So here's my story, from the time I said to myself OK I'm gonna be a designer (summer 2003) to the time my collection debutes (summer 2008), 5 ****ing years I let pass by.
That is sooooo unacceptable.
Like how could I let this happen?
omg.
I'm still doing my collection, but I just have days where I'm like, wow, I've wasited so much life.
You do have to look at it that, u know? U cant get around it.
lol but it's best not to think about it.
And on those odd days when I dwell on my time lost, all I wanna do is get drunk and listen to Amy Winehouse all day.
I'm still doing my collection, but I just have days where I'm like, wow, I've wasited so much life.
You do have to look at it that, u know? U cant get around it.
Cody,
You know, I was 50 years old when I walked out of my previous "corporate" life. I exchanged a pretty good lifestyle for that of a "starving" artist. Yeah, I'm getting a late start - very late! BUT - I think back to my former job, and all those people who said, "Gee, I really admire your courage - I always wanted to open a restaurant...be a travel writer...become a photographer, etc." Well, all those people with unfulfilled dreams are still sitting in their offices...not one iota closer to "someday."
Cody, unlike 95% of all people, at least you summoned the wherewithal to what you want to do! I've been out here five years now, and I'm finally about to launch my business. And what do I think about all those "lost years?" Though I admit sometimes I think, "If only, if only...," for the most part I just believe that, until then, it just wasn't my time to shine yet, that I had to have 49 years of other experiences before I could arrive at the moment when it was time to make the break. And maybe what you consider "wasted" was actually a series of accumulated experiences that were necessary to get to where you are today. God/fate/nature works in mysterious ways, and for some reason, both you and I had to take a longer, slower path than others just to get to the same place. So what? Just accept it, and don't waste another precious moment feeling sorry over something that can't be changed. We have an advantage over others - we need to make up for lost time, and that makes us very focussed. And focus and a little elbow grease will equal great success!
Cody, in addition to some of the nice, new comments you've received here, maybe you should re-read your older thread on the same topic. Those folks also went out of their way to help you feel better, and while it seems you've accepted your situation a tad more since March, please don't forget the support you get here is also to help you progress.
Here's your other thread with other similar helpful encouraging comments. Think about printing these, from both threads, and posting them somewhere close to your work area. Instead of reaching for the bottle, read the encouragement, and continue moving forward. Good luck to you, Kelly
Hey Cody, If were easy a lot more people would be doing this type of business. Take 1 day at a time. ..... JB
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i started my company in 1999.... in the architecture field.... i left the firms after college (94-99) and wanted to build my ideas..... so i did..... i took on every project i could...... made my ideas happen..... on tight budgets and even worked for nothing just to make it happen...... i worked in construction and various trades to learn about everything related to architecture........... the past few years i tried to get a job back in the firms....... but to much surprise i was rejected due to some b.s. such as not having enough office experience or not knowing "sketchup" or some other b.s. program........... i then switched my ideas to create my t-shirt line......... last year was my first year and it went well.... this year just rethinking a few things before i relaunch the new stuff and some older designs...........
the main thing i did was that i stopped being afraid of the "what if's" and just did it..... sure i might have made a few little mistakes/etc.... but its a learning experience............. people will always talk smack about you because they dont want you to be above their level..... so forget all that b.s. drama and just start pushing your work
when i started : 2:37am : all i wanted to do is make my ideas happen....and create a product for everyone that i could...... some people light need some design/build work and some might just want a t-shirt..... but all in all, i'm making my ideas come to life........ it's alot of work ......... but it's good to see your product floating around and people enjoying your craft............
dont give up............. just make a few product pieces and build up from there..
Giving up was never an option for me at all because if I had given up, then my only alternative would be to do horrible jobs that I really hated and my life would be a living hell forever.
I used to waste lots of time, but then one day I got serious and very determined to succeed. I also studied lots and lots of advice on how to be successful. Ever since then, I waste some time but not a lot. I am generally pretty productive and always moving forward. I know how to keep myself from getting into a rut now.
You're never too old to succeed. It sounds to me like you are in your twenties, so it's ridiculous to get hung up on having wasted 5 years. I know of someone who didn't start succeeding in business until he was 65. It's very bad for you to wallow in self pity or negative thinking. Stop that and just think positive, work hard, and try hard to not let yourself waste a lot of time again. Never stop working on your goals. Winners never quit and quitters never win.
DO NOT EVER dwell on anything negative, such as your "time lost." That is a waste of time and puts you in the wrong frame of mind. Whatever yo dwell on becomes bigger in your life. So if you dwell on how much time you lost, you'll just keep wasting MORE time.
What you need to dwell on is your GOALS! Keep your eyes on the prize and don't ever take them off! I spend most of my time thinking about my goals and working on my goals. Yes I am human too and a lot of times negative thoughts do try to drag me down. But I quickly stop myself and I ask myself "What are your goals?" And then I repeat to myself what my goals are. That way I refocus my mind on where I want to go and what I need to do. I know very well that thinking about negative things in my past does nothing but waste my time and gets in the way of my goals. So I try my best to squash that every time it starts to happen. This way I definitely end up getting more done and I feel much better too, because dwelling on negative things is depressing. And if you think about positive things and goals instead of negative things, you are free from that burden and you feel a lot happier.
The people who become alcoholics and commit suicide do that because they spend a lot of time dwelling on negative things and they drive themselves crazy. They don't know how to stop thinking about these things. They don't know how to refocus themselves in a positive direction. I used to be depressed several years ago. But I studied a lot about psychology and self help stuff and I never get depressed anymore. I am now an unstoppable force of nature! I know everything about good mental health and about how to succeed! And I use that knowledge every day to benefit myself and propel myself forward!
Last edited by Bougie; May 12th, 2008 at 05:20 AM.
If you quit, then you'll never be successful. It doesn't happen over night as most people here and in life can attest to.
If this is indeed your passion, see it through. Don't measure the meaning of success by someone else's standards. Define it yourself and then achieve it. Accept nothing less.
As a rule of thumb, never listen to Amy Whinehouse's music, considering how the singer herself is getting into the news headlines for all the wrong reasons.
__________________ The hardest thing to understand in this world is not women....it is SEO. **** it!
What I would have rather done was while I was in high school, train on how to put my line out, then my 1st year out put out my intro line, which would have had a few pieces from a few collections, then for the next 4 years put out 5 complete, full lines.
INSTEAD
I took my sweet **** time, and wasited a good portion of my life.
Like a herion addict waking up and realizing, wow I wasited my life.
Cody,
Four lines in four years is a big accomplishment for anyone. Some folks set the bar too low, but sometimes, I believe it is possible to set the bar too high as well. The first leads to a false sense of achievement, and the second leads to a false sense of failure. I think there's a possibility you fall into the second category.
Why not think about taking a little time to research how long, in reality, it takes for the average person to complete one full line, let alone 4 complete lines, especially right out of high school.
In your other thread, you asked how long was it until folks launched, so you could get an idea of where you fall, but since you were so depressed, most people gave you this same exact advice, and shared their stories of success to encourage you.
I suggest you do a poll, and giving options of 1 yr, 2 yrs, etc, would maybe help put your mind at ease, and you can see where most people fall percentagewise, in time it took to launch. Its just an idea, bc I think it would do you good to see the poll results. If you would like to, but don't know how, PM me and I will help you. Best regards, Kelly
Four lines in four years is a big accomplishment for anyone. Some folks set the bar too low, but sometimes, I believe it is possible to set the bar too high as well. The first leads to a false sense of achievement, and the second leads to a false sense of failure. I think there's a possibility you fall into the second category.
Why not think about taking a little time to research how long, in reality, it takes for the average person to complete one full line, let alone 4 complete lines, especially right out of high school.
In your other thread, you asked how long was it until folks launched, so you could get an idea of where you fall, but since you were so depressed, most people gave you this same exact advice, and shared their stories of success to encourage you.
I suggest you do a poll, and giving options of 1 yr, 2 yrs, etc, would maybe help put your mind at ease, and you can see where most people fall percentagewise, in time it took to launch. Its just an idea, bc I think it would do you good to see the poll results. If you would like to, but don't know how, PM me and I will help you. Best regards, Kelly
Cody, it does not happen overnight for anyone. I can certainly appreciate the desire to have 5 lines up and running in 5 years but that would be quite an accomplishment for even seasoned designers. Getting down on yourself for not having them out is not helpful. When your down you cannot devote the needed attention to the lines you have prepared and ready to go. Why not focus on 1 or 2 lines and get them going then when they don't require so much attention create a couple more and stair step up your production? In having such a strict expectation the problem is when you do not meet it then it creates this feeling of failure. Is your first line out in the public yet? If it is, then you should be proud of your efforts with that one and see it as an accomplishment not a failure. Maybe just understand you are only human and you can only do so much in a given amount of time and that's ok . If you give up now, your not only throwing away the future you had planned, but also the 5 yrs you have invested to get where you are now. Just relax it's out there for you
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Creativity is your vehicle, profit the destination.
sounds like you need a Gen. George S Patton kick in the butt..
Seriously. 4 years to design some clothes?? It sounds like you have not been too serious about getting getting it done.
Patton was famous for this quote, which immediately came to mind when I read your thread:
Quote:
A good plan violently executed right now is far better than a perfect plan executed next week.
Sounds like you are working on a PERFECT PLAN.... Action makes things happen, not planning or designing. How is the work you did three years ago relevant to what you are doing today??
You have to get started with whatever plan you can make at the time and whatever resources you have at the time. And then you need to take lots of action and you just keep making corrections and improvements in your plans and strategies. Making mistakes is good as long as you learn from them and don't keep making the same mistake over and over. If something doesn't work, then you need to either modify your strategy or get a completely new strategy. Taking a lot of action is very important. That's when the big success happens. Not much happens if you spend a lot of time doing nothing. The successful people are extremely busy making things happen. You have to be highly motivated and want to succeed very badly. I changed one day because I got really really sick and tired of being a failure. From that point I was determined that I was going to succeed and that I would absolutely make it happen no matter what I had to do. If you are very determined like that then you are bound to find a way to succeed. Like they say, where there is a will, there is a way. When the success does come, it's the sweetest feeling in the world.
having thoughts on throwing in the towel 
. If you give up now, your not only throwing away the future you had planned, but also the 5 yrs you have invested to get where you are now. Just relax it's out there for you 
