Recently I shared this image on my personal social media page and explained that I had started to learn the value of diversifying my efforts when working on something. The reason for the comment, and now this blog, is the fact that I have become very aware of a pattern in my past that has caused me some struggle. In conversations with others it seems that I am not alone.
The tendency to be single minded and having blinders on when working on something I am passionate about has caused me to falter at times when obstacles happened to arise. Without an alternate or backup plan, I would allow even small things to derail my energy and enthusiasm. Sometimes this would make me feel like I had failed in the proposed task or direction. Lately I have had the gift of hindsight shown to me and instead of failures I have seen the learning and the gifts in these set backs.
Through this review, I have seen the value of working with more than one plan in place. The mantra “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket” has proven very valuable to me the last few weeks as I worked on my much loved Empowerment Cards project.
This is why the recent push to get published with Mystic Bliss has seemed extra energetic.
~ I have an investor waiting on the sidelines for me to come up with my portion of the funds needed
~ I opened an on line store for my Limited edition Photo Stock decks and Mystic Bliss T shirts through Etsy to generate sales
~ there is a media awareness campaign happening through press releases
~ I am doing card readings in person and on line to show the value of these cards while raising funds and awareness
~ the “where are they now” image series is being well received by both the models who desire to see me succeed with this and my growing fan base that loves seeing the human factor of Mystic… these ARE real people and they love being a part of this
~ advance orders are now being taken for the soon to be printed card stock decks
~ I have been speaking to groups about my vision and what I am doing… we all know how much I enjoy talking
~ Blog posts and card reading are again a regular happening on my pages
~ AND I am now ready to launch my new Kickstarter Crowdfunding campaign (just sent the project draft in for approval)
The investor is willing to put up funds for me to go to press with a small run however I am working at not having to use borrowed money at all by generating it myself through sales, services and fund raising.
During my last Kickstarter campaign I noticed that some of my supporters were having trouble understanding how crowdfunding worked and were hesitant and would simply give me money for advanced orders so this time I will have both options available. There will be avenues to order decks separate from the campaign while Kickstarter is running. I was asked if I worried that this would dilute my Kickstarter campaign but I explained that this was why I set my goal for the campaign at $500. Reaching $500 in pledges in exchange for the rewards set there would allow me to cover my portion needed plus fill my commitments. If I exceed this minimum and gain enough through my various revenue streams to move forward without an investor… even better.
There is a timeline set to get to press, and fill the advance orders I already have as well as the expected new orders, and that is coming up fast but I know I am positioned well to succeed. What I have learned from past trials and efforts has brought me great knowledge and confidence.
Like the card says, I am rooted in my vision to see this through and my mind is now clear of the thoughts that have held me back in the past. There is no doubt in my mind that I am going to press one way or another soon. My ability to face my challenges head on now comes from seeing where I made errors before… this time I am not “doing the same thing and expecting different results” I am taking responsibility for my choices and pressing on with options open and clear vision.