It’s a fine line between pleasure and pain

Yes, sadly missed Chrissy Amphlett summed it up well.

I have to admit, when I put my products out there I feel very proud of what I’ve created, but some days it’s harder than others not to feel like I am putting a little sliver of my flesh out there on a platter for all to see – the pleasure and pain of an online creative business I guess.

All the old nagging questions of ‘is it okay?’, ‘do others like my work?’ ‘what if it’s not good enough?’ creep in and it takes some serious mental talk to sweep those old patterns of thought away. My products are an expression of my creativity and I find it difficult some days to see where I stop and they begin because of the time I’ve dedicated and the passion I have for creating them.

I’ve taught myself (with some very hard yakka) to have confidence in my creativity and to attempt to get the intrinsic buzz I need from myself and not rely on others for it. But it can be hard. One off-handed comment can send me into a spin of self-doubt. Thankfully, I’ve not been on the receiving end of more than a couple of those in the past – and in fact some of my best ideas have come from those couple of off hand comments made by well meaning people – they’ve made me even more determined although it would have been easy to chuck it all in at the time. It’s all in how you look at those so called criticisms I guess.

So, when I get a beautiful message like the one I received today (below) I kick those old bad habit thoughts to the curb and know I’m on the right track. It’s funny how I can get so many heart-soaring messages, emails and phone calls but have chosen in the past to focus only on that one critical, albeit well-meaning, comment. No more!

“All of these products are so amazing! They look stunning and are so practical too!
Lisa was fantastic with the delivery to my friend who absolutely loved the bouquet.
I am such a fan of these gifts!”

So, although I try my very best to feel content and happy within myself with my little biz, I have to admit I get a big warm fuzzy when I hear it from someone else too!

I’d love to hear from you in the comments below. Are you good at feeling the love for yourself and being satisfied with that, or do you need a little help from others too?

Lisa xo

Baby Bouquets