The Start of Something New

“Keep a journal for three months and you will find your voice,” a writer named Gail said to me. Although I was unschooled in the field of writing, I took the challenge and I am now a storyteller, writer, and author. Our serendipitous meeting occurred in 2014.

What led me to take her challenge? In one word: boredom.

I experienced an emotional rush with the thought of finding my voice. I loved the drama of her words and was inspired by the mystery of where my voice might lead me!

But what I truly loved was the first feeling I had when I decided to take the challenge. I put my fingers on the keys of my computer, my beloved MacBook Air, and my entire body relaxed. A peace came over me that shocked me. I can still envision where I was sitting.

Keeping My Promise

The following three months were a hectic time in my life. They were filled with exciting planned travel with my ultimate concierge.

Nevertheless, I stuck to my promise. I didn’t miss a day writing for three consecutive months. I made time during the busy days to write. I wrote in airports, hotel rooms and in cars as we traveled through France, Italy, and Russia.

Three Months Passed

A few days after the three month period lapsed, I was in the park with my beloved Orchid, my Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier. I received a call from a very close girlfriend to whom I had sent some of my stories.

She phoned to let me know she had a brainstorm session about putting my stories on the web.  I loudly said, “The internet? I don’t know a thing about the internet!”

She told me I should learn. I have been trying to do just that for the past six years! I understand much of the jargon and I can probably do more than most of you, but it is the biggest ongoing challenge of my life and the biggest challenge for my team.

Getting The Process Started

Looking back over the years, I have mixed feelings of what I should have done, but I will discuss that later. Nevertheless, within a matter of days, I had bought a domain, hired a young man to handle my new site along with his sister, a teacher, who edited my stories.

Now I had a real hobby to sink my teeth into, a hobby that fulfilled me. I was naive, to say the least, but, I was happy.

Writing From My Heart

I could write, feel fulfilled and do away with things that no longer interested me. The more I wrote from my heart, the more woman gravitated to HoneyGood.com and my hobby started a business I originally knew nothing about!

We’re over 250,000 strong! Running and managing an online company was far above my pay grade and I knew it, but I could not stop because I loved writing my stories and reading the positive comments. Personally answering the many women who contacted me made me feel so inspired.

Relying on Others

In retrospect, it was silly at the time to allow HoneyGood.com to evolve into a full-blown online company with the blog, the Honey Good Network representing various groups and my social media channels because I lacked the background to fully understand the internet.

I have had to rely on others’ business solutions and ideas with little idea if they were right or wrong. I have made more mistakes than Carter has liver pills and those have cost me dearly.

Hiring the wrong people has been one of my biggest errors. I needed individuals who had specific strengths and I did not know if they were exaggerating their skills to me. I had to rely on my gut feelings, which were often wrong.

Earning My Wings

Six years and six million mistakes later, I know one thing: I have loved every minute of writing and getting to know so many incredible women around the world. I love how I feel about myself as a woman over 50!

I have earned my wings to tell myself I feel vibrant and visible. I have embraced life on my terms, which is powerful.

How My Entrepreneurial Spirit Evolved

I suppose I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit. As a young married woman, I began to organize and operate a range of charitable events. From the seedling of an idea to full-blown execution, I loved every minute of planning, delegating and chairing events. Success was scintillating.

I also dabbled in promotion because I convinced people to love my many causes. Running small events led to larger and larger undertakings. In my early 40s, I became the Chairman of a national charitable agency for the state of Hawaii. I held that position for four years and loved every minute of my experience. My reward was pleasure and pride rather than monetary payment.

But boy oh boy did I lack an understanding of technology. To be clear, in my wildest dreams I never dreamed Honey Good would amass an audience of over a quarter of a million followers. I never dreamt my hobby would become more than a blog.

 

Am I Happy?

Am I happy? Yes, yes, yes! I am a grandmother well past 50 who goes to work every day, who learns every day, who is challenged every day, who is joyful even when she wants to throw her computer off of the 71st floor and jump with it!

I am a grandmother who gets it, who has earned her Ph.D. in “Life” and wants to share her joys, fears, and jolts with other women. I want to help you walk on the sunny side of the street and to make lemons into sweet lemonade because nothing can hold you back but yourself.

As the changing season approaches us and I spend some time reflecting, I look oh so forward to the fall months and to continue sharing my experiences with you!

Have you pursued entrepreneurial passions of your own? What sparks your interest? I am so inspired by your stories and would love to learn more in the comments below or on Facebook.

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