For some, their spark comes early and true. Like my father-in-law, who always knew his calling was to be a firefighter, and has been one for more than 30 years. For some, their spark takes longer to develop. My husband didn’t always know that his calling was the fire service as well, but once he found it, it was all he wanted. And for others, like me, their spark evolves and changes. I think there is a certain pressure to decide on a specific career path early, and stick to it, but I’ve been interested in so many different career paths throughout my life. I’ve been interested in broadcast journalism. I always toyed with the education field. The arts have always called to me. At the end of the day, I am just so passionate about so many different things.

After changing my mind about a thousand times, I went to college for political science because I love history and law, but once I graduated and got a job in the industry, I knew it wasn’t what made my heart sing. And at that point, post undergrad, and having been set on going to law school, I was at a scary place. Do I just march down the path I’m on and be somewhat happy in my profession for the rest of my life, or do I strike out with this, admit I didn’t choose right the first time, and try to figure out what I’m really meant to do? I had a great support system, and over the course of about three months, I went through my passions, and landed on writing. And then through writing, which led to marketing, where I worked for a nonprofit, which felt a lot more “right”. But still something was just a little off. So that brings me to when I first had the idea of my business- Taylor Brand Consulting.

In late spring of last year/ early summer I was no where near being able to launch a full-time business. If I’m truthfully depicting this season of my life, I have to disclose that while I was beginning to become terribly burnt-out at my full-time job, I wasn’t really doing much about it. I freelanced a few projects here and there on the side, and dreamed of working from home, for myself, but I wasn’t doing anything to actually make it happen. It was in June of 2017 that a strong piece of advice hit me hard, “A dream with no work is just a fantasy. A dream with hard work is a plan.”

I didn’t know then that I would be working for myself full-time by the end of the same year, but I knew that I would never climb out of the rut I was in without taking the first step. So I put my thoughts to action, and made a business plan, created a website, and began my search for a client base. Once I rounded out exactly what I would be offering, I started small, and accepted pretty much any and every project that came my way. As tempting as it was to take a week off here, or a few days off there, I knew consistency was key to taking a side gig to a full-time business. But with time, and that consistency, the projects got bigger, and went from one-time projects to full-time contracts. And in December of last year, I launched my business full-time.

Sitting in my home-office, setting my goals for the day, and interacting with my clients, I can’t believe that this is real. I feel fulfilled. Purposeful. Empowered. My heart sings.

So if you’re reading this, and you don’t feel that you’ve found your spark, or that you’re doing what makes your heart sing, know that it doesn’t mean that you are broken or less than. Choosing your path isn’t always easy, and sometimes, it’s really hard. If you are still finding your path, take your time. Keep searching. Don’t stop until you find what makes your heart sing. Not hum. Not shrug. SING.

Put your dream with some hard work, and make that plan. Then go change the world.

Sweet dreams and happy travels, lovelies!