My grandfather always said, “If you do what you love you’ll never work a day in your life”. It’s a nice thought, but for the past few years I really believed that this may be the biggest crock of s*** advice ever. But, since my grandfather passed away last month I’ve been thinking about this advice more often than ever before…could this really be true?
After 30 years, going to business school and now starting my own fashion business, I do think this was partially great advice. I can also see now though, how this advice was setting me up to fail.
You know why?
If you do what you love, it may not always be easy. Or Fun. And it may in fact feel like work. A lot.
This time last year I found myself wondering “what the hell was this all for?” I was hustling so hard in my business day in and day out. I remember nights staying up until 2am to edit errors on my sales page and realizing that there was nothing fun or glamorous about what really goes on in business. I mean, I know this was contributing to what I want to create in the world, but I was SO burnt out. My whole business felt so out of alignment and my body was starting to fall apart physically.
I wasn’t sleeping well, I had the worst fibromyalgia flare up in years and I found myself on the phone with Katie DePaola saying that “my business is going to kill me.”
I didn’t really feel like I was doing what I loved and therefore everyday felt like such hard work. Although I could hear the echo of my grandfather’s advice, I couldn’t help but think that he was just so off on this one. How could I “never work a day in my life”? One day amidst the chaos and confusion, it finally hit me. I wasn’t clear on one major piece to this puzzle- what I was doing this all for? What was my why?
I asked myself this question: “If you could create anything in your Crystal fantasy world, what would it be?”
I had to get clear on what got me out of bed in the morning because at that point, it was more about sales funnels and marketing than my bigger picture.
Immediately I knew: I wanted to design a clothing line and be living in Los Angeles. And, I wanted to take a whole, fresh new approach to the fashion industry.
Ultimately, I believe our fashion system is broken, which keeps us as consumers overwhelmed by fashion, in style ruts and feeling bad about ourselves and our bodies. I want to change the fashion industry from the inside out.
So what is it that gets me out of bed (besides my dog, Bijou licking my face)?
It’s the fact when I go into the stores I’m so uninspired and I feel like fashion has it all wrong. The fact that for the average consumer, our clothing options suck and everything we’ve been taught about style is wrong. Instead of starting from the outside, we need to take an inside out approach to style and fashion. Lightbulb moment: this is where coaching AND fashion join forces. This is the how to my why.
After working with several high end coaches, enrolling in IGC Coach Training last year and now joining the IGC Leadership Team, I have found my path to truly turning fashion inside out.
We need to be the change we want to see… and we need to start from the inside.
We need to know what our WHY is. This is how we truly can feel like “we never work a day in our life”.
So make sure you ask yourself:
Why are you creating what you’re creating?
What would you create if the world has no limits? (hint: it doesn’t!)
What really gets you up in the morning?
Ultimately, I think my grandfather wasn’t too far off with his advice, but I do believe if you know your why, that is really to key to never working a day in your life.
In the past year I went to Italy for fashion design school, I restructured my business, updated my brand message and I moved to Los Angeles all because of the clarity I got around my own why. My business doesn’t feel so “heavy” now and I can finally jump out of my bed in the morning excited to go and create in the world.
I’d love to know – are you clear on your why + what you’re creating?
Xoxo,
Crystal
P.S. Want to learn more about Crystal and get in on her Be Your Brand coaching calls in IGC? Sign up here to schedule your free chat!
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