Designing a Life You Love

 
 

Taking something from the unseen to the seen

As a fine jewelry designer, the idea of taking an idea and bringing it to life is the name of the game. Designing a life you love is all about taking something from the unseen and bringing it into the seen.

As with most anything, it all starts as a seedling: an idea, or dream.

Ideas and dreams we have for our lives are one of the best parts of the human experience, in my opinion. And turning our ideas into our reality is extremely rewarding.

It's all about setting goals and putting a plan in place to achieve them. It's about being intentional with your time, your relationships, and your overall health and wellbeing.

it's about surrounding yourself with things that bring you joy and make you feel good.

And, more importantly. it’s about staying committed to the inner vision that lights you up: the IDEA or DREAM that no one else can see… yet.

What does it mean to design a life you love?

What does it mean to design a life you love?

For some people, it might mean pursuing their dream job, while for others it might mean spending more time traveling the world.

However, designing a life you love is about more than just finding ways to be happy in the moment. It’s about creating a vision for your future and taking steps to make that vision a reality.

It’s about making choices that align with your values and goals, and being willing to let go of things that don’t serve you.

It’s about being brave enough to follow your heart, even when it leads you down a path less traveled.

So ask yourself: what would it take to design a life you love? And then figure out a few handful of small steps in that general direction.


The misconception of following your dreams

The biggest misconception I see is that people think it will look SEXY to follow their dreams.

When, in reality, it often just looks like sending that one email or making that one call.

One small step in the direction of what you want is all that is really required.

It reminds me of the quote credited to Thomas Edison: “Recognizing opportunity is so difficult for most people because it goes around disguised in overalls, looking like hard work!”

While I don’t agree that our dreams and desires have to feel like hard work, I do think opportunity and success are disguised and look less sexy than we assume. ;)

What are some of the steps involved in designing a life you love?

The first step in designing a life you love is identifying what you want.

This may seem like a simple task, but for many people it can be surprisingly difficult to figure out what they truly want.

Once you have a good understanding of your DREAM, the next step is to develop a plan to achieve it.

This plan will involve setting specific milestones and figuring out what steps you need to take to reach each one.

Finally, you need to take action and implement your plan. This can be the most challenging part, as it requires consistently making choices that align with your goals and staying motivated even when obstacles arise.

In the words of one of my favorite mentors, Mary Morrissey: “Obstacles are not stop signs. They are qualifiers.

If you put in the effort, you can absolutely bring your vision to life.

What are some of the challenges associated with designing a life you love?

One of the biggest challenges associated with designing a life you love is that it can be difficult to know where to start. Don’t let that slow you down. Jump in with both feet knowing that what most people call ”failure” is actually the best way to learn any industry.

It's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day grind and lose sight of what we really want in life. Try to make one SMALL step towards your dream, each and every day. This prevents you from losing momentum.

Remember! A step could even be something as small as a quick “visualization” practice, envisioning your dreams are already a reality.

Another challenge is that we often compare our lives to others, which can lead to feelings of envy and inadequacy.

It's important to remember that everyone's journey is unique and that there is no single formula for happiness.

The most important thing is to stay true to ourselves and pursue our own definition of success. With a bit of effort and perseverance, it is possible to design a life that we love.

How can you make sure that you stick to your plan?

Anyone who has ever made a New Year's resolution knows that it can be difficult to stick to your plan.

Whether you're trying to eat healthier, save money, or get in shape, it's all too easy to give up when the going gets tough.

However, there are a few simple things you can do to increase your chances of success.

First of all, make sure your goal is detailed and specific to you. It’s important that you can FEEL the excitement just thinking about it.

Trying to lose "a lot of weight" is much less likely to lead to lasting results than resolving to “feel ReAlLY DaMn GoOd in your body.”

Similarly, setting aside $50 per week for savings is more achievable than vowing to "save more money."

Once you have a specific goal in mind, write it down and make a commitment to yourself to stick to your plan.

Finally, don't be afraid to ask for support from family and friends. Having someone to cheer you on can make all the difference when you're struggling to stay on track. Caveat! Make sure it’s a supportive friend. Not one of those ‘devil’s advocate’ types. ;)

By following these simple tips, you can ensure that you'll be successful in meeting your goals.

What are some of the benefits associated with designing a life you love?

A life you love includes accepting yourself for who you are, surrounding yourself with positive people, and doing things that make you happy.

Accepting yourself helps you to grow as a person and to be more positive.

You will be able to see the good in situations and in people— because it all starts with how you feel about yourself.

Being able to see the good helps you attract more positivity into your life. When you surround yourself with positive people, they will help support your dreams and goals.

They will encourage you when you are feeling down and help you stay motivated. Doing things that make you happy is important because it gives your life purpose and meaning.

It is something to look forward to each day. Having a life you love requires work and dedication but it is worth it because it leads to a happier and more fulfilling life.

What are some of the most important things to remember?

There are many things to keep in mind when designing a life you love, but some of the most important are how you want to feel and what you value most in your life.

Measuring success based off of someone else’s idea of it is a complete waste of time and energy.

Knowing what you value will help you make choices that align with your overall vision for your life.

Prioritizing your time and energy will allow you to focus on the things that matter most to you.

And setting goals will give you a way to measure your progress and stay on track.

Of course, there is no single formula for success, and what works for one person may not work for another.

But by keeping these things in mind, you can make sure that your life is headed lit up-from the inside out.

xo,

Sylvia

Fine Jewelry for Women | Kansas City & Beyond

Why Most People Won't Succeed? (Two Reasons)

 
 

There seem to be two common reason why most people won’t ‘succeed’ to create what they want…

Here they are:

Because they won't start...

And they really don't wanna fail...

A lot of people talk about success, but very few people achieve it.

Why? Because most people won't even start.

They're afraid of failure, so they stay in their comfort zones where they know they can't fail.

But success requires taking risks. It requires getting out of your comfort zone and trying new things.

It means putting yourself out there, even if you might fail.

So if you want to be successful, you have to be willing to start and willing to fail.

You have to be willing to put yourself out there and take risks.

So ask yourself: are you willing to look a little silly?

Are you willing to prioritize your dreams and goals OVER the guaranteed state of looking ‘cool’ and having it ‘all together?’

For instance, when I decided to start my own line of fine jewelry, I had to be sure of one thing: did I REALLY want to do this, more than I wanted to avoid failure?

I asked myself: what would it look like if I DIDN’T pursue this dream of designing fine, luxury jewelry for women?

In the game of life, there are no guarantees.

But if you are willing to start and willing to fail, then you just might achieve the success you've always dreamed of.

Cheers to pursuing our dreams…

xo,

Sylvia

Fine Jewelry for Women | Kansas City & Beyond

Getting Started with Fine Jewelry Design

 
 

When it comes to learning fine jewelry design, I’m sure there are numerous options for learning the process. There are jewelry design schools, apprenticeships, training programs, on the job training, and probably much more.

But one of the really great things I have learned since becoming a business owner is the power of just getting started on your own.

I’ve learned that there are massive payoffs when you bet on yourself, and embrace the idea that the mistakes you make along the way are some of the best learning experiences you can get!

It reminds me a little bit of my junior year of high school.

I had decided to stop playing basketball and start playing softball.

Many of my friends had been playing softball their entire life (much like I had been doing with basketball!).

So when I decided to join them that ‘late’ in my adolescent sports career, no one really knew what to expect.

But I trusted my athleticism and put in the hard work and was able to play fairly competitively with my peers.

It was fun because I was willing to be a beginner.

I’ve always said that I transferred my competitive nature away from sports and towards business, and that one single move has made all the difference in my success with my other company, Lifted Naturals.

And the even better move I made, was competing with myself. Not other brands or businesses. But instead I’m only competing with who I was yesterday.

When it comes to designing fine jewelry, I had already made up my mind that I did not want to learn to use a new computer software program and yet I knew that such software was absolutely required in this day and age of jewelry design.

I was reminded of the theory: WHO not HOW. And I sought outside help.

WHO I needed was an excellent CAD artist and I used my hiring skills to find an amazing designer who is able to take my sketches plus some written descriptions and bring my visions to life.

I am continuing to hone my sketching abilities and love the style of fine jewelry business that I have created which allows me more time being creative and less time sitting at my computer.

Keep believing in a future reality that lights you up.

It is absolutely in your reach to create it.

xo,

Sylvia

Fine Jewelry for Women | Kansas City & Beyond