On the flipside:
I am forcing myself to write today. When I launched the website (and the business) I intended to use this blog as a way to promote but also to figure out what direction to take. Writing helps me focus, helps me get my priorities straight when I feel unclear about my options and weak-willed. And for a week or so I set aside time to write and got posts up every couple of days. Then Murphy's Law took over. I got extremely ill, threw my shoulder out, got my yard torn apart by a tornado, got recruited to spend every spare second sitting at my grandfather's bedside while he recovered from the surgery that mended the hole in his heart.
I tried to hold together. I stuck to the plan as best I could. Bumps in the road are inevitable and I could slow down, but I didn't want to let my struggles stop me altogether. I kept looking for space, kept working on my recipes. (That croissant dough isn't going to turn itself into a cronut.) I inquired about a couple of locations and both got swept up before I could even look at them. There were successes and failures in my baking, and my plan bore the marks of my missteps.
My greatest mistake has been underestimating how difficult it would be to carry out a new business start-up alone. Partnership has its own pitfalls, I'm sure, but I can't help but feel it would be nice to have someone else to keep you accountable, to keep you motivated, to pick up the slack when life gets crazy, or at least to back up your excuses when you both lose steam. I have supporters who are wildly enthusiastic and have offered to help. But for the most part, I am moving through uncharted territory and there is no one to fall back on - only me and my own strength - so I pause, catch my breath and push forward again.
What is the hardest thing you have ever done? How do you push through your work when it seems pointless or you don't know which way to go next?
