COLUMN
Believe Believing in oneself is the beginning of making a dream come true. Denise began to reshape her professional life during the lockdown by starting a Fun Friday Millinery group on Facebook. Open to anyone, it was a free seminar on a topic of her choosing. It was a great success. The group gave those in the millinery community a chance to gather, albeit virtually, and share their week while learning a new technique or exploring an old one with Denise. And it gave Denise a focus after her work world had collapsed due to the pandemic. This was not a moneymaker for Denise, but it introduced her to new faces and fostered new friendships. The group also brought her many invitations to speak at non- profit and educational organisations. Even though these were not income- generating opportunities, she still relishes the contacts and tries to participate in as many of them as time permits. From that start of informal free
millinery sessions, Denise established virtual classes on a variety of millinery topics. These workshops provided her with much-needed income. Now that she is back working at both Boston University and the Huntington Theatre, she hopes to continue her virtual classes and has also begun a ‘First Saturday Ask the Milliner’ open group on Facebook.
What might be keeping me from realising my dream? It could be something tangible like money. It could be the voice of a friend or family member telling me this is not a good idea. We all need support from others in taking on our dreams. Fear is a hungry monster that can take over if we allow it. Thinking “I won’t make it” or “I’m not smart enough” or “I can’t do it as well as so-and-so” are psychological manifestations of that fear. These kinds of thoughts are discouraging to myself and can keep me from taking chances. Ask yourself: What fears are holding me back? Am I able to adapt and change directions when
things go wrong? Try to swap fear-based questions for encouraging ones: What are my gifts? What are my skills that can help to move me to the next step, and the step after that? What values am I bringing with me on this dream journey? Authenticity, flexibility, curiosity, creativity, honesty, openness, kindness, passion? If I am going to give myself wholeheartedly to this dream, how can I carry these with me in a manner that will grow the business and feed my soul? Take a moment to list the values you believe will best help you in reaching your business dream. And then, place them in the centre of each step of the journey. Don’t leave them behind.
Nurture Growing a business involves nurture, just as in gardening or caring for a child. We must encourage ourselves and staff to keep an open mind and to find joy in our labours. In a conversation with Australian-based milliner Neil Grigg, he spoke of his personal experience: “[I] had a very flat Melbourne Cup season last October/November, as Omicron started to really take off then. But as we struggled through summer and mandates were relaxed and our vaccinations got up into the 90 per cent territory, people started feeling more secure [about] going out. Theatres started filling and they went back to the track. It’s hard to feel confident when you are just teaching and not selling, but it is important to
Fun Friday Millinery was not a moneymaker for Denise, but it introduced her to new faces and fostered new friendships
Denise
Wallace- Spriggs
Neil Grigg
“Pull the old stock apart and reinvent” Neil Grigg
try to get excited about the new season as your regular clients will drop in and they want to see new ideas... Pull the old stock apart and reinvent.” We must nourish our dreams.
Review the posts on your Dream Board. Figure out what will work best and fit well within the dream. Some parts of the dream may need to be put on hold. Focus on one piece at a time. Perhaps choose the piece that seems most attainable, or something that will bring in some quick cash flow. Once these are in place and running smoothly, begin to focus on the more complicated parts of the dream. Neil began teaching virtual classes during the pandemic and plans to continue them. He says: “I have found the teaching inspiring. Our autumn racing carnival is picking up now, climaxing around Easter, and I am finding a lot more interest. It’s hard to put money into new product and just hope... But it’s a big world and there are new clients all over the world as well as around the corner and our girls are as desperate as us to get back out and dress up.” As we all step into an uncertain
future, we will find ourselves re- evaluating our businesses. Feed your dream, nourish all its parts. Connect once more with those who helped to make it viable in the past. Maintain a constant vigilance of health and safety. And always, always, visualise the dream in your mind, nurture it, and hold it in your heart.
may 2022 | 49
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