Things I'm Afraid to Tell You- Wave No. 2
Today I'm excited to be participating in a movement with fellow bloggers that was inspired by a brave lady who decided to bear all her insecurities with the intention of hopefully connecting with those out there who might be afraid to. She inspired a group of bloggers to do the same, and I immediately agreed when asked to participate in round 2. I truly feel that even if the smallest of ways, like sharing one's insecurities and fears, through a computer screen or not, we all have the ability to help and support each other!
See my list of "Things I'm Afraid to Tell you" and the list of bloggers who are putting themselves out there too after the jump!
My stomach is turning a little, but here goes!
I live in a half
furnished apartment. On top of investing the very last bit of my personal savings
into my start-up business, Society Social, and a really hard time last December
that caused us to have to throw away much of our new custom furniture, I simply
can’t afford it. The girl who sells furniture but owns none. How "#sparkly" is that?!
Enough has become a
negative word in my life, at least once a day. I’m not creative enough. I’m not original enough. I’m not pushing
myself fast enough. I’m not good enough. I'm wondering if I'll ever be enough. That's something I'm working on.
I once deactivated my
social media accounts due to what I have deemed as “Facebook-induced
depression.” After quitting my corporate job, I was unemployed and very
lost for over a year. The cheery status updates and happy photos of seemingly
“super successful” and “going places” people were too much for me to handle. I
felt worthless, like I was being left behind, and I was even more disappointed in myself for letting my own unhappiness prevent me from being truly happy for others.
I grew up in a small southern town where we were often the
only minority in many situations; there was a lot of judging. Sometimes I feel like it has caused me to
have a chip on my shoulder and at times
I find myself not giving people the benefit of the doubt.
My family has been in
the furniture business since the 80s. It gives me great pride and a whole other level of fulfillment to be able to help my family, but I don’t talk about it because I feel
like people will judge me and look at Society Social less than my own.
Customer service
makes me cry, sometimes like a baby. Don’t get me wrong, I have the most darling customers, many of who
have taken the time to write me the sweetest thank you notes (!), but you honestly wouldn’t believe some
people! I pour everything I have into my business, but the truth of the matter is, you really can't please every single person. I’m working on not taking things so personally.
Well there you have it! That's me for better or for worse. Thanks to all who are reading this very post and to all who have participated. I hope we can all learn something from each other and not be so quick to be down on ourselves!
Cassie: Coco + Kelley / Christine: Court & Hudson / Caitlin: Sacramento Street / Roxy: My Cup of Te / Crystal: Blog / Meg: MIMI+MEG / Ashlina: The Decorista / Katie: Modern Eve / Erin: Apartment 34 / Erica: Design Blahg / Victoria: Vmac & Cheese / Christine: Miles to Style / Franki: Life in a Venti Cup / Sue: The Zhush / Erika: Radiant Republic / Gabrielle: Savvy Home / Monika: The Doctor's Closet / Naomi: Design Manifest /Tobe: Because It's Awesome / Becca: {extra}ordinary wonders / Lynzy: Sparkling Footsteps / Hitha: Hitha On The Go / Sarah: Note To Self / Liz: So Much To Smile About / Sarah: Blogstar / Alissa: The Goods Design / Jessie: Style & Pepper / Erika: Small Shop Studio / AV: Long Distance Loving / Maggie: Maggie Rose Blog / Nicole: The City Girl In Me/ Priscilla: The Best Laid Plans / Jen: Concrete Jungle DC / Janelle: Food Fashion Fitness / Natalie: East Coast Chic
Here are the bloggers that participated in Wave No. 1 of Things I'm Afraid To Tell You:
Design for Mankind | Little Brown Pen | Beautiful Hello | Curating Style | Sweet Fine Day | The Jealous Curator | Happy Days | Sage & Berries | Really Handmade | Peck Life | Satsuma Press | Rena Tom | For the Easily Distracted | The Hemborg Wife | Vitamini Handmade | Courtney Khail Stationery and Design | Meg in Progress | Dando Photography Blog | Widdershins22 | Alison Citron |Pink Moon Daily | Just Pretty Things | From China Village | Tea with Me | The Darling Ewe | Not Your Average Ordinary | The Electric Typewriter | Elleby Design | Parsimonia {Secondhand With Style} | Life as an Artistpreneur | Hello Cupcake | Dellie | The A & B Stories | Pretty Little Things | Feistyelle | Nib & Zed | Well and Cheaply | I Ripple. I Dance. | Whitfield Awesome Blog |Foxtrot Press | Dry As Toast | The List of Now | Apple Blue | For the Love of | Four Flights of Fancy | Miss Modish | Snapshots & Secrets | Dirty Laundry | Bubby & Bean | Penelope's Press | Little Nostalgia | Vale Design | Pikaland | Fleurishing | Print Pretty | Vespa Tales | Hazel & Agnes | Amanda's Musings | Mo' Funk Designs | Ordinary Mommy | Camp 1899 | In Honor of Design |Liberty's Yarn | Love, Life & Pictures | Stacey Winters | Owl in the Rain | Living Life Creatively | Emma Elizabeth Clease | I Live in Vacouver Now | British Cream Tea
Roxy these admissions make me admire you even more. And the fact that your family has been in the industry for so long is a fact you SHOULD put out there! It's a big credential, and gives you an edge over all those young, inexperienced gals who think they can just whip up a business, just like that!
And in terms of your "enough" phrases...my uncle says, sometimes good enough is good enough. I try to remember that! ;0)
Awe, thanks for sharing! Love ya girl. You continue to impress me and so many others. I totally relate so many of your points. Learning that I am enough is something that I've really been focusing on this year. some days I believe it, other days I dont!
(And one of these days I know we will find you some furniture!)
It's great to learn more about you Roxy.
I agree with Erika about sharing about your family's history in the business. It does give you an edge and inherent knowledge in the product.
I'm loving reading about everyone in this series! First off the fact that you quit your job and are pursing your dreams is enough, do you know how many people aren't brave enough to do that?! I completely hear you on the facebook induced depression- it's so hard not to compare yourself to others especially in the society we live in!
Loving that all these bloggers are sharing more of their personal thoughts. It's all making me feel more normal about my feelings.
Just remember, you're great at what you do. I think your pieces are pretty darn original and creative!
Roxy, I can't wait to meet IRL! I relate to so much of what you said, and I feel it's more than I can write in a blog comment. xo
I hear you on the customer service stuff! And I adore that you have no furniture--I LOVE furniture and have a mom who is a decorator, and live with nothing but hand-me-downs! But I'm grateful! Thank you for sharing!
Good on you for being so honest...love your post!
xxx
Roxy, you are seriously adorable!! Thank you for making the seemingly "perfect" author of this blog become more human and WONDERFUL! I appreciate your honesty...it's nice to know we are all in this together and some people share my same insecurities!!
Love this, Roxy. I can completely relate on #4...as an Asian who grew up in a white family in Texas...yeah, I get it. I think it's left me with a bit of a chip on my shoulder sometimes too. Thank you so much for putting yourself out there today!
THANK YOU FOR SHARING! I definitely understand how you feel about "enough" and facebook. When I was going through a rough patch in my relationship, I was ready to throw facebook away. Enough with your happy photos people! But then I realized that the same happy photos can be deleted the next day and they really mean nothing. However, the not feeling like I'm ever doing anything "enough" is still here. Maybe I'll grow out of it?
Thank you so much for sharing all of this! I was happy to participate in the project, but I've enjoyed reading everyone else's posts more than anything. :) Glad to have found you through all of this, and excited to now be following along!
Wow, I'm extra excited because I not only found another "Things I'm Afraid to Tell You" post, but an amazing person behind a ridiculously awesome business!
I just spent wayyy too much time flipping through pics of all of your furniture; oh my. You obviously have incredible taste and a great eye for style- and I'm in awe of anyone who starts a business.
Thanks for sharing all of this - I'm going to post about your shop on my blog!
Thanks for sharing and being so honest! I can relate to a lot of your thoughts and feelings. You are an incredibly radiant, creative spirit!
These posts just keep on getting better and better. Thank you for being so honest - it helps all of us dreamers not feel so alone!
Thank you for sharing your feelings and emotions with us all! You inspire me so much, and I am so amazed by your "go-getter" attitude and drive. I admire you so much for how you have created a company all on your own. You have a lot to be proud of! It's good to remember we are all human and all go through periods of feeling lost/confused/not good enough. You are an amazing lady, Roxy!
This post resonates with me. I can't tell you how afraid I am of my own pursuits, and it's always comforting to know that successful people have the same fears. I also have the biggest trouble dealing with "enough." Thank you so much for sharing this. I needed it today.
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