UBC: You Are Ready: Launching Your Dream After Recovery!

Introduction

If you’ve been following along you’ll know that I’m participating in the Ultimate Blog Challenge – you can find all my posts here. Today’s prompt/idea is: “a valuable lesson you’ve learnt” – this was a tough one because it required more thinking than usual, and trust me I’m like Dory from Finding Nemo. (haha!) I waited till midnight to find out what it was, and ended up going to bed shortly after because I got stumped. Not as easy as my last post – How I Make My Stickers, that’s for sure!

Let’s Get To It!

So, I actually thought of two lessons (lucky you!) I’ll explain both challenges I faced and the lessons I learnt through them. Honestly, after contemplating it, they both seem to merge into each other well…

The First Lesson:

That my circumstances and past were not holding me back – I was.

There’s no reason to hold yourself back and say you can’t do something in life unless you go for it and try to do it. — Russell Westbrook

We’re often taught a lot through trials and tribulations… they shape our character and make us the person who God designed us to be. With that said, my first one has to do with mental health. I deal with Bipolar Disorder and it’s been a huge struggle for many years, but the label doesn’t define me. I’ve been officially stable now for almost over three years! Plus, I’m off my antidepressant and have been doing really, really well. But a few years ago I wasn’t at all.

Disclaimer: I’m about to go deep and personal, I do this in hope of helping just one person. That’s what matters to me most. I’m also not a private person, so if you have any questions, ask away – and I’ll answer within reason.

Due to personal circumstances, involving: moving out during the pandemic back into my dad’s house into a basement, and a couple toxic friendships I had to go to the psychiatric ward at my local hospital. I stayed for two weeks or so, and boy, do I ever not want to go back!! But that’s not what we’re going to talk about today…

Going into the hospital and being admitted, I remember being very anxious and scared – my dad was with me, and he told me something I’ll never forget… “God will be with you the whole time!” And those simple words helped so much. Because, he was and is. In the bible it repeats this verse “I will never leave you nor forsake you – and that has stuck with me for a long time.

How does this relate? I had started a business previous to my breakdown and it didn’t go too well obviously – so after I came out of the hospital, I still had the dream of having my own business, but due to fear and procrastination I never got it up and running. In hindsight, I think this was God’s plan all along.

My Problems Holding Me Back:

What held me back in the first place? Dear Reader, read on… I think some of it may be relatable.

• Fear of Failure. Which holds many people back – the thought that you’re not ready yet! Anything that’s worth it, is a risk. BUT. This is a lie – you are already ready! If you keep holding yourself back and waiting, you’ll never achieve your dreams or anything for that matter.
• Procrastination. I always thought I had a lot of time left in life, and I could catch up or do it later… but trust me, with life going by faster each day (like, c’mon slow down – am I right?!) if we don’t jump in and take the risk we won’t succeed, and we’ll just keep waiting till we “feel” ready.
• Using my Mental Health as an Excuse. The fear of having another breakdown or that I won’t be able to handle the demands of owning a business. That’s stinking thinking!! Seriously. If you think in such a negative way – you’re just going to be miserable for the rest of your life until you get past this hurdle. Yes, having a mental health disorder is difficult and most definitely a struggle – it’s different for everyone – but if you look at yourself as a victim, you’re doing more harm than good.

The Second Lesson:

Thinking I wasn’t ready to achieve my dreams.

“It’s a terrible thing, I think, in life to wait until you’re ready. I have this feeling now that actually no one is ever ready to do anything. There is almost no such thing as ready. There is only now. And you may as well do it now. Generally speaking, now is as good a time as any.”

― Hugh Laurie

When you think of it, the thought of feeling or being ready enough is so incredibly silly. If we wait until we are “ready” we won’t get anywhere in life. How often are we actually ready for things that scare us? It’s best to dive in headfirst – it’s oh so hard and not for the weak, but if you have a support system you can most definitely do it. If I can – so can you!

The Outcome:

My dreams coming true! If I hadn’t have taken the risk, the leap, the dive in headfirst – whatever you want to call it. Whimsy Brooke never would have launched. And, where else would you get your whimsical, punny, and quirky stickers? Or your quirky and fun collage artwork? I have no idea at all. 😉

Outro + Last Thoughts!

I’m thankful to my friends, family and healthy support system for getting me here. Especially to my earthly father – who supports me in everything I do. And, of course – my Heavenly Father… I wouldn’t be here without Him.

What resonated with you the most? Let me know in the comments below!