Living Life Your Way.... Interview with Thursday from My Girl Thursday

I've been working hard the last few months at overcoming my fears and following my dreams. So I'm running a series of interview with inspiring people to see what part fear has played in their life and how they've overcome it to live life their way...

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*Hey! Tell us a little about yourself.

Hello friend. My name is Thursday. I'm a compulsive crafter, lifelong thrifter, hideaway hermit, baker extraordinaire and mama to a seriously blissed out one year old. I own and operate a handmade business and blog by the name of My Girl Thursday.

*Is the life you lead now the life you've always dreamt of?

Well, I guess that would depend on which dream we're talking about. I can't flap my wings and fly so I guess some of my dreams are a bust, but for the most part I live a very blessed life. My partner and I both work from home. He runs a Chinese medicine practice and I have my blog and shop. We have a hilarious daughter, Georgia, and she is the best part of every single day. Yes, I would say our life is pretty dreamy!

*When you have faced difficulties, what has been your inspiration to keep going?

For sure I have! Actually, most often my biggest difficulty is overcoming all the nonsense that I've created in my mind. When it comes to my creative life I sometimes catch myself comparing myself to other creative ladies. I'll get bummed out that my stuff doesn't look like theirs, my writing doesn't sound like my photos aren't as pretty as theirs. Instead of admiring their work and finding inspiration from their story I fall into a pit of envy. That sort of thinking can spiral out of control rather quickly and end in rash decisions. Now when I find myself doing this I take a step back and take a break from what I'm doing. Often times it stems from frustration - from working too much or not being able to get through a new project. The truth is that I love the things I make, I love my style and I've worked very hard to get where I'm at now.

 

*Fear affects us all at some point. What part has fear played in your life and how have you overcome it?

Unfortunately fear has played a leading role in my life. I have been dealing with social anxiety since my first handshake (okay, earlier). For a very long time I allowed it dictate my life. No social events, very few friends, and definitely nothing that could possibly be judged harshly by others. It was horrible. As soon as I would step into a social situation I would hear people thinking terrible things about me - "she is so stupid." "what is she wearing?" "why would she say that?" All these things may as well have been said aloud, because I was hearing them so clearly they felt real.


A couple years ago I took part in a social anxiety support group (yea, I know the idea is kind of funny) and I found that to be really helpful. I was also on a range of anxiety and depression medications for many years as well. But what has helped me the most is actively seeking out happiness - not settling for what is easy or good enough. So while I happily spend some of my time dreaming of a better life, I also spend a great deal of time setting goals and taking action. It's incredibly satisfying setting aside self doubt and just making your dreams happen.




*What advice would you offer on following your heart and living your dreams?

First you have you decide what it is that you really want in life. Remember, just because anything is possible doesn't mean that everything is possible (or even necessary). Once you've decided your goals I find it helpful to create smaller steps that will help you move towards your main objective. I have found that this make the process a lot less intimidating, more measurable and it totally helps me keep my head in the game.

If you blog and you're comfortable sharing this process with your readers I would totally suggest doing so. Once I announce a goal to my audience I can't get it out of my head. For me it brings a whole new degree of accountability.

And perhaps the most important part is to be realistic when you are deciding on your goals. Do you want an uber-successful handmade business that will rake in hundreds of thousands? Then keep it real and understand that that level of success is not going to happen immediately. This may sound like common sense but it's probably the part I struggle with the most. Success is not an overnight thing. I believe it comes from building meaningful connections one by one.

*What do you think are the three most important things you need to lead a happy and radiant life?

Lists - they make my world go round.
Rituals. Something to keep you sane, something to look forward to.
A laughing family. It's always a good sign.