Interior Design | Upholstery | Curtain Making | New Forest

How do we feel about "CHANGE"?

Catherine Brennan

Changes affect us differently...

Majority of us like what's familiar, we get used to the same routine and feel safe having structure in place and generally in our life. Making a decision to change is scary and that first step to actually decide that you are going to introduce a strong change can be overwhelming.

New Forest Designs would have never happened if I didn't wake up one day and said "enough is enough", let's follow what I feel in my heart, what I'm good at, where my passion lies. Well, this wasn't actually that hard it's what followed after... I took several course: interior design, professional roman blind and curtain making course, cushions, pelmets, lampshades, upholstery...... name it, I did it. I loved that process and kept telling myself that I needed more knowledge, more practice, more time, time, time... There we go more time... Why? Because setting up my very own company was terribly scary. That's where the self doubt really kicked in and hundreds of questions appeared like: what if I have no clients, what if I'm not good enough, what do I actually know about running a business, how do I advertise, how do I finance this venture, what if I'm not earning enough and can't contribute enough to cover the costs?

Have you been in a similar place of self doubt and wanting to run away even before you started walking? I'm sure it all sounds familiar. We as human beings dream of being someone else, being somewhere else, having something extra ordinary but once it comes to change than we prefer dreaming. It's much easier to turn round when we are younger but it's much more difficult once we have family and commitments. Still, it doesn't mean you can't change your circumstances but often it means sacrificing your income, comfort and current structure. It may mean giving up things you have been accustomed to for many years. Once you finally decide to take a plunge it will follow by long days, long nights, work with hardly any income, self doubt, possibly regret, wish you never did it. This stage is the toughest and if you manage to get through then let me tell you.. "you have a chance!".

I'm still not earning enough and hardly covering my expenses but only now have a believe that I can actually make it work that New Forest Designs by Catherine Brennan can survive. I have learnt lots over the last 5 years and 5 years back is when I really started dreaming about my company.

My advice to you is to surround yourself with people who will encourage and support you, family, friends, community, other professionals. Listen, learn, take courses, breath and believe. You will get through the change. Yes, it will be hard. There's no point doing something that's easy. Be determined, be confident but humble, when you need to cry, then cry but pick yourself up again to fight. You will be so happy once you get through this stage. It really doesn't matter if you are setting up a new company, deciding to part with your partner or moving to a different place. The same principles will apply. You need to believe in yourself more than anyone else. You will be just fine.

Change is growth, change is revolutionary, change is everything worth doing. It will allow you to learn about yourself, who you are, life, sometimes it will lead you to different places that you envisaged in the first place but it will enrich your life and will make you appreciate YOU!

Let's embrace CHANGE.