasting for three days and towards the end I was sometimes having two a week.

Quality of life had gone out the window and I was getting worse and struggling with the strong drugs I was taking. After being someone who rarely took tablets I would almost eat anything if I thought it would reduce the pain and the fog I was in! Life was suddenly not on my terms any more.

Ayurveda taught me to take responsibility for myself and look for the answers within instead of elsewhere… I began to change my diet, behaviour and thinking…Eating foods that were good for my particular constitution, thinking positively, viewing situations differently and learning to relax and deal with my own emotions instead of burying them.

The transformation was so incredible that I have totally changed the direction of my life and I am now an Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultant and Masseuse.

What was the greatest challenge you face?

My biggest challenge is not falling back into old habits! We spend our life time creating habits so breaking the bad ones takes time and perseverance. I still have moments of difficulties, anger, being negative and sadness as we all do but now that I understand myself better I am able to turn them around so much quicker and not get caught up in them.

I have learnt to view things as lessons instead of problems and this enables me to look at things from a different perspective and move on quicker into a new positive direction.

What was the most important lesson you have learnt?

The most important thing is that I no longer drive myself to exhaustion trying to strive ahead as I am in control and can take appointments when it suits me and allow myself time out when I need it. I still enjoy the challenge of working for myself and helping others but most of all I’m loving it!

I’m now living the dream of operating my own business and earning a living while enjoying every moment of it and feeling the joy of helping others along the way! Life sure has an amazing way of working out – sometimes we can be racing so fast through it that we miss the most important things on the way… this crisis taught me how to actually stop and really smell the roses!

The most important decision I made that enabled my ‘Good Life Crisis’ was to slow down, even as I regained my health I could have easily fallen back into old habits of always doing and being busy but I chose to enjoy life more and realised the important things are not always outwardly achieving but inwardly enjoying!

What has been your biggest mistake on this journey?

My biggest mistake of this journey was not listening to myself sooner… I was always so busy helping everyone else have a good time or striving to achieve a deadline that I forgot to look after me. The best lesson is that now I know to look after my ‘Self’ first, I’m healthier and happier than I’ve been in years and that means I have the energy and enthusiasm to help those around me, so we all benefit.

We are often taught that when we look after our ‘Self’ first we are being selfish but the truth is, We are all We have and if we don’t look after our ‘Self’ then who will? If we are always giving, giving, giving we eventually become so exhausted that we are unable to care for or look after ourselves or anyone else, therefore we all lose!

What advice do you have for others out there who want to transform their lives?

Listen to your ‘Self’ – begin to take note of how you really feel not what you should or shouldn’t be feeling or doing. Get to know who you really are inside and what makes you feel good. Be kind and believe in yourself!

Determination is also needed to change your life and break old habits. My ill health gave me the determination to want to find an answer, to regain my quality of life. Sometimes we need to be pushed into a corner where we have no other choice before our determination surfaces, others find it quickly.

What do you wish you knew when you started your journey?

I wish I knew more about myself. I wish that I had been taught to understand my ‘Self’ and my own body more, how to handle emotions, how to deal with my feelings, how to look at things positively and from different perspectives.

My dream is that one day we will teach this to our children in schools instead of filling their heads with so much information that is never used again and then falling over our own feet to discover it later in life.

Without having suffered from migraines forcing me to slow down my life style, I wouldn’t be where I am today. My life has certainly changed tack; I’m happier and healthier for the experience and to be able to assist other people in turning their lives around and to find their own positive direction when they are in pain or struggling – that is the most amazing challenge and experience I have ever had.

Do you have any words of inspiration to share?

Know that you deserve it – no matter what circumstances you find yourself in you can always find a better place and improve things. Take off your super hero cape and ask for help, we can’t always cope and manage everything on our own. It took me a while to be able to admit that I wasn’t coping as I was so used to managing everything – there are so many pressures on people today so give yourself a break!

I won’t pretend that it is all easy, but if you keep chipping away and making positive steps, don’t berate yourself if things don’t always go the right way and continue looking for that glimmer of positiveness – you can achieve anything!

Janet Cameron is a Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultant and Masseuse, working in a Natural Health Clinic in Port Vincent in South Australia.

Did you take a risk? Did you make a decision about someone? How did your actions change? Was the change due to an external influence, or did you decide to do things a little differently?

Change is a normal part of life, yet we often avoid it like the plague. A few people recently have confessed to me their desire to make a big life change but there is a huge fear attached to what may happen.

Sometimes a series of small changes is all you need to significantly change how your life plays out, so here are a few to get you started. Choose one, choose a couple and buck the routine you currently find yourself in.

Conquer your biggest fear

Do that thing you just won’t/don’t/can’t do. If it is a massive challenge, give yourself a big timeframe to conquer it… like 12 months

Whether it is speaking in public, learning to swim, flying, spiders, heights, being vulnerable, take on the challenge and set yourself up to succeed. If you can conquer your biggest fear you can conquer anything.

Sell your excess stuff

Get rid of all the things that you no longer use or need, I am going through this process at the moment and it is extremely liberating. You don’t need most of the stuff that accumulates so have a garage sale, or list it on eBay. Adam Baker from Man vs. Debt did a great TED talk on this topic recently.

Do something for someone else

Choose a community and contribute to them on a regular basis with your time, skills, contacts and ideas. Choose how much time you have and choose a community that you feel connected to. Depending on your skills, location and commitments there are communities who would be thrilled for your time and help.

If you are stuck for ideas, check out Good Company which connects skilled people with charities who need them, or check out these great little charities that I personally love:

Children’s Promise

Pyjama Foundation

Limit how much marketing and advertising you are exposed to every day

Marketing pervades every part of our lives. We are bombarded with it in magazines, bus shelters, television programs, radio stations, emails as well as in many movies, websites and much much more!

Marketing is all about consumption. Buy this or that, eat this or that, wear this or that, see this or that, do this or that, go here or there and you will be happier and have a better life.

Blah blah blah…

Turn off the TV. Notice marketing that you would normally only register subliminally, take back your mind and think for yourself. You may come up with something life changing.

Set yourself a huge personal challenge that thrills and excites you

Whether you want to trek to the North Pole, train to run a marathon or write a book… get into action on something that will test the limits of what you think is possible. The only feeling better than having achieved something impossible is the moment when you realise you get to take on the next great challenge (!).

Book a class or course to learn that thing you always wanted to learn.

You are not getting any younger! However it is never too late to learn a new skill, trade or instrument. Have you ever noticed that the years seem to fly by, well if you start that course today, you could find yourself waking up 2 years from today with a feeling that you have actually accomplished something exciting that gives you joy, opportunities or money every day, doing something you love. Don’t delay, get started today!

There you have it, 6 sure fire ways to change your life for the better. Any takers?!

It is not about the richest people or the most successful people, it is about real people who are living lives they have designed.

This week we took some time to interview Annette Sym on her dramatic life change through health…

Where did it all begin?

My Good Life Crisis was back in 1989, after a day at the beach with some friends and family. A friend had taken a photo of me in my swimsuit and when I later saw the photo I was devastated: the photo showed every bit of my 100 kilos. It had been a really nice day at the beach, but now all I could see was a very obese woman who was unfit, unhealthy and very unhappy with herself. I cried that day – in fact I sobbed and had the biggest pity party for myself…

But after the tears and pity party were over, I made an important decision that would change my life in ways that I could never have imagined. I decided at that moment that I  would never, ever go on a diet again – “Hello…do you think they were working? No way!”. Instead, “I just want to be healthy, to feel well and bounce through the day with lots of energy” so I decided to become a healthy person from that moment on.

My biggest mistake was trusting that dieting was going to help me lose weight. All it ever did was make me fatter.

How has your Good Life Crisis changed your life?

Before deciding to change my life, I was at my lowest of lows. I had no energy, I was uncomfortable carrying around 100 kilos and was constantly sweating. I hated myself! But now…I love everything about my life and I feel so lucky to have the life I have.

I lost 35 kilos in 20 months and have been in my healthy weight range now for 19 years. I am fit and fabulous and have found my passion in life and my purpose: to help others learn how to be healthy and to cook fabulous low fat food that they love to eat.

As a nation we have major health problems with obesity at its highest, diabetes at plague proportions and our number 1 cause of death is from heart disease – I hope to help change this so that we can all live long and healthy lives!

What was the most important decision that you made?

Without a doubt, it was to stop dieting and to just be healthy. When you say the word ‘diet’ the first 3 letters are ‘die’ and that’s what dieting feels like – that you have no life and you may die younger than you should! But when you say the word ‘healthy’ the first 4 letters are ‘heal’ and that is what I did – I not only healed on the outside, but also on the inside.

What is the biggest challenge you face today?

On a personal level, it’s a challenge keeping up with all that I do and making sure that I have quality time with my beautiful family, especially my little granddaughter.

In terms of my career and passion for helping others turn their lives around, I’d love to have my own television show where I could show-case how to be healthy. I’d also like to take my message abroad to the UK and continue to grow my business offshore.

How did you get yourself through the hard times along the way?

Having an absolute belief in what I do. I am so passionate about showing the world that low fat healthy food can be fabulous and is also very easy to make. I have been there and done it so – really - I am the proof that this really works and if I can do it, anyone can! All it takes is commitment, belief and having a positive attitude to your success.

My proudest moment is the fact that I have maintained my healthy weight range for so long! We can all lose weight – but keeping it off is the ultimate goal.

What advice do you have for others who want to make a big change?

See the big picture and know what it is you’re working towards. I wanted to be able to get out of a chair easily and to be able to buy anything that I wanted in any dress shop. Have your desires at the forefront and know what you MUST do to achieve this. Be committed and focussed on your goal and let nothing stop you from achieving it!

What is one thing you wish you knew when you started this journey?

Probably how good it would feel to be healthy and at my ideal weight. I couldn’t see this in the beginning…I was just lost in the fog of the fat. If I knew then how great it is to be the ‘healthy Annette’ I probably would have started this journey much earlier on!

Annette Sym has a passion for helping others and has self-published a low fat cookbook series, Symply Too Good To Be True.

I am inspired by ordinary people who do something extraordinary for themselves or their community. This is not about who makes the most money, or gets the most media attention, it is about people who have found a purpose and who are out there doing something about it.

So, I am very pleased to bring you… 52 Weeks of Passion! For 52 weeks I will bring you a collection of interviews with people from all over the world that will inspire and delight you with their adventures, challenges, visions, attitudes and lifestyle.

The premise is simple; I have chosen people who have had a “Good Life Crisis”, they have chosen to do what they love for a living. They may have risked everything, found “flow” or made the most of a lucky break. Either way, they will share with us their passions, lifestyle and some tips on how you can do it too.

First up is Renee Wallace… I hope you enjoy!

Renee and her husband were a happy couple working hard for government departments, shift working, not seeing each other… sound familiar? Their Good Life Crisis saw them throw in the city lifestyle, with life changing results…

How did it all begin?

The catalyst for our good life crisis was to get out of the rut we were in and live a more relaxed, wholesome life.  We used to be high income earners, spending money on whatever we wanted, eating out, living what we thought was a great life.  Now, we live in a small rural town, have a huge section, a 3 year old son who constantly surprises us and is so much fun!

We have our own little “good life” where we grow a lot of our fruit and vegetables, have chickens for eggs, raising sheep for meat, have rabbits, dogs and cats as pets, and have never been healthier. Through lots of research and trial and error, we’ve learnt how to make a lot of our own products – the stuff we used to take for granted and just buy off the supermarket shelf because we wanted it, we now make from scratch from our own recipes.  It is a lot easier than people think, so much cheaper and you know exactly what ingredients are in your food!

Our proudest moment in this journey would probably have to be the arrival of our son.  He is a highlight in our life, and it is so rewarding to be teaching him so early on in life about the good things in life, like him growing his own potato plant, his own flowers, teaching him to make things from scratch instead of buying it off the shelf.

What decision was critical to your life change?

The most important decision we made was learning how to survive on one income and make ends meet. This meant that I didn’t have to return to full time employment after our son was born and I had the opportunity to work from home on starting my own business.

It hasn’t been an easy process, and there have been weeks when the dollars did not stretch, but after a lot of reading, researching, and just making do, we have learnt how to get around most things.

I wouldn’t say we have made a lot of mistakes as all of this has been a learning curve for us.  In some ways, we wish we had kept our first home in the city as an investment, but we weren’t given very good advice and thought we would not be able to afford to keep it.  In hindsight (always a good thing) we probably could have held onto it but we are still happy with our decision.

What is the biggest challenge you face today?

The biggest challenge we face today is the rising cost of living and the income that is not rising with it.  We are constantly trying to find ways to cut the budget even further, grow different fruits and vegies, take less trips out in the car.

What got you through the tough times?

You have to have a positive attitude.  If you are always thinking the negative, then nothing will get done.  If it doesn’t work out the first time, try again with a different method. You also have to have a goal to work towards, and take “baby steps” to reach that goal – Rome wasn’t built in a day!  And to some extent you also have to be resilient: if mother nature comes along and wipes out your crops and blows all the fruit off your trees, just remember that next year will be better.

How do you stay motivated and inspired?

Finding new products to make is a great way to stay motivated and inspired.  Every week try something new – even if it is just a new recipe out of a cook book, a new way to make your own laundry powder, a new idea to save some power – every little bit makes a difference!

Seeing the benefits of our efforts really keeps us going – the lovely fresh food that is coming out of my garden, seeing the extra money savings in the bank, knowing we can travel overseas every year because we go without a few small luxuries every week.

What do you wish you knew when you first started out on this journey?

If I knew I was going to love life so much more, I would have started it years and years ago.  Dreams can become reality, you just have to have a little patience and work a little harder and before you know it, you are living your dream!

Any final thoughts?

We are super happy with our Good Life Crisis.  We have proven to a lot of people who were non-believers that it is possible to live a great life, on one income while raising a family and starting a business – you just have to make a few adjustments here and there.  It’s not easy, but it can be done and we are all better people for it! I hope I have helped to inspire some more people to take the plunge, to live your dream.

Renee went from living in the city, with great jobs and great incomes, to living on a large section in a small town, 40 minutes drive to the nearest city. She has a gorgeous young son and runs It’s Alicious selling towels packed like delicious treats!

Basically it is an awesome night for people who are in business, yet too small to have a Christmas party. It was graciously organised by Leah who runs The Golden Goose and Janna who runs Fletcher Tax.

I was excited to be asked to speak and was determined that if nothing else I wanted to get my message across and inspire people. The other presentations I have done have been more technical, and so writing a motivational speech was much more exciting!

With the Boot Camp that we held last week, I only got a chance to write my new speech the night before I had to deliver it. This didn’t give me much practice time, which doesn’t help when you are trying to get over your fear of public speaking! I sat up writing the night before and then sent it off to Chandell my speaking coach:

Hey Chandell,

What do you think of me reading it verbatim, do you think that would suck?

Please say no!

We spoke on the morning of the big day, and went through a few main tips about the presenting.  Being so late in the game it wasn’t really appropriate to make any major changes but we agreed after this to work on some structure for future talks.

The three public speaking tips I should use:

1. Record saying the speech into my phone, and then play it back several times
2. Practice sending a light from my diaphragm to the audience
3. Visualise the audience being happy and inspired when I finished speaking

The results:

1. Record saying the speech into my phone, and then play it back several times

This was awesome. I am definitely going to record and listen to the speech every time in future. When I did go to present it felt familiar because I had listened to it so many times, even though I had only written it the night before.

2. Practice sending a light from my diaphragm to the audience

With my nerves I forgot to send the light completely, doh! I will try that again next time.

3. Visualise the audience being happy and inspired when I finished speaking

Just hearing this exercise made me realise that I automatically visualise people looking embarrassed for me when I finish.  Not very empowering! So I managed a few moments of this new visualisation before I started.

All in all I was actually happy with what I did. I read my speech word for word which I know is pretty uncool, and not as engaging as it could be… kind of like someone else’s in laws reading a speech at their wedding. Also I was shaking so much I could hear the paper rattling in my hands!

Normally when I present I feel disappointed that I forgot something. This time, because I was reading, I said everything I had planned to say, which was a really good feeling! Now I just have to find the happy medium between reading and speaking.

This is definitely a step in the right direction…   Stay tuned!

A few people have noted how well we seem to be dealing with the grief. No bitterness, no blame, no wanting to die like I might have imagined I would, if I ever were to imagine losing my brother and closest friend… well, before it actually happened that is.

It’s such a weird experience to have the people you love the most die; even the terms used to describe death are weird… “passed away” like a second hand shirt or “lost” like a kitten up a tree.

The thing is that however much you analyse the words or appreciate how amazing people have been around me or how other people lack understanding… it doesn’t change a thing… he is still dead.

I have plenty of exciting plans for the future and really lovely things in my life

…but today… today I am not going anywhere

today I am sitting and moping and being sad just because I am sad

xx

Kendra Delano is living the life in the Mayan Riviera working just one day a week managing her jewellery business; Leathered Pearls. She kindly shared some of her story for you…

How did you get started and what inspired your business choice?

I lived on a sailboat off the coast of Bimini when I was a girl. Since there was no TV or radio on board I was constantly making projects- yarn flower hair clips, cut paper birds, macramé plant holders. I wove butterfly shells into some of them. As a first grade teacher I was able to continue this “play” into my adult life.

Six years ago I was given some gorgeous Tahitian Pearl earrings. I wanted a necklace to match. I looked for one and found Mikimoto Jewellery, Pachamamas, Mana.

The pieces were incredibly expensive and some were simple to make. I decided that instead of spending thousands of dollars on one necklace that I was going to buy a pearl drill and make my own pieces. Leathered Pearls sprang from that.

A designer friend put one necklace on a model for a wedding expo, another friend sold my pieces in her gallery in Breckenridge. That brought demand and I needed to make a lot of pieces in a hurry.

Tahitian Pearls naturally leave their oysters with hues of peacock greens, pinks, silvers and greys. Since I couldn’t differentiate the colours inside my home I went to the beach to create.

Wandering tourists stopped and asked what I was doing. One was a spa owner, another had just finished playing Odysseus at The Kennedy Center in NYC, one had contacts to a surfboard company, and one told me about her fashion blog /company in London. I soon had my first wholesale accounts. Basically I founded a company by accident… just by doing what I love to do in public.

It sounds like you almost fell into your business! Was it always this easy? Did you have any periods of uncertainty?

I definitely had a period of uncertainty. I was very possessive of my pieces and company in the beginning. I was trying to build a successful business with one salesperson – ME. I had a website that frustrated me to no end. Shipping was an issue since I live in Mexico and most of my clients are in the US. I didn’t enjoy distribution at all.

That’s when I chose to have a manufacturing company that could support people and sales all over the world. I have always been a helpful people-pleaser. In essence I needed to remember how to share.

I had another real fit of uncertainty several months back. I was creating with seeds from all over Mexico and the Amazon, African trading beads, shells, semi-precious stones. I couldn’t get my hands on enough materials. All I wanted to do was design something new each day. I had to put the reins on myself and focus on the materials that made the most sense.

In addition to the Tahitian pearls I now use amber (from Chiapas, Mexico), serpentine and obsidian from Teotihuacan, soapstone jade from Guatemala, fire opals from Jalisco and Hawaiian sea glass. I also have my sights on a trip to Peru so that I can buy lapis lazuli.

All of these materials have significant meanings. They are healers. Not everyone believes in that sort of thing but after wearing pearls each day for a year I can tell you with certainty that they give their wearers courage and strength.

What advice would you give for people looking to create businesses that give them more freedom and lifestyle? And is there anything you wish you knew when you started?

Doing my best at “jobs” has enabled me to survive. Starting my own business is enabling me to thrive. We are all smart and talented enough to make our dreams come true on our own terms. I would tell anyone just starting out to take baby steps.

Do NOT put a lot of money into a venture before testing the market. I would recommend learning about social networking and marketing (visit I Love Marketing, Women Igniting Change and Red Hot Events and Seminars on Facebook).

Businesses don’t succeed because of great ideas or products. They succeed because of business savvy. All of the necessary information is on the internet and it’s free. Find a mentor. I would be happy to answer questions. Visit me at Leathered Pearls any time!

Clayton Rutschow models Leathered Pearls

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Kendra Delano helps children create more happiness in their lives by teaching them positive thinking and choice-making skills.

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She is a children’s book author, presenter and the founder of two companies, Same Day Different Choices and Leathered Pearls Kendra lives with her family on the Mayan Riviera.

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