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I Believed I Could, so I Did…

by | Sep 14, 2013

Lisa's storyI was going through old newsletters looking for a story I wrote about garden critters and I came across this piece. I decide to post to share because I believed I could and it is really that simple.

From November 2011 Fresh from the Garden Newsletter:

I am often introduced as the girl who took her passion and made it into a career. I had never thought of it that way before I heard it, but it is true and it didn’t seem difficult at all. My previous career trained me well in juggling several things at once. I worked as an office manager at a very busy animal hospital for 15 years and it prepared me for just about anything that might come my way. The pressure of having someone standing in front of you waiting and the phone lines on hold at the same time tends to train you to get to the point, take care of business and move on, and of course always with a big smile. I learned that I thrive under pressure and perform my best under those conditions. So, naturally I thought I could become a flower farmer, a retailer and lecturer all at the same time!

It all actually transpired over several years. Flower farmer first, than lecturer and then the online retail business was a natural next step. Pounding the pavement in all directions the past years was difficult at times and even a little scary, but it has allowed me to truly carve out my niche that is slowly beginning to take shape. When your job doesn’t feel like work, it is really no work at all. There is nothing else that I would rather be doing than what I am doing now, farming, writing and chatting about doing it all.

The full circle is almost complete. In 2012 I will be on the farm more, my lecturing season will be slimmed down to October through March and we are cutting back on the number of shows we attend. All this brings me back into the farming life I love so much and will give me more time for writing about it. None of this would be possible if I hadn’t gone in so many directions these past few years. I now have an audience that is interested in hearing about the farm and how to garden simply and organically.

If you love something passionately it is likely that there are others that love it as much as you. During the coming holiday season take to time give thanks, share all things, and to pause and consider, do you want to pursue your passion? It is not easy, nor does it always work out, but I am always glad I tried in the end. You won’t believe how many u-turns I have made in business the past 13 years of growing flowers. But each time I stumbled I just got up and kept at it, whether it turned out to be right or wrong.

My Dad always taught his children to go the extra mile and to do a better job than expected. This lesson has served me well and led me to… I believed I could, so I did!

Feed your soul–garden daily,