Jennifer was trying to start her jewelry business but was being held back by her imposter syndrome. By taking practical, manageable messy actions, she learned how to overcome her resistances and become a success story.
Hi, my name is Jennifer and I handcraft fine jewellery. What was going on with my life? I was trying to take my hobby of making jewellery and making it into a small business, and I really had the desire to make it a successful small business. It was during 2020, so I decided that because we couldn’t meet in person, I wanted to take a jewellery course, and I found this online jewellery course that I could do, but I was afraid to really do it and be completely engaged with it because I knew that anytime I had started a course I didn’t really finish because I wanted everything to be perfect and I knew that I wasn’t. So I saw Grace’s ad and she had spoken about the reasons why I tended to be a perfectionist, and also she highlighted my tendency to procrastinate, and I never really gave it a word before as to the resistance that I was giving the course, and this was very helpful.
And so I dove into Grace’s course and I dove into the Julie course that I had been taking, and I loved it, but I was struggling. I was really struggling to make sure that I had gotten everything done on time in my course. And Grace’s tips and advice really helped. I had never been through a group therapy before. I had never even thought about it. I tended to really stay away from it. But when I was introduced to Grace and this type of group therapy, I actually loved it. Everything that she was saying made a lot of sense to me. It resonated with me. One tip that she had said was that I was building trust with myself on every task that I didn’t procrastinate on, that if I told myself that I was going to do this task, that I should follow through with it even if it was just a little bit or for five minutes.
So the concerns that I had were, was this going to work? Was this going to make any sense to me? Where are the tips and advice is going to be practical? And everything so far has really been, and I’m very happy with this. Since working with Grace, I have been able to have more confidence in myself. I finished my diploma in Fine Jewellery. I finished that course, and I signed up for another course for this year. My skills in handcrafting jewellery really have developed to a level I didn’t know existed in me. I left the confines of an SE website to managing my own website, and this year for the first time, I am participating in a prestigious local art show, which I had to make 12 handcrafted pieces for, and I also had to plan for the show. These were things that were not easy for me.
I had been not any longer, but I had been pretty much a person to, if I feel it, I’ll do it. If I don’t feel it, maybe it’s not for me, and I really don’t think that’s okay anymore. I think that if I really want to progress in something, I do need to plan. I’m sure there are some situations where I can be spontaneous, but if I’m really looking to fulfil goals, I’ve learned that I need to plan and it’s okay, and I didn’t know I had imposter syndrome, but now I know how to deal with it because it’s just life and I am worthy and capable to be in this jewellery space that I love so much. I have more trust with myself. I am able to set a timer for 90 minutes and focus on working. I’ve created habits, and I learned to recognise when I’m resisting tasks and Grace helped me to face those fears and break them apart bit by bit so I can get past those fears and create habits for really important tasks that will help keep me and help me in my business.
In terms of procrastinating, I do procrastinate a lot less. I found that writing a master list and starring three tasks on that list will keep me focused for what I planned for the day. I’m able to recognise what tasks I feel resistance to even after it. I don’t feel like procrastination goes away, but I’ve been given tools to be able to move through that, recognise the procrastination, recognise the resistance, and be honest with myself. Ask myself some quick questions In my mind, I get myself through the fear of working on the tasks that I have resistance to and then no longer have resistance to because I’m facing them head on. This is a practise. I’ve come to the acceptance set. Procrastination doesn’t go away, but it’s my ability to choose how to feel in that space of resistance and recognise the consequences that will incur if I don’t procrastinate.
What if I just start, even if it’s messy? I know that I can’t always control the outcomes and everything around me, but I can control me when I make a practise of this. I move through tasks that will progress me in my business that I love so much. Grace is kind, patient and insightful. Grace is full of grace, especially for me. I feel like her advice has great application, and she’s also very resourceful. She has taught me many tools to help me move through the challenges that hinder my progress. I feel like when I’m speaking to her that I’m the only one there. I clearly know that it’s not the case. This is a great community. We don’t do the same things, but we’ve all come to the challenges of procrastinating, recognising procrastination and recognising the resistance and wanting to be truthful with ourselves, but really not understanding how.
And this community has really been great for that. Just to be able to be a part of it has been so rewarding. My experience with Grace has been wonderful, and I hope to never leave this community honestly. I hope to be able to encourage others and the community for the successes that I’ve had, but to really recognise that it is a practise and practising it brings freedom and joy in the work that you love so much. I feel like if I hadn’t done this work with Grace, I wouldn’t be where I am today. And I know that sounds so typical, but really her practical advices have kept me moving towards my goal. And if I hadn’t met her, I would probably still be procrastinating. I would probably still be wondering if I can really follow my dreams and do the business that I would really like to do.
I wouldn’t understand that certain tasks are going to be challenging and they are going to create resistance. I don’t think that I would be able to successfully move through that. I feel like recognising that feeling of resistance towards something is half the battle because now it’s exposed. Now you see it, and now you know that there’s something you need to do about it. Without Grace, I don’t think I would’ve really been able to recognise that that’s what that feeling was, that it was even called resistance. I just think that the feeling I had before was just, oh, it’s just something I didn’t want to do. And that’s not the case. It’s just resistance is something that needs to get done. And asking yourself those questions, why. So thank you, grace. Finally, if you’re considering joining, if you’re considering doing these amazing courses with Grace, just do it.
If you want to progress in your business, if you want to progress in your life, if you want practical application, that will give you freedom in making choices that you’ve never made before, getting through fears, overcoming obstacles like procrastination, doing things imperfectly, getting rid of perfectionism, you’re going to find that here. You’ll find freedom in utilising practical tools that are not out of reach, that are simple and easy, even though it’s not always easy to get through procrastination, it’s not always easy to face your fears, but this is a great space where you can, and the community is great, and people are friendly, they’re supportive, encouraging. Yeah, it’s a lot of what I didn’t expect. And again, I would just love to be here and stay here and watch the progression of others while I myself utilise these practical applications for myself. So yes, please come and join us.