In the fall in 2018, I started pursuing my doctorate degree. I had already completed my bachelors and masters so I thought why not go for my doctorate. I also had the dream of being an entrepreneur and starting an online store focused on swim wear for women. I decided to make my education my main focus and put my other dreams on hold. I completed the first year of my doctoral program and I was feeling so unfulfilled. My heart was not in it and I truly felt like this was not what I was supposed to be doing. I decided to take some time off from school and truly find myself and discover what it is that I want out of life.
During this time I focused on really getting to know myself. I spent a lot of time reading, journaling and setting goals. I often came back to the idea of starting the store but would think of a million reasons why I shouldn't. I started and then stopped the process of starting my own business so many times within the last two years.
In late 2019, I came back to the idea of starting my own business. I started doing a lot more research. I actually created a plan this time, which allowed me to stay on track. In February of 2020 I turned 28 years old. A couple months before my birthday I read an article that stated every 7 years your body replaces itself with a new set of cells which essentially means you become a "new person". I was coming up on a new 7 years which meant I would become a new person. Now I don't know how true this is or if it's even possible scientifically but ...... it inspired me to leave all my fears in the past, come into my own as a woman and do all the things I had been dreaming about. From that point on I worked towards my business every single day.
In March 2020, the world went crazy when covid-19 emerged in the US. Because I work in the field of public health, I knew how serious this virus could be. The world was basically shutdown and we were told to stay at home and practice social distancing. Although I was blessed that I was able to keep my job and telework, it was so depressing at times having to stay in the house for months. But I didn't allow that to distract me. I used that down time as an opportunity to work on my business.