12.26.23 - Don’t give up

Good morning ,

I wanted to email you yesterday but the day got away from me. I hope you had a Merry Christmas and were surrounded by love. 

Today I want to reflect on a couple things I did this year that didn't make sense at the time, but God!

First, I completed a rebrand for Naturally Created 4 You earlier this year. I invested in new labels, new photos and even built a new website. When everything was finished I thought Naturally Created 4 You was going to zoom it's way to a multi-six figure brand. It did not lol. Instead, the exact opposite happened. It wasn't just me though. Nearly every online business took a hit in 2023. This brought me to start selling in person at vendor events. I fell in love with meeting my customers in person. I loved learning something new. It taught me so much about my business and helped me build new relationships. Yes, there were events that I went to where I barely made my fee back. If you are unfamiliar with vendor events, let me briefly explain. Typically for vendor (small business) to participate in a vendor event/farmer's market/pop up they are required to pay a fee. This fee can range between $40-$500 depending on the organization hosting the event. The fee is almost always non-refundable and there is no guarantee that if you pay "x" amount you will make "y". On more than 1 occasion I barely made my fee back. You can imagine the frustration of being some place for 4-10 hours and barely making anything. But God! The last event I did of 2023 helped me understand 1 thing that I was missing. The second to last event confirmed that I needed to be more intentional about which events I participate in. The third to last event showed me that I am way too impatient and I just have to keep showing up. What I learned is to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Live your life with a willingness to seek God for wisdom and guidance. Embrace opportunities to learn instead of shutting down when things aren't working out how you planned. 

Second, I started a new business over the summer. I was confident that God was answering my prayer and this new business was going to replace some income we had lost. While God had answered a piece of my prayer, none of the other stuff happened. lol. All I can do is laugh because when you sit back and think of your plans, and then you realize how small we think in the grand scheme of the God we serve, it makes you laugh. The business flopped. I didn't make one sale. I actually shut the website down and lost hope in it. I started to think things through again and realized I may have got it wrong. The business part anyway. I thought maybe I should start a non profit. That thought quickly faded for a number of reasons. Then something clicked. This was a personal mission. Not attached to a business. It's crazy how things can start to unfold and you can see more and more of what God is setting up for you. This is how my new community was built. Sometimes God has you do things "out of order" but it all works out for good for those who love Him. You have no idea how many times I felt like I wasted my time. I felt like a failure because I quit. I felt like I got it all wrong. In reality, God was preparing me. What I learned through this is God wastes nothing. He can take something that feels hopeless and turn into something that will impact a multitude. He is the master planner and he is patient. His timing is different than ours. 

I want to remind you this morning that God is a God of process. What are you going through that you need to get a new perspective on? What is happening in your life that you need to ask God for help with? What is God trying to prepare you for? 

As we approach a new year, let's lean into what God is saying and his promise for our life. Let's remember that we have the Holy Spirit to help us. Let's remember the fruit of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Let's remember we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. 

Whatever you are dealing with don't give up. You never know how God is going to use you and your testimony to help others.

I appreciate you being a part of my community. It's always more than skin care :)

If this email has helped you please share it with someone you know. 

Love,
Danielle
naturallycreated4you.com

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